LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — As hundreds of pounds worth of Tampa Bay Buccaneers practiced running a play during training camp, wide receiver Chad Owens threw a block at 6-foot-6, 305-pound defensive end Kevin Carter.

The catch: Owens stands just 5-7 and weighs 188.

Nearly a foot shorter and almost 120 pounds lighter, Owens did not exactly flatten Carter to the ground. But Owens did not appear to be running into a brick wall, either.

"It's one of the smallest guys going up against one of the biggest guys," Owens said. "It's a mismatch. ... It doesn't mean that you're not going to try your hardest to get the job done."

Of course, the Buccaneers did not invite Owens to training camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex for him to block big guys like Carter on a regular basis.

The Bucs want to see Owens do in the NFL what he did at the University of Hawai'i: return kickoffs and punts for touchdowns.

Owens hopes to earn a roster spot as a punt and kickoff returner. If he does, he will have shot at achieving another milestone. He could become the first Buccaneer to return a kickoff for a touchdown.

"That's what I was known for in college, 'Mr. Excitement,' " Owens said. "I made the fans feel like they needed to get to the stadium in time to get to the opening kickoff. That's what I accomplished there, and that's what I hope to bring here."

Bucs coach Jon Gruden has noticed the efforts of the record-setting Owens.

"He's from Hawai'i ... so a lot of us haven't seen him," Gruden said. "We're in bed when they play. But he has had a knack for making huge plays in the kicking game."

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Owens in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Owens spent the past two seasons in between Jacksonville's practice squad and active roster. He saw limited action as a punt returner, returning five punts for 62 yards.

"He had a hard time in Jacksonville hanging on to the ball," Gruden said. "But he is very compact, thick and quick. He has tremendous cutting ability at full speed. In the kicking game and as a creative receiver, he can do some things for us. And he's made some plays the last two days that are pretty easy to see."

Owens isn't so easy to see on the practice field, the view of him obstructed by his oversized teammates. He has the cartoon character Mighty Mouse, also his nickname, tattooed on his right biceps. He also has a tattoo of a heart on his lower right abdomen with the words faith, love, perseverance and family flowing forth from the heart.

"That's what drives me," Owens said of his wife, Rena, and two children, Chad and Areana. "That's my perseverance. If you look at me, I'm one of the smaller guys. I hear all the time, 'You're not going to make it. You're not going to make it.' It's a constant, uphill battle.

"I feel like I have a great opportunity. A great chance."