For better or worse, the spotlight’s going to be shining. The ones that flourish under the glare typically make the best football players.

Steve Gregory wants it. The Syracuse football cornerback and special teams gunner needs it. Now, the kid from Staten Island has it.

Gregory made 11 tackles and an interception in Saturday’s 38-14 win over Central Florida in the Carrier Dome. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Missing from his stat line is the punishing hit he laid on Central Florida’s Tavaris Capers off a punt. Or the leg-busting tackle that saved a touchdown.

Under the intense glow of the Dome lights, it’s his role as special teams gunner that he relishes the most.

‘As far as playing gunner,’ Gregory said, ‘that’s just playing off speed. It’s something you take pride in and have to really want to make a play. It’s a spotlight position. You’re running down there and the guy’s about to catch a punt and it’s just you and him. You make the play and everybody’s going to go crazy.’

Gregory has been playing gunner for two years. It’s a position predicated on speed. A gunner lines up on the wing for a punt and must fights through two defenders to get to the punt returner.

Played to perfection, a gunner damages a speedy wide receiver or back who’s brave enough to field punts. The key for Gregory is beating his defenders with his speed. Gregory says he runs a 4.2 40-yard dash, ranking behind cornerback Thomas Whitfield as one of the fastest Orangemen. It’s that type of speed that allows Gregory to light-up opposing players.

Which is exactly what happened Saturday. With 3:11 left in the first half, Brendan Carney skied a punt to the UCF 38-yard line where Capers stood, defenseless, waiting for the ball to one-hop his hands. Gregory was right on him. He had burned the two UCF defenders and was on a collision course for Capers. He timed it perfectly.

As soon as Capers caught the ball, Gregory leveled him. He’ll call it just one of the reasons why he loves playing special teams.

‘There’s no halo rule no more,’ Gregory said, ‘so you can really get in his face. If you time it up right, you can put out a big hit.’

‘Steve probably had his best game as an Orangeman,’ SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni said. ‘He played very well on special teams and his coverage.’

It’s his special teams prowess has some comparing him to another former SU player with a similar knack for a skill that is so often overlooked – David Tyree, who is now with the New York Giants in the NFL.

Many believe that Tyree worked himself into the sixth round of the NFL draft because of his special teams play. After an injury to Giant wideout Ron Dixon, Tyree has been thrust into a key special team’s role.

Gregory welcomes the comparison but knows it’s a tough name to live up to.

‘David was a great player,’ Gregory said. ‘He’s in the NFL now because of the way he played on special teams and how tough he was. Hopefully I could be like him. It would be a great honor to be as good a special teams player as David Tyree.’

Published on September 22, 2003 at 12:00 pm