PITTSBURGH -- A week ago, Louis Murphy was out of a job. On Sunday, the wide receiver caught six passes for 99 yards and was a driving force in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 27-24 upset victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.
If this act sounds familiar, it should.
As a rookie in 2009, Murphy came up big for the Oakland Raiders, hauling in four catches for 128 yards and two scores in a similar upset of the Steelers.
"It brought back memories," Murphy said. "I felt like I was 20 years old playing here again. Actually, I caught that same exact pass my rookie year to set up a go-ahead score. I can't explain it."
Between that December 2009 game and Sunday, Murphy's NFL career was nondescript. He spent two more years with the Raiders, then a season with Carolina followed one with the New York Giants. There weren't many highlights along the way -- until Sunday.
With rookie receiver Mike Evans suffering a groin injury in the third quarter, Murphy was thrust into the lineup. He responded with one of the biggest plays of the day -- a 41-yard catch with 35 seconds left in the game to set up the decisive touchdown pass from Mike Glennon to Vincent Jackson as the Bucs (1-3) picked up their first victory.
So how did Murphy go from the unemployment line to center stage? He signed last week with the Bucs, the same team that had cut Murphy at the end of the preseason.
Murphy is a native of St. Petersburg, Florida, and after his release, he went home and continued to work out. He also stayed in contact with coach Lovie Smith. When the Bucs weren't happy with Chris Owusu, they brought back Murphy.
"When I was staying in contact with Coach, it was good," Murphy said. "That gave me some hope. I just stayed working out, and then I got that call."
Smith said the Bucs wanted to keep Murphy heading into the season, but a minor injury and the numbers at wide receiver got in the way. Smith didn't forget about Murphy, and that paid off for the Bucs.
"It’s just kind of fitting for a local guy who loves the Buccaneers," Smith said. "While he was out, he stayed in contact with us. He was one of our guys. It says an awful lot about him to come in and be able to contribute like that."
But maybe Murphy's big performance shouldn't be such a big surprise. Back in the preseason, Murphy got most of his reps with Glennon, who then was working as the second-team quarterback. Glennon got the start Sunday with Josh McCown sitting out with a thumb injury.
"I was throwing to Murph about every play," Glennon said. "Every preseason game it seemed like he was the only guy I was throwing to, so we have a good connection, and I was happy when we brought him back. It's just awesome for him. He texted me a week ago and I asked him what he was up to, and he didn't mention the Bucs. The next thing you know, he's in there making a big catch that set up the game-winning touchdown."
And maybe solidifying a roster spot for the long term.
