Former USF star is getting to work with the Packers after being slowed by injury.
By Times Staff Writer
Published July 26, 2003
DeAndrew Rubin always has cherished the teddy bear his father gave him when he was 2 months old. He places it above his locker before every game.
But the former Dixie Hollins and South Florida receiver and return man decided to let his 4-year-old daughter, Letayvia, hold on to the bear rather than bring it to his first NFL training camp with the Green Bay Packers.
"I wanted to make sure I was on the team before I put it in my locker," Rubin said.
Before Rubin can start thinking about a permanent spot on the roster, he has to get on the field.
A nagging hamstring strain has kept Rubin on the sideline. He missed minicamp in June and sat out the first four days of training camp after failing a physical.
Though he was injured, Rubin participated in the Packers' training-camp tradition of riding a child's bicycle from the parking lot to the practice field.
"Camp's been interesting so far," Rubin said. "This kid, Shane, came up to me the first day, and I've been riding his bike ever since."
Rubin, 24, returned to the field Tuesday and started working as a punt returner and with the second-team offense as a receiver.
He knows he needs to work on his receiving skills but his best chance to make the team is as a punt returner.
Since Allen Rossum signed with Atlanta after the 2001 season, Green Bay has struggled to find an adequate replacement.
The Packers used Darrien Gordon, J.J. Moses and Eric Metcalf last season, but the combination did not work. They ranked last in the league in punt returns, averaging 4.2 yards.
Rubin, a seventh-round draft pick, was third in the nation in punt returns his junior season with a 15.6 average and scored four touchdowns during his career at USF. He and rookie free agent Gari Scott are the top contenders for the job.
Both have been hurt, and with six weeks and five preseason games to earn a roster spot any time missed can be detrimental.
"That definitely doesn't help their chances of making this team," first-year special teams coach John Bonamego told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "But as an organization and as a team we just have to keep moving. I can't control that, so I can't be overly concerned about it. We'll just get somebody else in there."
Rubin has time to catch up. His first preseason game is Aug.4, when the Packers play Kansas City in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.
"Right now, I'm just learning the routes, playing a little receiver and returning kicks," Rubin said. "I did pretty well in some one-on-one situations, and I'm going to be playing in some games pretty soon."
