TAMPA — In the jubilant moments after a Bucs win, Dirk Koetter will sometimes ask for a game-used ball from his equipment staff, hold it high in the locker room and present it to the player who was most crucial to the victory.
NFL players can ask for balls during games for any number of reasons — their first touchdown, a rare interception — but getting a game ball with a celebrating team encircled around them is as good as it gets.
"It means the world to me, coming from Coach Koetter, and it's a testament to the fact that we're a gritty football team and it takes all parts to win the game," said kicker Patrick Murray, who got the game ball Sunday after kicking three field goals against the Dolphins, including one that gave the Bucs a 23-20 lead with four seconds left in a 30-20 win.
Murray had holder Bryan Anger and long snapper Garrison Sanborn sign the ball, and he said he will collect signatures from the rest of the field goal unit on the final kick. Even if only one person gets the ball, the team shares in the moment.
"It's an honor. Any time you're recognized by your coaches, that respect is awesome to have," said rookie receiver Chris Godwin, who earned a game ball Nov. 12 for the Bucs' win over the Jets. "As a young guy, to be able to contribute and get a game ball in my first start was awesome."
Godwin has the ball in his locker, memorialized with his name in the Bucs' font, as well as the game's date, location, team logos and score.
"It's a spur-of-the-moment thing," Koetter said, "and in Pat Murray's case … he's never going to forget that the rest of his life. What an awesome opportunity to give him something like that."
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Teams must supply 24 balls before each game, all emblazoned with a tiny team logo, and those balls are used any time the team has the ball on offense.
For this reason, getting a game-used ball after a key defensive play — say an interception — is a special trophy, in that it's branded with the logo of the team the play came against.
"Defense, that's a lot bigger deal," said Brad Berlin, the Bucs' equipment manager, who keeps a trunk on the sideline for collecting balls during a game, a staff member marking each with the appropriate player's number.
Some players covet game balls, even years into their careers. Others are indifferent about them.
Rookie safety Justin Evans was so excited about his end-zone interception against the Dolphins that he left the ball on the field. Cornerback Brent Grimes picked it up and brought it to the equipment staff, knowing Evans would want to keep the memento.
"O.J. (Howard, rookie tight end) scored a touchdown the other day, and he just threw the ball on the ground and the referee picked it up," Berlin said.
The Bucs also have ornamental game balls. After a win, they'll typically give one each to a player on offense, defense and special teams, with Koetter consulting with his staff after watching tape Monday to decide who gets them. One scout-team player gets "a little something extra in their stocking," Koetter said.
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Explore all your optionsThe Bucs have a guy in Kansas City who has done the ornamental balls for years. Berlin sends him a case of Bucs logo balls before the season, and the guy paints one panel of each ball white and adds the game details as needed. They cost the team $48 each.
If a player wants the same treatment for a game-used ball, the team can ship it to Kansas City as well.
If a player has played long enough in the league, game-used balls can get lost in a garage. Receiver Mike Evans said he took one to the beach recently. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said his kids will take one and play with it in their yard but that doesn't take away from the memory of how it was acquired.
"It means a lot just in terms of being recognized by the coaches," Fitzpatrick said. "Getting the win and getting the 'atta boy' from your teammates, that means a lot, much more than the actual ball.
"It's fun for me to get one, but it's a lot more fun for me to see like a Chris Godwin get one or somebody to step up and make some big plays that maybe doesn't have many."
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Koetter doesn't remember getting a game ball as a player. He didn't play beyond college, and high schools can't afford to spare a ball too often. But he has many from his coaching days, and the gesture of earning a game ball is very personal and important to him.
"I carried around, for years, a huge box of them, and they all went flat on me," he said. "The writing fades, and after a time, they're not as nice. I wasn't good enough as a player to get one. But I've done it maybe four or five times in my time as a head coach."
When he earned his first win as a head coach last season with the Bucs, Koetter had game balls made for every player and every member of his staff as a keepsake. Berlin has one proudly on his shelf, above another one given to him on his one-year anniversary with the team.
"They give them for weddings, they give them for births," Berlin said. "Special moments. It's a really cool gift."
Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy has plenty of game balls from eight seasons but still remembers his first: against San Francisco in his rookie year, 2010, when he got his first career sack in a 21-0 win. After any Bucs win, no matter who earns the honor, it's a moment he savors.
"I love it," McCoy said. "Everybody wants to be successful, and you love to see your brothers thrive. When guys that don't get much recognition get recognition for how hard they work, that success on the field is always great."
Contact Greg Auman at gauman@tampabay.com and (813) 310-2690. Follow @gregauman.