ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, October 11, 1996 TAG: 9610110052
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: GREEN BAY, WIS.
SOURCE: Associated Press
EX-TECH RECEIVER Antonio Freeman has become the go-to guy for the Green Bay Packers.
Flanker Robert Brooks has heard enough about split end Antonio Freeman's arrival as a go-to receiver for the Green Bay Packers.
``What emergence? He's already been there,'' Brooks said. ``I'm getting tired of people saying he's emerging. He's no surprise to me.''
Freeman's rapid rise has caught plenty of others off-guard.
General manager Ron Wolf drafted him out of Virginia Tech in the third round in 1995, but primarily as a kick returner, not a receiver.
``I honestly don't know why he wasn't taken any higher,'' Wolf said.
After getting just eight catches for 106 yards and a touchdown as a rookie, Freeman entered training camp as Brooks' backup, but quickly took the starting split end job from Anthony Morgan, who was cut.
Freeman has the hot hands heading into Monday night's marquee matchup with San Francisco. In the past two games, he has 14 catches for 254 yards and four touchdowns.
Freeman had his first 100-yard receiving day as a pro two weeks ago in Seattle, when Brooks was knocked unconscious and Freeman moved over to flanker. Coach Mike Holmgren chewed him out at halftime for making mistakes, and he responded with seven catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
Freeman was back at split end last week at Chicago, when he followed another admonition from his coach with a career-high 146 yards on seven catches, including two spectacular scores.
Buoyed by those performances, Freeman leads the Packers with 25 catches for 410 yards and five touchdowns. Brooks is second with 23 catches for 344 yards and four touchdowns.
``If I was a defensive coordinator, I'd be pulling my hair out,'' quarterback Brett Favre said. ``Who do you cover?''
San Francisco Pro Bowl safety Merton Hanks said Freeman was all over the films this week as the 49ers sought ways to slow down the Packers, who are averaging an NFL-best 34 points a game.
Brooks said Holmgren deserves credit for firing up Freeman.
``I think `Free' is one of those guys who plays better when you get him mad,'' Brooks said.
``We had our normal ritual in the first half where I had to jump him for something,'' Holmgren said after the Bears game. ``All of a sudden, he gets mad at me and starts playing. He was spectacular.''
Freeman said it was a bobbled ball that irked Holmgren.
``I dropped a little out pattern before the half and he looked at me and said, `Are you tired? You're tired, aren't you?' And I said, `Nope, I'm not tired Coach.' He just put his head down,'' Freeman said.
``And I knew from then that it was time to really just step it up.''
Favre hit Freeman three times for 42 yards in the Packers' two-minute offense, setting up Keith Jackson's touchdown with 35 seconds left in the first half.
After a Chicago turnover, Favre heaved a 50-yard pass into the end zone as the clock expired. Freeman cleared safety Mark Carrier and caught the ball, setting off Bears linebacker Bryan Cox on his no-helmet, no-heart tirade.
In the third quarter, Freeman made another spectacular grab. On a fly pattern down the right sideline, he slowed down for an underthrown ball and dived over the cornerback's back for a 35-yard touchdown catch.
``When I looked at it, I'm like, `Wow! I did that?''' Freeman said as he tore through a pile of fan mail Thursday.
Freeman said he doesn't hold it against Holmgren for hollering at him.
``It's just something he has for me. I don't mind that much. He's pushing me,'' Freeman said. ``I'm going to rise to the challenge each and every time.''
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Antonio Freeman's rapid rise in the NFL has caughtby CNBsome people off-guard.