JACKSONVILLE - Now, they are part of the 700 Club.
Veterans Keenan McCardell and Jimmy Smith joined an elite group when each recorded his 700th reception Sunday night.
The former teammates - McCardell spent six seasons playing with Smith in Jacksonville - are 16th and 17th on the all-time list.
McCardell, who entered the game with 698 receptions, didn't get his until the Bucs' third possession. Quarterback Brad Johnson hit McCardell up the middle for an 18-yard gain, then hit him in almost the same position for a 9-yard gain and catch No.700.
Sticking to his promise not to celebrate the catch or keep the ball, McCardell dropped the ball and went back to the huddle.
"After all the stuff that went on this week, I forgot about the milestone catch," said McCardell, who finished with eight catches for 74 yards. "I knew it was going to happen but I wasn't going to let it dictate my play."
It may have been a ploy or just a favorable matchup, but the Jaguars wasted no time getting Smith the three receptions he needed to get to 700. In typical Smith fashion, they came in clutch plays.
On the Jaguars' first possession, Smith had catches of 10, 11 and 12 yards on consecutive third-down plays to help Jacksonville move deep into Bucs territory.
Catch No.700 came on third and 5 and went for 12 yards before he was tackled by safety Dwight Smith. Though an announcement was made over the stadium loudspeakers, there was little fanfare. Smith made the catch, dropped the ball and came off the field.
The drive stalled when the Jaguars failed to convert on fourth and 2 at the Bucs 24.
THE PENALTY MAN: Either the referees have something against tackle Kenyatta Walker or the third-year player is going to have a serious problem with his coach.
Flagged for numerous holding penalties and personal fouls this season, Walker opened the Bucs' second possession with a holding penalty that cost Tampa Bay 10 yards. The drive ended three plays later when Johnson threw an interception to linebacker Mike Peterson.
On the Bucs' next possession, Walker was replaced by reserve tackle Cornell Green. Green has played three games this season at right tackle after the Bucs moved Walker to left tackle to replace an injured Roman Oben.
"That wasn't my decision," Walker said. "I just had to suck it up. Penalties are killing this team. I'm a target right now. I'm fighting to get out of this hole. I'm frustrated about it. It's like I'm the most wanted out there."
Walker returned to the field in the third quarter.
LEE STARTS: He has gone from the waiver wire to the starting lineup. The meteoric rise of receiver Charles Lee climbed to another level when he started the second game of his four-year career.
With starter Joe Jurevicius apparently still nursing a tender knee, Lee started on the Bucs' first possession.
Lee, promoted into the regular rotation with the deactivation of Keyshawn Johnson, made a splash last Monday night when he caught a slant pass from Brad Johnson and ran it 53 yards for a touchdown.
He finished with six catches for 47 yards.
Jurevicius, who did little in practice leading up to the game, was dressed but gingerly walked the sideline and did not play. He said his knee wasn't ready to go.
ANOTHER FINE: Dwight Smith was fined $5,000 for excessive celebration in the third quarter of the Giants game Monday night. It was speculated that Smith might be fined for a ferocious hit on Giants receiver Amani Toomer in the end zone. The hit dislodged Toomer's helmet and resulted in an incomplete pass. Smith was not fined for the hit.
SPECIAL WOES: Martin Gramatica converted on a 47-yard field goal and Tom Tupa was able, at times, to punt the Bucs out of trouble. But the special teams continued to draw penalties.
In the third quarter, linebacker Vinny Ciurciu was penalized for unnecessary roughness at the end of a Jaguars punt. The Bucs would have gotten the ball at the 37 but started at the 22.
At the end of that possession, Tupa's long punt was downed at the Jaguars 9, but a penalty on linebacker Dwayne Rudd forced the Bucs to rekick. This time the Jaguars got the ball at their 36.
