On the sideline
By JOANNE KORTH
Published August 10, 2005
OUT OF BOUNDS
Approaching storm clouds chased the Bucs off the practice field a bit early Tuesday afternoon, but they made time to huddle around a visitor in a wheelchair before heading inside.
He was Eric Jordan of Tampa, a 21-year-old soldier wounded by a roadside bomb while serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq last year and left paralyzed from the waist down.
Derrick Brooks signed his gloves and gave them to Jordan, while a steady flow of players such as Ronde Barber, Michael Clayton and Mike Alstott wished the avid Bucs fan well, signed items and shook his hand.
Then came coach Jon Gruden, who knelt in front of Jordan and said, "You're always welcome here." Gruden handed his visor to a beaming Jordan, with the inscription, "To Eric, you are a stud."
"We appreciate him coming out," Barber said as he walked off. "He's gone through a lot more than I'll ever go through."
"We give our bodies for this game; he gives it for his country," Clayton said. "You respect and love people like that. We're rooting for him."
Jordan, who attended Riverview High, was invited to camp by the team and escorted by his brother Casey Jordan, 22. He asked not to speak to the media, but later, clearly overwhelmed, described his feelings with one word: "Awesome."
QUOTABLE:"We had a couple drops today. This is not dodgeball. You've got to catch it." -- Coach Jon Gruden.
FRESH FACESteve Kriewald
HT./WT.: 5-10, 245.
COLLEGE: Nebraska
BACK IN THE DAY: Kriewald backed up Judd Davies for three seasons at Nebraska and became a full-time starter as a senior, carrying three times for 54 yards. He also caught five passes for 48 yards and three touchdowns. But Kriewald is a quick study. He was a Big 12 All-Academic selection throughout his career.
Kriewald was a teammate of linebacker Barrett Ruud, the Bucs second-round pick.
A two-way performer at running back and linebacker for North-Loup Scotia (Nebraska), Kriewald was believed to be only the seventh in-state recruit in the past 35 years to play eight-man football and earn a scholarship at Nebraska. He rushed for 1,117 yards and 15 TDs and caught 11 passes as a senior. As a linebacker, he had 377 tackles and 38 for a loss in his final two seasons. He also was recruited in track. He was a two-time winner of the all-class gold medal in shot put and played basketball, averaging 13 points and 13 rebounds as a senior.
TO MAKE THE TEAM: Kriewald is a long shot. One thing helping him is that he ran a version of the Bucs offense under former Raiders coach Bill Callahan, the 'Huskers coach. With seventh-round pick Rick Razzano nursing a hamstring injury, Kriewald is getting plenty of repetitions. An injury to either Mike Alstott or Jameel Cook puts him in the mix. "It's a great opportunity for me to be here and have a chance to make the squad," Kriewald said.
LITTLE KNOWN FACT: Kriewald was working construction in central Nebraska when he received a call from the Bucs asking him to come to training camp. He graduated in May with a 3.1 grade-point average in construction management. "I love to do construction, earth moving is what I love to do. Operating bulldozers and scrapers and stuff is what I really enjoying doing."
QUOTE: "I've been able to get a lot of reps in and that's the best way to learn. You can only learn so much by reading the playbook."