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Saturday, January 27, 2001

TAMPA -- Joe Paterno made the slogan known from coast to coast. "Penn State Proud. " Well, Joe Jurevicius isn't.

The old alma mater probably isn't all that proud of him, either, to tell you the truth. His New York Giants teammate, Kerry Collins, isn't the only fallen former Penn State star who will be trying to complete a nice comeback story in Super Bowl XXXV tomorrow. Maybe no one ever called Jurevicius a drunk or a racist or a quitter. But they did call him a goof-off and a party animal and -- most hurtful -- an embarrassment to Paterno and everything he represents.

Now, Jurevicius is the Giants' No. 3 wide receiver. He'll probably play 40 to 50 plays against the Baltimore Ravens. He has become a popular Collins target. That's not because he's Collins' neighbor in a Hackensack, N.J., apartment complex and has been his chauffeur for the past year while Collins has been without a driver's license because of a drunken-driving conviction. He's got game.

Maybe you saw Jurevicius make a big third-down catch on the Giants' first touchdown drive in the 30-10 win against the Steelers Dec. 10. You had to see him catch that 8-yard touchdown pass in the 41-0 victory against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC championship game two weeks ago. When starter Ike Hilliard was injured earlier in the season, Jurevicius had 12 catches in season-turning wins against the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Redskins.

"People have seen I'm a legitimate receiver, given the opportunities," Jurevicius said.

"I'm probably the biggest receiver in the league and one of the most physical. At 6-foot-5, I can body up against people ... "

(Question for Plaxico Burress: Are you paying attention to any of this?)

"I'm used to blocking linebackers and defensive ends. I have had no problems going over the middle ... "

If only Jurevicius could shrug off his final days at Penn State as easily as he shrugs off pesky defensive backs.

Our last memory of him there is ... well, it really isn't of him. It's of a somber Paterno announcing that Jurevicius wouldn't be accompanying the 1997 team to the Citrus Bowl because of academic problems. Paterno didn't have to throw him off the squad. He would have been eligible through the bowl. But it was obvious, Paterno said, that he was going to fail. He wasn't going to class. It wouldn't have been fair to the rest of the team to take him to Orlando, Fla.

"That's a touchy subject," Jurevicius said, fairly seething when it was brought up this week.

He went on to say he was overwhelmed by a series of family deaths, including two grandparents, and the death of a close boyhood friend in an eight-month period leading up to his dismissal.

"I was too young to handle it properly. I let my emotions get the best of me.

"But I'm not ashamed of what I did. My family was No. 1 to me. It's always going to be No. 1.

"By no means do I consider myself an unintelligent person. I was portrayed as someone who doesn't care. No way was that the case."

Jurevicius didn't criticize Paterno by name. "I'm a Penn State fan. I wish nothing but the best for him and all Penn Staters." But he also said, curiously, "We have no relationship."

Jurevicius said he received no congratulatory call on making the Super Bowl from Paterno, who always has taken great pride in staying close with his players. Nor did he receive a call after he made the national news in the summer when he was part of an heroic rescue attempt after a deck collapsed at a winery in Middle Bass Island, Ohio. ("I would hope someone would help me or one of my family members or friends in that same situation.")

"He's a busy person. I'm a busy person," Jurevicius said, shrugging.

The potential exists for a couple of interesting Penn State reunions tomorrow.

Jurevicius is certain to cross paths with Ravens safety Kim Herring. The two were roommates in Happy Valley.

"One of my best friends," Jurevicius said. "He was clean. I was clean. We were great roommates."

Asked what will happen if Herring puts a big hit on him, Jurevicius said, smiling: "I'll make the catch. He'll knock me out. I'll get up, give him the ball and say, 'You've got to hit me harder than that, Kim.'"

It would be much more intriguing to eavesdrop on a Jurevicius-Paterno conversation after the game.

Paterno is coming as a guest of Giants General Manager Ernie Accorsi, a former Penn State staffer. It largely was on Paterno's recommendation that Accorsi signed Collins after his widely publicized alcohol problems with the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints. The guess here is Accorsi also didn't draft Jurevicius in the second round of the 1998 draft without first getting a good word from Paterno, although Jurevicius probably doesn't believe that.

If Paterno visits the Giants' locker room, Collins will rush to embrace him.

Won't it be interesting to see what Jurevicius does?

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.