MINNEAPOLIS Change of heart kept Russell on his NFL path

The Browns safety once earned a reprieve from Vikings coach Dennis Greeen.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Having turned in his playbook and shaken the hand of his defensive coordinator, Brian Russell was just waiting for Minnesota to make his release official one August day in 2001.
Dennis Green, then the Vikings' coach, looked at the rookie from San Diego State, whom nobody thought highly enough to draft. Green left the room for five minutes, returned and told Russell to resume his weightlifting session. He had bought at least one more week with the team.
"They must have decided to cut me," Russell recalled, "and then Coach Green had a change of heart. That change of heart has really given me a career and a golden opportunity."
After one season on the practice squad, one as a backup for Minnesota and the next two as the starting free safety, Russell signed with Cleveland as a restricted free agent this year when the Vikings weren't very interested. He has started all 10 games for the Browns.
So far
In 58 career games, the former college quarterback has 22 pass breakups and 11 interceptions, including nine in 2003. An All-Pro he's not, but Russell has already enjoyed much more professional success than the majority of players whose names aren't called on draft day.
"Especially early on, there is a lot you have to go through in order to give yourself a fighting chance," said Russell, who will face his former team today when Cleveland (4-6) visits Minnesota (5-5). "I am very thankful to the Vikings. They gave me that chance."
With signing bonuses, and the pride of their personnel evaluators to keep in mind, NFL teams will usually give their draftees a better chance to contribute than the dozen or so free agents they add each spring. That creates even more of a challenge for guys like Russell, or Minnesota cornerback Dovonte Edwards, to survive training camp without getting cut.
"Definitely, the opportunity that you get is not as good as if you were drafted," Edwards said. "I had to make the best of every opportunity."
Coaching change
The Vikings usually give more of them than most, especially since Mike Tice took over as coach in 2002.
A quarterback who went undrafted out of Maryland in 1981, the 6-foot-8 Tice switched to tight end and lasted 14 years in the league with Seattle, Washington and Minnesota.
Asked if he knew about that, Edwards nodded and smiled.
"I did my homework," he said.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Edwards -- who played some receiver and even some basketball at North Carolina State -- made the active roster in September and impressed coaches enough in practice to make respected veteran Ken Irvin expendable earlier this month.
The big moment came on Monday night, when Edwards, playing in the dime package as a sixth defensive back, intercepted a pass from Green Bay's Brett Favre and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown to help the Vikings beat the Packers 20-17 on national television.
"I've always been a confident guy," Edwards said. "Hopefully, a play on a big-time stage makes me that much more confident."
Confidence and desire
Confidence, and desire are probably the two most important attributes an undrafted player can have.
Speed and strength are nice, sure, but if they were that fast or that strong in the first place they probably would have been picked in the draft.
Anthony Herrera and Adam Goldberg, Minnesota's starting guards this week, also were undrafted.
"I really enjoy being around those college free agents, because they seem to have a different passion and approach to the profession," Tice said. "When they get a chance, normally they do well with it."
Ditto for Browns coach Romeo Crennel.
"They have to work a lot harder for what they get," Crennel said. "They just know that one bad step or one bad game, they might be out the door."
Crennel's quarterback, Trent Dilfer, might be in that same situation, though Crennel maintained this week that Dilfer is his starter and rookie Charlie Frye is his backup.
Dilfer, with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, ranks 21st in NFL in passer rankings. Frye replaced him for three series in last Sunday's 22-0 win over Miami, and Dilfer wasn't happy about it.
"If I get the urge to put Frye in to give him a series, I will do that," Crennel said. "They understand that, and that's the way it goes if the coach makes a decision."
The Vikings, trying to climb back in the playoff race after a miserable start, have won three straight.
"I think what happens is everyone starts to believe in the system that much more," said quarterback Brad Johnson, who is 3-0 since replacing injured Daunte Culpepper. "Guys start believe in each other, and believing that we can make the play when it's needed."