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AP: Little-known players try out with Redskins


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http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-21166sy0may06,0,2933828.story?coll=dp-sports-local

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Little-known players try out with Redskins

Coach Joe Gibbs reminds campers that "half our Super Bowl teams were free agents."

ASHBURN -- Eighty-nine hopefuls arrived early Friday for the first day of Washington Redskins rookie camp. At the top of the pecking order was Rocky McIntosh, a second-round draft pick who is virtually assured of making the team.

At the bottom? Well, how about some love for Antomius Wise, a cornerback who hails from Lambuth, an NAIA school in Jackson, Tenn.?

Wise was arguably the most obscure player on a field full of obscurity. He was one of 71 players invited on a tryout basis - no contract, just room and board, plus travel expenses, for the three-day camp. All were trying to do something that might catch the eye of an assistant coach, an impression that would warrant an invitation to return.

"When you get out there, you've just got to show it, do your best," Wise said. "You only get a couple of shots. I'm over the fact that I'm happy to be here. Now it's time to play."

Wise is truly a long-shot story. He attended four colleges for various reasons, and didn't play at all last year. He left one school because the coaches tried to convert him to defensive end.

"They were trying to sell me a dream, telling me I could make it to the NFL at 210 (pounds) playing defensive end," Wise said. "I can't do that. I had one chance left. The NCAA said I can't transfer anymore, so I had to go to NAIA."

Wise played well enough at Lambuth in 2004 for the New Orleans Saints to take notice. They invited him to minicamp, but he turned them down because he wanted to finish school. He later realized that he had used up his football eligibility, so he had to sit out in 2005 while completing his degree in sports medicine.

But Wise stayed in shape and put up good times when auditioning for scouts. Redskins veteran scout Mike Faulkiner figured Wise - already 24 - was worth a closer look.

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