Unlike those future NFL rookies who sit by the phone on draft day, Edmonds-Woodway High School graduate Eric Greenwood was neither waiting for nor entirely pleased to hear his phone ring Tuesday morning.
It was a little after 6 a.m., more than an hour before his alarm was scheduled to go off for another day at his summer job in the receiving department at the Sears at Alderwood Mall, when Greenwood was shaken from a sound sleep. The voice on the other end belonged to a Pittsburgh Steelers front-office executive who was trying to gauge his interest in joining the NFL team as an undrafted free agent.
After mumbling something along the lines of well-duh-of-course-I-am, Greenwood only had to wait a few more minutes before the caller dialed Greenwood’s agent, worked out a contract and called back with information for a late Tuesday night flight to Pittsburgh.
Greenwood, a former wide receiver at the University of Idaho, is expected to be in Pittsburgh for a physical today and on the practice field when the Steelers open training camp Friday.
“Definitely a good call to wake up to,” a giddy Greenwood said Tuesday afternoon, a few hours before his scheduled 11 p.m. flight to Pittsburgh.
Greenwood, who had 46 receptions for 741 yards and six touchdowns last fall at Idaho, passed on offers from the Canadian Football League and indoor leagues in hopes of joining an NFL team when the lockout was lifted. It was a gamble that could have cost him thousands of dollars, and although he received only a small signing bonus and a non-guaranteed contract, Greenwood said his decision paid off.
“The type of person I am, I always want to play against the best competition,” he said. “Nothing against the competition in any of those other leagues, because there are a lot of really talented players, but it’s always been my dream to play in the NFL. Every kid dreams of that.
“I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to play in the NFL. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. … I’m just excited.”
Greenwood’s friends and family also are excited, even if some of them are a little cool on the idea of him putting on the uniform of the team that beat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.
“My family today all became the biggest Steeler fans,” Greenwood said. “But, yeah, I have some friends who texted me and said: ‘Sorry, I can’t be a Steelers fan.’
“But I couldn’t be happier. I guess (the Super Bowl) is still in the hearts and minds of a lot of Seahawks fans.”
For Greenwood, who didn’t know whether his gamble of turning down other leagues would pay off with a contract offer from an NFL team, there is no doubt which team is his favorite now.
“More than anything,” Greenwood said Tuesday, a few hours after the Steelers gave him the best wake-up call of his life, “I’m kind of flattered, to be honest.”
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