Wide receiver speeds up from nowhere

By JEREMY BEHNKE

Journal Sports Writer

MANKATO -- In the final game of the 2002 regular season, a wide receiver stole the show for the Minnesota Vikings after he caught two touchdown passes against Detroit.

And his name wasn't Randy Moss.

Kelly Campbell, who at the time was a little known receiver who emerged to catch four passes for 60 yards to lead the Vikings towards their third straight win to end the season, figures to have a much more prominent role on this year's team.

Although he is relatively small in stature, he figures to play a big role as the team's No. 3 receiver and also will be looked upon to help out on special teams.

Coach Mike Tice all but promised the role to Campbell after Monday morning's practice.

"There is no battle for No. 3 receiver, that's Kelly Campbell's job," Tice said after Monday morning's practice.

Campbell by no means is the prototypical big, physical receiver you see in today's game. Instead, he relies heavily on his speed, and he has to -- he's listed at 5-foot-10 and weighs 171 pounds. But he knows that strength is a must to compete in this league, and he followed a strict offseason regimen of working out every day.

"Coach Tice has seen that I've been working hard each and every day in the offseason and in camp trying to get ready for the season and trying to show everybody that I can play in the NFL," Campbell, who was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech, said.

His speed and versatility also makes him a weapon on special teams, where he will work on returning punts. He is pleased with the way he has progressed in that aspect of the game.

"It's going very well," Campbell said. "The opportunity for me to return punts is given so I'm trying to make the best of it right now. It's like at receiver, I gotta work at it each and every day, and I'm just ready to get at it."

He also has worked on familiarity with the different positions. Not only does he have to know his specific routes, but he may be called upon to run routes for Randy Moss or D'Wayne Bates if one of them gets hurt.

"I'm good at every position that they can put me in right now," Campbell said. "I know that if there's one thing that I do, outside of them telling me what to do, it's learning more than one position. You never know where they'll have to put you in or if one man goes down."

Campbell, who made his debut on November 17 against the Packers after he spent most of the season on the practice squad and then the inactive list, feels much more comfortable now that he's had a year under his belt to grasp the offense.

"At every level you've been through, you gotta learn the system," Campbell said. "At the end of the season I had a good ending, and I'm trying to build off that momentum from last year. So now that I know the system, everything's going quick like that for me."