Carrier, Hill receive good credit rating from Bucs
Pete Reinwald, The St.Petersburg Times, published 1988

Shortly after the credits rolled on another Tampa Bay season Sunday, the credit did, too. Receivers Bruce Hill and Mark Carrier gave it to quarterback Vinny Testaverde. And Testaverde gave it to Hill and Carrier. “We never lost confidence in him,” Hill said of Testaverde after the Bucs' 21-10 victory over Detroit. “He's a good quarterback. We know he's going to be a damned good quarterback, possibly great.”

Said Testaverde, returning the favor: “Both Mark and Bruce together are a lethal weapon. Those guys have so much talent it's unbelievable. Their stats show that alone.” Hill and Carrier teamed to become the first receiving duo in Tampa Bay history to each gain more than 900 yards in a season. Hill caught three passes for 53 yards and a touchdown Sunday to finish with 1,040 yards - the second 1,000-plus performance by a receiver in team history. Carrier caught three passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns, including the game's final one, to finish with 970 yards for the season.

Thirty more yards by Carrier and they would have become the seventh duo since the AFL-NFL merger to each reach 1,000 yards. But both are third-year pros who say they have a lot of passes and praise to catch. “There's still a lot who don't know who we are,” Hill said. “I can't say we're respected yet. We've got a lot of improvement to go.”

Opposing teams have noted the development of the receivers. That became evident earlier in the season, Carrier said, when secondaries began to loosen their coverage because of concern about getting burned on deep routes. “I think as time progressed they backed off,” Carrier said. “They gave us a little respect. We got a little more respect as each week progressed.”

On Sunday, Hill got a lot. Writers who cover the Bucs selected him the most valuable Bucs player in a vote sponsored by the St. Petersburg Times. Hill's 1,040 receiving yards rank second in Bucs history to Kevin House's 1,176 yards in 1981. (House had two seasons where he surpassed 1,000 yards in reception yardage.) Hill's touchdown reception on Sunday, a 31-yard pass from Testaverde in the first quarter, tied a Bucs record - again with House - for touchdown receptions in a season. Hill surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on his first reception Sunday - a 14-yard pass from Testaverde. “It's been a long time coming,” said Hill, who missed the previous two games with an ankle injury. “I was just happy that I could come in today and play well, get 1,000 yards, and help the team win.”

Carrier also finished with a flash. In the second quarter, he made a fingertip catch and split two defenders over the middle for a 31-yard touchdown reception. On his fourth-quarter touchdown, Carrier - on third-and-8 from the Detroit 27 - caught Testaverde's pass near the left sideline, made a move to the inside, and left cornerback Bruce McNorton on his stomach. “Vinny checked off at the line of scrimmage,” Carrier said about the play. “I ran a quick out. Bruce ran the seam and Vinny saw the guy so far off me. He just threw it and I stepped up and inside him.”

Despite the progress of Hill and Carrier, don't be surprised if the Bucs go for a top-notch receiver in the upcoming NFL draft. “I still think we're going to get a receiver,” Hill said. “I think Coach (Ray) Perkins wants that true burner, somebody who can run past the defense.”

Said Perkins: “I think they've developed into two very fine receivers, and they're still going to get better.”