Jurevicius Welcomed With Open Arms Joey Knight, The Tampa Tribune, published 25 October 2004 The adoration Joe Jurevicius got from the Raymond James Stadium throng upon his introduction Sunday was so palpable, Derrick Brooks could feel the love. ``Man, it sent chills through my body,'' Brooks said. Emerging from the stadium's southwest tunnel for the first time in exactly 11 months as an active roster member, Jurevicius was met with a roar that hit a crescendo when he gave his trademark first-down sign. ``I felt like that song, `Welcome Back, Kotter,' '' the rehabbed and rejuvenated Bucs wideout said. ``It was great. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to that.'' That emotional greeting was among the highlights Jurevicius allowed to soak in on his first day in uniform since Nov. 30, 2003. The drive to work, the stroll from the parking lot to the locker room, the feel of the jersey on his back - he did it all with a heightened sense of awareness, as if committing it to memory. ``I missed all that,'' Jurevicius said. What he didn't miss - or miss out on - was the opportunity to contribute Sunday. His knee and back injuries seemingly in his wake, Jurevicius started and essentially went the distance in the Bucs' 19-7 victory against the Bears. His first catch of 2004, a 13- yarder from Brian Griese near midfield on third-and-9, came at the 6:04 mark of the second quarter. His second, an 8-yarder, came the following play. ``I've got a feeling he's tired,''Jon Gruden said. ``I don't think his body's sore, I think his heart is just pumping rapidly ... right now. We played him the entire game. I heard his comments earlier in the week about spot playing. I said, `The [heck] with you, you're playing the whole game.' '' The back-to-back receptions, on the Bucs' tedious 16- play TD drive, would be Jurevicius' only ones of the day. Statistically, it seemed like a cameo. For him, it may as well have been Camelot. ``To be honest with you, my whole focus this whole week was just get out there on the football field and enjoy it, kind of savor everything,'' Jurevicius said. ``Enjoy the crowd, enjoy being on the football field, smell the grass and get the first hit out of the way.'' Still, even Jurevicius couldn't have imagined all the emotions to which he'd be exposed Sunday. By game's end, the passion and exhilaration had given way to bittersweetness and irony. Close friend Mike Alstott's knee injury tempered any postgame jubilation. Jurevicius' knee woes had begun on a collision with Alstott during last season's Carolina game. ``Right now, it's just devastating,'' Jurevicius said. And all the more reason to absorb - and appreciate - the day's special moments. ``The one thing I've learned is just how quickly this game can go, and it's true,'' Jurevicius said. ``The only thing I can do now is be the best friend I can be on this football team and help [Alstott] out and kind of wait on him hand and foot if he needs it.''