Green Bay The Jason Chery story is a good one. It'd become one for the ages if Chery should become another Desmond Howard.
Chery, the Green Bay Packers' sizzling new kick-return candidate, said Monday that he had no idea who Howard was. Fans in Wisconsin will never forget him.
Howard didn't become a sensation overnight in Green Bay. He suffered a hip pointer on the first day of training camp in 1996, sat out almost three weeks and seemed destined for waivers before fielding a punt in the second exhibition game against Pittsburgh.
Then Howard made four Steelers miss, turning it into a 77-yard touchdown and a place on the team. No returner in club history ever had a better season, and Howard capped it by being named MVP of the 31st Super Bowl.
Chery doesn't have quite the pedigree of the Heisman Trophy-winning Howard. In fact, the Louisiana-Lafayette product literally had to beg his way onto the field last Thursday night when Indianapolis was about to punt late in the fourth quarter.
Just like Howard, however, Chery knew just what to do once he got there. Benefiting from excellent blocking, Chery made one sharp cut, went straight north on the dead run, split two tacklers and was off to a 75-yard touchdown and a joyous Lambeau Leap.
A few minutes later, Chery was back to field a towering rugby-style punt from Pat McAfee. Most impressively, he calmly weaved his way forward about 15 yards to make a secure fair catch among a gaggle of Colts.
Chery's not begging this week. Desperate for a reliable return man, coach Mike McCarthy announced that the "street" free agent will handle punts and kickoffs Thursday night in Kansas City.
"You can't not be excited about his punt return," McCarthy said. "The young man hasn't been given a whole lot of opportunity in (games), so we're going to find out."
Incumbent Will Blackmon and free-agent rookies Sam Shields, Quinn Porter and Chastin West had been the punt returners. Chery caught a few in practice, but when he looked at the depth chart last week his name was last on the list.
Late in the third quarter, Chery put the bug in the ear of special-teams coach Shawn Slocum because he noticed West was winded. Slocum remained non-committal, so Chery modestly pleaded his case with Chad Morton, Slocum's assistant.
"I was on the sidelines just waiting, stretching," said Chery. "It was right before the play and I asked (Slocum) again. He was a little skeptical but finally said, 'I'm going to give him a shot.' "
The Packers were leading, 52-24. Why not, figured Slocum.
"By the time I went out there the whole team was rooting for me," Chery said. "They were saying, 'Make sure you catch the ball. Be calm.' I'm already nervous. My adrenaline is pumping. My eyes are red. I was emotional."
Blackmon, 10 months removed from reconstructive knee surgery, couldn't practice this week because of ongoing soreness in the knee. The Packers seem to value him on returns, but as a first-time safety his positional value is minimal.
The same goes for Chery, who certainly isn't as accomplished at wide receiver as Brett Swain, Patrick Williams or even West.
But Chery is faster than those other three candidates for the No. 5 wide-receiver berth, having run 40 yards in 4.36 seconds for the Packers just before they signed him Aug. 5. Chery's draft chances had been damaged at pro day in March 2009 when he ran 4.52 wearing size-and-a-half too large cleats borrowed from a teammate because his own weren't available.
Carolina liked Chery enough to give him a $10,000 signing bonus that April. He made it to the Panthers' last cut in '09, served on practice squads in Carolina and Pittsburgh and then re-signed with the Steelers in January before being cut in mid-June.
Chery, 5 feet 10 1/2 inches and 185 pounds, hails from Delray Beach, Fla. In four seasons for the Ragin' Cajuns, he returned merely one punt and averaged a scant 20.1 yards on 80 kickoff returns. A converted running back, Chery caught 106 passes for 1,379 yards (13.0) and 11 touchdowns to go with 46 rushes for 521 (11.3) and five scores.
It wasn't until a week ago that he reached a comfort level at wide receiver. His quickness has stood out, and he can get deep. His hands have been inconsistent, and that includes catching punts.
"Special teams come natural," said Chery. "You've got to have a no-fear attitude. Not tippy-toeing. Get there before they get a chance to attack you."
At last, the reporters departed. There was lunch to eat - "Got to eat right now, not greasy food" - and an improbable spot on the 53 to win.
"I'm finally here. Then again, I still haven't arrived. At all," Chery said. "Still in the back of their minds some players may think it's a fluke. My mind-set is, I'm up, and if you're behind me you ain't going to take the job."