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Join Date: Sep 2006
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Free agent Payne could catch on with Seahawks
Free agent Payne could catch on with Seahawks | TheNewsTribune.com | Tacoma, WA
Quote:
hey have a name for the people who play receiver at the University of Minnesota. Blockers.
Logan Payne managed 59 catches and nine touchdowns as a senior in the run-oriented Gophers offense, but that wasn’t enough exposure to cause an NFL team to expend a draft pick on him.
What the Seahawks have been seeing from the rookie free agent in training camp, though, has been enough to make them think they’ve discovered a somewhat hidden gem.
“He comes from a running school, and it’s hard to find great receivers because you don’t get much chance to see how good they are,” Gil Haskell, Seahawks offensive coordinator, said of Payne. “The scouts did a great job of finding him because he’s a guy who has great hands.”
NFL-caliber hands?
“Yes,” Haskell said. “NFL hands.”
At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Payne has nice size, and he certainly learned how to block while at Minnesota. His speed is open to debate, but the assessment of Payne generally starts and ends with talk of his hands.
In little more than a week of training camp, Payne has caught high passes and low passes, passes out front, passes behind him. One-handed, two-handed. Covered, uncovered. Fastballs, lobs, spirals and fluttering ducks … if they reach his fingers, they stay there.
Receivers coach Nolan Cromwell was asked if Payne had dropped anything yet all camp.
“A couple, maybe, but not very many,” he said. “Yes, he’s got very good hands.”
Payne won’t even talk about the topic of drops, which apparently is as welcomed as the mention of the word “shank” to a golfer.
“I don’t want to say anything about it,” Payne said of his reliability. “That might mess it up. But I was always taught that if you touch it, you’ve got to catch it.”
In Payne’s mind, the biggest part of pulling down passes is concentration on the ball.
“You catch so many balls in a day that you can lose concentration and start taking it for granted that you’re going to get it,” Payne said. “Then you try to run before you make the catch. You can’t do that; you’ve got to concentrate on every ball.”
Payne has been challenged to do more with his mind than just focus on catching passes. He’s being given the opportunity to earn a spot at either inside or outside receiver, which is a gift in terms of exposure but a real job as far as learning the playbook is concerned.
“He’s both inside and outside,” Cromwell said. “So, he’s got to learn the whole offense. It’s a challenge for him as a young player, but he’s handling it well and I expect him to keep getting better.”
The feedback Payne’s received from the staff and teammates has been universally positive.
“They’ve told me I’m a hard worker and that I’m picking up the offense fairly well … which is good to hear,” Payne said.
As is the case with many young receivers and most free agents trying to secure a job, Payne will need to excel on special teams. During Monday afternoon’s workout, he saw action as the outside cover man on punts and showed good facility for dodging a tandem of defenders comprised of veterans Marcus Trufant and Deon Grant.
Payne’s training camp focus has been diverted somewhat by the news out of Minneapolis regarding the fatal bridge collapse.
“I lived about three blocks from there,” he said. “I’ve been over that bridge a million times. It’s definitely a tragedy that is going to be tough for that city.”
No one he knew was involved, he said.
As he tries to find work in a new town for a new team, as an undrafted receiver among a group of veterans and draft picks, Payne knows that he has very small latitude for mistakes or dropped passes.
“I know that I won’t get many chances,” he said. “When I do, I need to make the most out of them. I have to be on the top of my game every second.”
Payne has heard the stories of Seahawks who have come in as undrafted rookies and ended up having successful careers in Seattle.
And he paid close attention when coach Mike Holmgren addressed that exact issue.
“He said for us to just go for it,” Payne said. “He told us not to spend time counting numbers (roster spots), just to go out and play the best you can when you get the chance. If you do that, and show up for work every day and do what it takes, you’ve got a chance.”
And that’s all he’s asking for.
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Free agent Payne could catch on with Seahawks
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