As Charles Lee struggles to join the receiving corps, each catch gains importance.
By RICK STROUD
Published August 12, 2003
LAKE BUENA VISTA - What receiver Charles Lee needs is more playing time. What he's getting is replay time.
The fourth-year wideout has had two receptions - including a 20-yard touchdown against the Jets - erased by officials this preseason. The Bucs disagreed with both calls and even lost an instant replay challenge on Lee's apparent reception Friday against the Dolphins. But for a player facing long odds to earn a spot on the Bucs roster, catching a break can be as important as hanging on to the football.
"It just makes me realize that I've got to go ahead and make it clean," Lee said. "It's kind of like I'm landing on the ball and the ball is popping out.
"I've just got to keep plugging. I can't control that. I've just got to keep playing well."
At 6 feet 3, 227 pounds, Lee has enough physical ability to play in the NFL, but he has struggled trying to crack the lineup. After two seasons with Green Bay in which he caught 13 passes, he was released in September and signed by the Bucs a month later. He was active in one game and needs a stellar training camp to join the receiving corps of Keyshawn Johnson, Keenan McCardell, Joe Jurevicius and Karl Williams.
"He's done some good things throughout this camp and certainly in the games," coach Jon Gruden said. "But conditioning is an issue. The game speed, the game tempo is a lot different. A lot of it has to do with fighting it. His heart is racing on the way over to the game. He's probably run 3 or 4 miles before the game started. He's just got to relax a little bit and try to remain poised as best he can and let the life in his legs and his preparation take over. Monday night will be a big test for him again."
Lee agrees. He says until this preseason, the most extended playing time he had was at Central Florida, where he caught passes from Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper.
"There's still a lot of things I need to work on as far as game conditioning," Lee said. "This is pretty much the first extensive play I've gotten pretty much since college. I'm just trying to keep my mind in it and stay focused no matter what happens and just play each play.
"The longer training camp is, the duration, you get tired, you don't want to go through it. But those are the days you push the hardest. So I think I'm at that point where training camp has been a little long now, I'm a little winded here and there, a little tired, legs are sore. But those are the days you've got to push through."
Lee figures to get more extensive playing time Monday night against the Rams. The first-team offense is not expected to play more than a few possessions, giving Lee opportunities to make plays that aren't reversed.
"I feel I'm right there," he said. "This league is really about opportunities. You need someone to believe in you, someone who says, "This kid can play, let's ride with him and see what he can do.' I'm just hoping I get that chance here, and so far in the preseason, I have. I've had a chance to be out there and make some plays and just a chance to be in game rhythm, in game speed.
"The opportunity has been there, I've been able to make some plays here and there. I've just got to make more."
