There is a letter for each receiver position in Hawaii’s football offense.

"I played Z, X, F and a little Y during this (training) camp," Justin Clapp said. "I practiced the alphabet a few times."

But it was a not-so-clear X-ray that helped save Clapp and put him in a position to continue his football career.

During a game last year, Clapp caught a middle screen, turned upfield and then was struck by a middle linebacker.

"He buried his helmet right under my arm pit pretty much," Clapp recalled.

X-rays showed he suffered two broken ribs. But there was a shadow cast over one of the damaged ribs, necessitating further tests. Two days later, a higher-definition X-ray was administered.

"There was blood and fluid floating around in me," Clapp said. It was determined one of the fractured ribs punctured a lung.

Forty minutes later, he was in surgery.

"That was kind of a shock," Clapp said. "I thought, ‘Oh, it was a broken rib,’ which I didn’t have before, so I didn’t know how that felt. And then to wake up in the hospital a little later was frightening."

Clapp said a three-quarter-inch tube was inserted between the broken ribs to drain air. The lung had been 35 percent deflated.

After several weeks of uncomfortable sleep, the lung and ribs healed.

Clapp then missed most of spring training because of a knee injury. But he is fully healed and in contention for one of the receiver positions.

"He is doing a very good job," head coach Norm Chow said.

Clapp also isn’t backing away from the more physically demanding requirements of a receiver in the newly implemented pro-set offense.

In high school, Clapp played in a veer offense that required receivers to block frequently and violently.

"I’m not afraid of physical contact," he said.

Nor of playing through pain. He played most of his senior season with a broken hand.

Expectations high for Stutzmann

During a scrimmage-like drill, wide receiver Billy Ray Stutzmann made a leaping catch in the left corner of the end zone.

Teammates cheered; Chow offered a Texas hold’em stare.

"Before that," Chow noted, "he slipped on one (route) and dropped another (pass). You have to be consistent."

Chow is relying heavily on Stutzmann, who plays X on the single side of the formation, to be the big-play threat.

The expectations are not lost on Stutzmann.

"Coach Chow stresses perfection," Stutzmann said. "Every day, I try to work on my routes. I try to get it right in his eyes. … He’s definitely going to be tough on us. We can’t take it the wrong way. We can’t break down when he yells at us. We have to listen to him and correct it the next time."

In last year’s four-wide offense, Stutzmann weighed 175 pounds. During the offseason, Stutzmann and tight end Craig Cofer enrolled at a training facility in Makiki. Stutzmann pushed Cofer, a converted defensive end, to work on quickness and routes. Cofer pushed Stutzmann to push weights.

Stutzmann said he now weighs between 190 and 195 pounds while maintaining his quickness.

He said his diet consisted of lean protein, brown rice, whole-wheat bred and vegetables.

"My parents are the best cooks in town," he said. "My mom is a health nut. She helped a lot."

Stutzmann said the increased strength has been helpful this training camp.

"I’m dealing with blocking safeties and all of that other physical stuff," Stutzmann said. "Things are different this year."