Patrick Newman ended a recent Minnesota Vikings' passing scrimmage with the kind of catch that should cleanse all sins for a rookie wide receiver in his first week of training camp:
A headlong, he-must-have-stickum-for-skin kind of catch. A clutch catch. A 15-yard touchdown reception that impressed everyone in attendance except Patrick Newman - a rookie who holds a lower opinion of his performance than his coach and teammates."I had a bad day," Newman said. "I'm still making little mistakes, and I seem to harp on them instead of moving on. I was kind of upset all day. I was stumbling around. I guess that catch picked me up, but one pass can't make a day."
This ought to make Newman's day: Quarterback Wade Wilson calls him "the highlight of camp." Receivers coach Dick Rehbein said Newman "has a feel for the intricacies and sophistication of the pro passing game." And quarterback Sean Salisbury, who threw the touchdown pass to Newman, summed it up. "I was glad he was there," he said. "It was a good catch."
Newman's emergence is somewhat unexpected, considering he is a 10th-round draft choice from Utah State. But the Vikings had good reason to think he could play.
When Newman was scouted during his junior and senior seasons, he was a bulked-up weight-room product who weighed 200 pounds or more. The problem was, as his strength rose, so did his 40-yard-dash times. But during the winter and spring he began running indoor track, and his weight and times dropped. Suddenly, Newman possessed a sprinter's speed and a weightlifter's strength - and the discipline to drop nearly 20 pounds in a few months.
And Newman already had valuable experience. Utah State ran a pro style offense, in which Newman caught 145 passes for 2,221 yards and 17 touchdowns. As a senior he caught 45 passes for 701 yards and four touchdowns.
More important, he got a head start on his fellow rookie receivers.
"They went to him a lot in crucial situations at Utah State," Rehbein said. "He has the advantage over guys who were in more run-oriented schemes."
In other words, Newman might have been a steal. He was the 35th wide receiver and 249th player drafted. Now he's pushing for a roster spot along with veterans Jim Gustafson and Leo Lewis. And one conversation with him reveals a player who has taken an intelligent approach to his first training camp.
He has watched starters Anthony Carter and Hassan Jones, looking for lessons you can't learn at Utah State. He has remained low key but intense. And he has played consistently well since the May minicamp.
And don't mistake Newman's self-criticism for a lack of confidence. Asked whether he thought he had a chance to make the team, what with Plan B additions Cornell Burbage and Ira Hillary adding to the competition, Newman turned analytical.
"I kind of think if I'm at the same level as the experienced guys, I can be better in the future," he said. "But all I know is I'm in the hunt."