Bucs’ Seferian-Jenkins could be great if he stops with the mistakes 
Second-year Bucs tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins keeps his eye on the ball as he bobbles it during Monday’s workouts. CHRIS URSO/STAFF 
Austin Seferian-Jenkins was penalized for a Captain Morgan pose after his TD, setting the Falcons up for a winning TD. Martin Fennelly Published: August 4, 2015 TAMPA — After the first open practice at Bucs training camp, Dirk Koetter, the team’s new offensive coordinator, decided to go deep — very deep.Someone asked him about Bucs second-year tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.You’d better strap yourself in.“I tell you, if Austin is healthy, he reminds me … I coached Tony Gonzalez at the end of his career. Our tight ends coach, Jon Embree, had Tony in Kansas City,” Koetter said. “Austin’s talented.”It’s not every day you hear a kid who has all of 21 NFL catches for 221 yards mentioned in the same sentence as a future Hall of Famer. Gonzalez has retired, so only 1,304 catches, 14,906 yards and 109 touchdowns to go for Seferian-Jenkins.Let the kid return us to earth.“I’m Austin Seferian-Jenkins,” Seferian-Jenkins said, clearing that up. “He’s Tony Gonzalez. He’s the best tight end to ever play the game. So that’s a real strong comparison. I’m just going to do my job and leave the comparisons up to the coaches and the media.”A little later, a smile.“I just want to be the best version of me,” he said. “Let’s figure out at the end of the season how good that is compared to everyone else. I’m talking about the best me.”And that isn’t 21 catches.“Twenty-one balls is nothing,” he said. “Twenty-one catches isn’t who I am.”This is all about potential. The 6-foot-5 Seferian-Jenkins, coming off an injury-plagued rookie season (ankle, back) that limited him to nine games, might be the wild card as Koetter installs an offense that is decidedly tight end friendly. Then there’s Seferian-Jenkins’ friend: Jameis Winston. This could be the start of something big.Last year wasn’t.“I’m 22 years old now,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “Last year I was 21. I was just coming in to play in the NFL. I had never played against NFL-caliber players. I’ve played against them for a year now, so I’m feeling a lot more comfortable.”What a funky rookie season. Even Seferian-Jenkins’ highlights, two touchdown grabs, came with lowlights.His first touchdown came against the Vikings. It put the Bucs ahead in the fourth quarter. Only Minnesota won when Seferian-Jenkins fumbled on the first play of overtime and it was returned for a score.“I literally experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in one game,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “We had to go through a tough time last year. I had tough moments. We all had them. That’s going to be the foundation for this team moving forward. We started at the bottom. Let’s go from there.”His second touchdown came against Atlanta. He again put the Bucs ahead in the fourth quarter. Only Seferian-Jenkins celebrated in the end zone with a Captain Morgan pose, one foot on the ball. He was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. It helped Atlanta get good field position for the winning touchdown drive. Afterward, Seferian-Jenkins posted a photo of his celebration on Instagram.Um, Coach Lovie Smith would like to see you. And bring your checkbook … “I shouldn’t have done that,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “That was stupid. Coach told us the rules. That was stupid. I should have been smarter.”He says he’s matured.“I’m a grown man.”Then there were the injuries, the ankle early in the season, then the back injury that ended his season and led to minor surgey.“Nothing major,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “Just a nick.”He insists he’s healthy and ready.“Injuries is one part of it,” he said. “Losing like the way we lost is the toughest part about it, and you can’t be out there and you’re not yourself. You’re not the player you know you are. I feel back to myself, I feel good, I’m excited.”Now it might just be a matter of staying on the field.Seferian-Jenkins won’t put a number on his 2015 goals or a name on who he’s chasing, not Rob Gronkowski, not Jimmy Graham — not Tony Gonzalez.But it’s not about catching just 21 balls.“That’s not me at all,” Seferian-Jenkins said.Here’s his chance to say different.
