By Stephen Cooney
When a player goes into an NFL mini-camp as an unsigned rookie free agent, everything is about performance. The only reason you are there is to prove that you deserve a spot on an NFL team and an opportunity to play professional football. There is nothing but pressure and no room to relax like the first round draft picks across the league. Unsigned rookies are looking for a roster spot not hoping to impact the team immediately. Stephen Tate went into the Washington Redskins mini-camp as an unsigned free agent looking to prove that he can perform and gain an NFL contract for preseason camp.
“To be honest with you, like, I wasn’t worked up.” Tate said. “I wasn’t nervous, I wasn’t afraid. I didn’t have any anxiety. I have been playing football my whole life, so I just went out there and did my thing. I was just playing football. I was calm and relaxed.”
Playing football and making the most of his opportunity were exactly what Tate did in the first practice of mini-camp. When Tate got an opportunity in coverage to make a play on the ball he did. Intercepting a ball intended for tight end Chris Cooley and returning it down the sideline for a touchdown.
Tate described the play in detail. Saying that Cooley had broken on an out right that he described as a very nice route and the ball was thrown slightly behind the receiver. “I was not even thinking about it.” Tate said. “I was just like make this play. It was all reaction.”
After intercepting what Tate described as a low ball, he was able to turn his hips up-field and race down the sideline to the endzone. Throughout mini-camp Tate continued to make plays on the field but was still unsure of his performance.
“I couldn’t tell to be honest.” Tate said. “I felt like I was going to be cut the whole time because I made a mistake and the coach was yelling at me.”
Tate made a mistake in coverage and then looked at the coach and began a conversation about he thought he made the mistake. “What I said to him was, like, coach I keep making these mistakes cause I am not getting enough reps.” Tate said. “That is the dumbest thing you can ever tell an NFL coach as an undrafted rookie free agent who doesn’t have a contract. I am like ‘Oh no.'”
According to Tate, the Coach responded by asking a veteran player how many reps a backup defensive back would receive during the season. The answer: none, or slim to none.
So in order to avoid these types of mistakes again Tate used all the spare time he could find during the busy mini-camp schedule to study his playbook.
Tate would wake up before seven in the morning, eat breakfast, and report to the teams first meeting and install period. He would then proceed to the practice field and then have a short break for lunch. After lunch Tate was back in the meeting room for another install period and then another practice.
When Tate would finally make it back to his room between 6:30 and 7:00 at night, he spent the rest of the time studying his playbook. Tate said that he would spend the rest of his evening studying the playbook and the plays in order to understand the defense and the calls.
“They expect you to know these dang gone calls as soon as you go through it in the meetings.” Tate said. “No playing around its your job. You have to know these things.”
At the conclusion of mini-camp Tate was still unsure of his situation with the team and if he would be offered a contract for training camp. He left mini-camp and headed back to Hofstra wondering about his performance.
“It was in God’s hands.” Tate said. “It was on ice man. You are sitting on ice you are on edge you are antsy. Did I do enough you are thinking about plays that happen. You are like if I would have made that play maybe that would have been the ticket or I should have made that step. There is a lot of thinking a lot of analytical thinking about my game.”
On Monday during his drive back to campus, Tate received a phone call from his agent and was offered a contract by the Redskins.