Craig: Castoff savors being on the receiving end

Greg Lewis wasn't feeling too good about himself 23 days ago.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, future Hall of Famer and the NFL's undisputed coaching guru of his generation, had just released the veteran receiver six months after acquiring him from the Eagles for a fifth-round draft pick.

"I was sitting in my apartment with low self-esteem," Lewis said. "I was thinking about what am I going to do next."

How about sign with the Vikings on Sept. 10, be inactive for the first two weeks, play three indiscernible snaps and then win a game with a catch for the ages from a quarterback for the ages?

"I guess it's my lucky day," Lewis said with a smile.

Lewis' 32-yard touchdown catch from Brett Favre with two seconds left not only beat the 49ers 27-24 on Sunday at the Metrodome. It introduced the unassuming Lewis to the Purple Faithful while no doubt selling a few of his No. 17 jerseys as well.

"We're all still getting to know him around here," receiver Sidney Rice said. "But he gets a lot of rally points for this one right there."

Lewis is only the fifth player to score a touchdown on his first reception as a Viking. He's also the first player in the 48-year history of the franchise whose first catch was essentially a walk-off game-winner.

Not bad for a guy who probably wouldn't have been on the field if Percy Harvin hadn't needed a rest and Darius Reynaud hadn't pulled a hamstring earlier in the game.

"Greg doesn't talk too much," Rice said. "He doesn't complain about anything. He's just always ready."

Obviously.

With 12 seconds left in the game, Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell called "All-Out." It's not exactly a complicated play. It's kind of Backyard Football 101.

"Basically," Bevell said, "it's four guys running vertical 'go' routes. Two on each side."

Bernard Berrian was lined up wide right. Rice was wide left. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe was in the right slot. Harvin was supposed to be in the left slot, but he needed a break after playing the first nine snaps on that drive.

Vikings receivers coach George Stewart, who is responsible for rotating fresh receivers into the game, didn't hesitate to put Lewis in the game.

"One of my last words with Stew before we went out of the locker room was ... 'Don't be afraid to put Greg Lewis in the game, he will do just fine,'" said coach Brad Childress, who was with the Eagles as offensive coordinator when they signed Lewis as an undrafted free agent in 2003 and when Lewis caught a 30-yard touchdown pass in a loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.

We should not forget that Childress stuck his neck out to sign Lewis. In doing so, he cut Bobby Wade, his leading receiver the past two seasons and a popular figure in the locker room. Yeah, Lewis has played only four snaps, but one of them was a historical highlight for the franchise.

It started out as a prayer. Although with Favre, it was a prayer most of us thought would be answered.

When Favre stepped up and rolled to his right, the four receivers spread out to their predetermined areas in what the team calls its "scramble drill."

Lewis bent his route toward the back of the end zone and to the right. The farther Favre went right, the more Lewis ran to his right, sneaking behind free safety Dashon Goldson. With safety Mark Roman in tight coverage, Lewis went higher, caught the ball and managed to drag both feet just inbounds. The play was reviewed and, of course, upheld.

Favre said he didn't even know who he was throwing to. All he saw was a Vikings jersey streaking across the back of the end zone. Little did he know the 469th touchdown pass of his career would be the eighth touchdown reception for Lewis, a smallish 6-foot, 180-pounder from Illinois who is anything but your typical NFL receiver when it comes to ego. Heck, the guy even wore an old white T-shirt to his news conference.

"I've never really been a starter in the NFL or in college, really," Lewis said. "I was always the third or fourth guy, so I'm used to being in and out. It's not a big deal to me. I just want to win."

Mark Craig • mcraig@startribune.com