Newhall-Caballero gets NFL shot

[Artois]

Former Gilbert QB Newhall-Caballero gets NFL shot - East Valley Tribune: VarsityXtra

Former Gilbert QB Newhall-Caballero gets NFL shot

Posted: Thursday, May 24, 2012
By Kyle Odegard, Tribune

Less than a week ago, all Kyle Newhall-Caballero wanted was a chance to prove he could play in the NFL.

Wish granted.

The former Gilbert quarterback finished up his second day of Organized Team Activites on Thursday with the Oakland Raiders, taking snaps alongside the famous signal-calling triumvirate of Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Terrelle Pryor.

“I was in limbo there for awhile, treading water after the draft, hoping I’d get a phone call,” he said.

It came on Sunday, with Oakland offering him a tryout the following day.

Newhall-Caballero quickly boarded a flight for Calif. and made enough of an impression that the Raiders signed him as their fourth quarterback. He’s currently staying at the Hilton Oakland Airport Hotel, practicing during the day and immersing himself in the playbook at night.

“It has been a whirlwind,” Newhall-Caballero said. “The first time I got out there was eye-opening, but now I’m just trying to pick up things as fast as I can. I’m trying to get to the point where I can play alongside these guys. I know I can do it, physically, but I have to get there mentally.”

Newhall-Caballero said the NFL was far from his mind as he rode the bench in his first two years at Brown. But he threw for a combined 5,065 yards and 36 touchdowns and earned all-Ivy League honors in his final two seasons to get on the NFL radar.

Oakland never showed much interest leading up to the draft, so Newhall-Caballero was surprised when he was asked to try out. He was so rushed that he only brought one change of clothes to Oakland, and has been wearing team-issued shirts out to dinner because he has nothing else with him.

He finally took a moment to reflect on Thursday after a frenetic few days.

“It’s refreshing to look back and see all your hard work and dedication wasn’t for nothing,” he said. “Now I can say I’ve made it to this point, but I want to continue moving up from here. I don’t want this to be the peak. I want to be a damn good football player.”

"I don't think we bring in anyone that's just for charity," head coach Dennis Allen said. "We bring in guys that we think have a chance to compete and have a chance to be decent football players. And that's what I think about him. That was the plan all along, to bring in a 4th quarterback. We wanted to bring 4 to camp, to make sure we did have 4 arms and I think Kyle will do a nice job there."

"I think he's smart, he's athletic and he's got a strong arm."

Reach Kyle Odegard at (480) 898-6834 or kodegard@evtrib.com. Follow his blog at http://blogs.evtrib.com/varsityxtra, or find him on Twitter @Kyle_Odegard.

Former Gilbert QB Newhall-Caballero gets NFL shot - East Valley Tribune: VarsityXtra

[smucky]

Ah, the old "I didn't bring a change of clothes so I gotta used team-issued shirts" strategy. A much more affordable way to buy up all the latest shirts on Raider Image. After they cut him at the end of camp, he will have been given half the men's clothes and accessories on that web site. Not a bad strategy. He should probably tell them he forgot his bottle opener and shot glass at home also.

[Artois]

Ah, the old "I didn't bring a change of clothes so I gotta used team-issued shirts" strategy. A much more affordable way to buy up all the latest shirts on Raider Image. After they cut him at the end of camp, he will have been given half the men's clothes and accessories on that web site. Not a bad strategy. He should probably tell them he forgot his bottle opener and shot glass at home also.

What else would expect from any Ivy league grad, but don't forget the beer holder and glass he forgot as well.