It was as unlikely a story as there could be for the Bucs 3rd round draft pick of the 2006 NFL Draft. No, I'm not referring to his receiving, but Maurice Stovall's penchant for making great special teams plays over the years. Usually defensive players excel on Bisaccia's crews, but for a tall, lanky wide receiver, he was probably the last person you thought you would see on kick off coverage. Yet cover well he did, downing punts, kickoffs, whatever you asked him to do, to remain a contributing part of this team.
In 2009, Stovall took his game to where it belonged; on the field, on offense.
In his entire 3 year career, Stovall caught 20 footballs for 213 yards and one touchdown. Last year, Maurice had 24 catches for 366 yards and one score, which is second of the team's wide receivers to Antonio Bryant's 600 yards. In 2009 alone, Stovall eclipsed his career totals, which shows remarkable improvement for the young receiver out of Notre Dame.
Taken in the 3rd round, Stovall has never really been able to crack the lineup under either coach, and found himself as one of the many tennants in Jon Gruden's doghouse for his plethora of nagging injuries. He often would capture the attention of many a Bucs fans during training camp, but his good play would always seem to end there.
In 2010, Maurice Stovall is sure to target our eyes and ears again during OTAs and Training Camp. This time, we may listen a little bit closer.
