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He of last season's noteworthy fumbled punt vs. Bucs sees special teams as his best shot to be a Buc in 2000.
By ROGER MILLS
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 28, 2000
TAMPA -- Oliver Stone could have woven a conspiratorial tale out of this:
Last season, receiver/returner Yo Murphy made the final Bucs roster and played in seven games before being released Nov. 29.
The Minnesota Vikings gobbled Murphy up and activated him for a Monday night game at Raymond James Stadium one week after he was released.
With the Bucs ahead 17-14 at the end of the third quarter, Murphy fumbled a punt. Tampa Bay recovered at Minnesota's 15-yard line. The fumble set up Shaun King's game-clinching 1-yard touchdown pass to Dave Moore.
Can you say Trojan horse?
"It's all part of the grand plan, the grand scheme of things," coach Tony Dungy joked. "You never know."
Murphy said the idea that he intentionally fumbled could be only fiction.
"I wanted to excel in the game and score a touchdown. There was no way I was trying to help out the other team," said Murphy, who again is in a battle for a spot in the Bucs' receiving corps. .
"That day, I was trying to kill the Bucs. I was trying to score so badly. There were a lot of people I played with in Minnesota who I had respect for, and I was glad that they picked me up. If I did something like that (fumble intentionally), no one would respect me. Not even the guys here in Tampa Bay would respect me."
Murphy said he fumbled because he wasn't protecting the ball and has not forgotten the lesson.
"I didn't think about where it was," Murphy said. "I was just mad that I fumbled. I have good ball security 90 percent of the time, and that was just one of those times when I didn't. I was out there trying to make plays. All the guys in Minnesota know I was just working hard."
Ironically, his ability to return punts and kickoffs could prove critical to his future with the Bucs. In a fight for limited spots at receiver, Murphy knows that making plays as a returner will go a long way.
"When we break camp at the end of the month, I want to be on that 53(-player roster)," Murphy said. "The big thing for me is that I feel that I can definitely help this team win as a returner. I know that. It's what I have to show. When that ball is out there, the offensive line has to walk to the 35 or 40 instead of walking to the 20-yard-line."
Said Dungy: "We think Yo has some tremendous skills, and he demonstrated it to us in (last) preseason. And we're looking forward to working with him and giving him that opportunity. We didn't want to lose him. We put him on waivers because we had to make room for an injury. We're glad to have him back."