Raider Pride
Cheesehead
Browns rookie Antonio Perkins swears he won't be awed by the trappings of Lambeau Field when he fields his first NFL kickoff on Sunday.
"I'll be concentrating and focused, and ready to play," Perkins said. "This is my first game, period, in the NFL, besides preseason. The first game that counts, so I'm going to try and step up."
Perkins is expected to relieve fellow rookie Joshua Cribbs as the Browns' kickoff returner Sunday in Green Bay. Cribbs is out with a sprained knee.
Perkins' return ability was the main attraction to the Browns, but his eye-opening numbers at Oklahoma occurred on punt returns, not kickoff returns.
The fourth-round pick from Oklahoma had three punt returns for touchdowns in a 2003 game against UCLA, had four that season and totaled eight in his Sooners career.
"He was really exciting to watch," said Brodney Pool, his teammate then and now.
As a punt returner, Perkins averaged 12.8 yards a return. He scored a touchdown every 14 returns.
But he returned kickoffs only his sophomore and junior seasons and was not nearly as effective. Perkins averaged 15.2 yards on 21 kickoffs those years.
What's the difference?
Punt returners have to make the first guy miss, and then good things happen. On kickoffs, Perkins said: "You're running straight down full speed and everybody's running at you full speed. So it's a big change."
Pulled this from the web.
RP
"I'll be concentrating and focused, and ready to play," Perkins said. "This is my first game, period, in the NFL, besides preseason. The first game that counts, so I'm going to try and step up."
Perkins is expected to relieve fellow rookie Joshua Cribbs as the Browns' kickoff returner Sunday in Green Bay. Cribbs is out with a sprained knee.
Perkins' return ability was the main attraction to the Browns, but his eye-opening numbers at Oklahoma occurred on punt returns, not kickoff returns.
The fourth-round pick from Oklahoma had three punt returns for touchdowns in a 2003 game against UCLA, had four that season and totaled eight in his Sooners career.
"He was really exciting to watch," said Brodney Pool, his teammate then and now.
As a punt returner, Perkins averaged 12.8 yards a return. He scored a touchdown every 14 returns.
But he returned kickoffs only his sophomore and junior seasons and was not nearly as effective. Perkins averaged 15.2 yards on 21 kickoffs those years.
What's the difference?
Punt returners have to make the first guy miss, and then good things happen. On kickoffs, Perkins said: "You're running straight down full speed and everybody's running at you full speed. So it's a big change."
Pulled this from the web.
RP
