Stevens steers clear of trouble with Bucs
TAMPA, Fla. – This is not a feel-good story because this is not a story about Earnest Graham or Greg White or anyone like them.
This is not a feel-good story because this is a story about Jerramy Stevens, a tight end who didn’t have to wait for his first chance the way Graham and White did; who is playing proof that someone will always give you another chance no matter how many times you blow your last one; who might be in jail right now were it not for the fact he hired a real smart lawyer.
This is not a feel-good story, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers feel real good about what Stevens has been doing for them of late.
The first-year Buccaneer has scored three touchdowns in the past four games for his new team. The first was the game-winner at New Orleans on Dec. 2. The second erased a small deficit and gave the Bucs a brief lead at San Francisco on Sunday. The third put the Bucs in a position to tie that game against the 49ers. Impressive stuff, to be sure, but the numbers might be more impressive had Stevens, a University of Washington product, not been forced to sit out the Dec. 16 game against Atlanta.
It was NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s call. He suspended Stevens for that game and fined him another game check for his involvement in an incident in March in Scottsdale, Ariz., in which Stevens was charged with possession of marijuana and driving under the influence after his blood alcohol level was measured at more than three times the legal limit.
It wasn’t the first time Stevens has run afoul of the law. Since 1998 he has been arrested at least four times for various infractions.
As a result of his conviction on the March DUI charge, Stevens still faces a 12-day jail sentence. Thanks to the work of his attorney, though, he can wait until after the season is over before he has to start serving that sentence.
“I know that I’m going to have to deal with some things after the season, but that doesn’t have any effect on the football right now,” Stevens said. “I’m not looking forward to that, but I’m not concerned about it. I’m really just concerned with helping this team win. My focus is totally on the fact that we have a playoff run coming up.”
Good thing, because the 6-foot-7, 260-pound Stevens figures to be a big part of that playoff run. Bigger even than anyone might have expected.
The loss of wide receiver Maurice Stovall to a broken right arm has left the Bucs with three healthy and experienced wideouts. The Bucs are forced to make greater use of their tight ends, especially those such as Stevens, whose best attribute is running pass routes and catching the ball.
“He’s a great receiving tight end, a real asset to this offense,” said Luke McCown, the quarterback who has thrown two of Stevens’ TD passes.
Funny that McCown would say that. After all, Stevens came from the Seattle Seahawks this past off-season with a reputation for dropping a lot of passes and for being less than a stellar blocker. Since joining the Bucs, though, Stevens has started to erase the image he had for being unreliable on the field and steered clear of trouble off it.