Don't get me wrong. I'm a believer in giving kids second and sometimes third chances. As an educator lots of young people cross my path, and the light just comes on at different times for all of them. However, I felt that Stevens in Seattle would attract just enough scrutiny to put him in the proverbial catch-22 situation. A Pro-Bowl calibur start to his career would invite too much attention. Stevens is a virtual poster child for "too much too soon," a disaster waiting to happen had he become the toast of the town too early in his career. At the same time, a ho-hum, mildly disappointing start to his career--typical of first rounders--could invite negative scrutiny with every dropped pass or missed block. In Seattle Stevens likely could never just be a young player struggling to find his way in the league; not with all that history.
Sixty-six games into his pro career I'd rate Stevens as a mild though not major disappointment. On one hand Stevens was basically handed the starting job, having never truly earned it over Itula Mili (a good but not great tight end). On the other hand, you can see why Stevens was handed the job. He makes big plays at his position. Thirteen percent of his receptions have gone for 20+ yards, twelve percent for touchdowns. Bobby Engram's percentages are 13 and 6, respectively. Of course, Engram catches virtually anything in his area code while Stevens is, well, somewhat less reliable, to be polite.
Interestingly, none of my major fears have been confirmed. Stevens has rightly taken some criticism from scribes and boos from fans for his inconsitent play. But, he's also received well-deserved props for working hard to come back from his knee injury this season. The Seattle media has been fair to him all the way around. The fans haven't quite forgiven his Super Bowl performance, though they would have with a good start to the current season. If anything, Stevens' most negative press has been national, based largely on Joey Porter's nonsensical ranting and the video testimony of Warren Sapp; not exactly two of the league's ambassadors--again, I'm being polite. Still, Stevens can still basically write his story however he wishes. Seattle fans want Stevens to succeed. They don't seem to be convinced that Stevens always wants Stevens to succeed.
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