---

MANSFIELD - All they want is a chance. After four years on their high school gridirons and another four in college, the hundreds of football players who weren't selected in the NFL Draft just want an opportunity - any opportunity at all - to show someone that they might have what it takes to continue playing the game they love at the next level.

Brett McDermott has earned that chance.

The former Mansfield High School wide receiver and defensive back, who recently concluded a very productive four-year career with the Crusaders of Holy Cross, will soon be heading to the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind., for the start of the Indianapolis Colts' training camp.

Signed as an undrafted free agent, the 6-foot, 206-pound former Hornet has reason to be very proud of himself for having earned the chance to catch passes from Peyton Manning. But, he said, that feeling quickly gave way to a commitment to do everything he possibly can to make the most of this rare and precious opportunity.

"With the satisfaction comes a whole new boatload of challenges that I need to overcome so I can get to my eventual goal, which is to make sure I make this team," McDermott said late last week. "The satisfaction is pretty short-lived. That was Sunday night (of the draft), and then on Monday, I was back in the gym, working out." Local football fans will remember McDermott as a hard-nosed and productive performer who helped his Mansfield High team stay unbeaten and defend its Hockomock League championship in 2004 by defeating arch-rival Foxboro, 34-7, at Alumni Field. Then at Holy Cross, he started at wide receiver for three of his four seasons and became an equally dangerous kick returner in his senior year.

His steady progress in college and a stellar workout at the Boston College "pro day" made the phone ring at his off-campus apartment on the night of April 26 - although, as he said, there were a few tense moments involved.

"The draft had been over for maybe a half-hour," he said, "and I was with a buddy of mine from Toledo who was in the same position that I was, who didn't get drafted but was hoping for a free agency contract afterwards. He got called nearly immediately after the draft. So I'm sitting for the longest 25 minutes of my life, thinking I would have gotten a call by now and it's not going to work out ... time to start sending my resumes out again.

"But I got a call ... at this point, our house off-campus had a good amount of people in it, and everyone was silent," he said. "I picked up the phone and the person on the line said, 'Would you like to catch passes from Peyton Manning?' Honestly, my heart stopped for about five seconds. I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what to do. It was awesome."

It didn't take long for McDermott to figure out what to do. He participated in a rookie minicamp and several organized team activities with the Colts after signing his contract, and felt his confidence build. And he finally got a chance to catch passes from Manning at the recent full-squad minicamp.

"Honestly, I think it's no more than two, though," he said, laughing. "And I was just trying as much as I could to make sure I caught the ball before I thought about anything else. But afterward, when the practice was over, and you can get some mental relaxation going, I was like, 'Wow, I actually did just catch a pass from Peyton Manning.'

"It's a pretty cool experience," he said. "And especially being from a place like Mansfield, where you have so many die-hard Patriots' fans, I couldn't wait to call my buddy to tell him what happened, because he would think that it's the worst thing that could happen to you.

"That did start to drive it home, that this isn't college football anymore, that this was a taste of the NFL," he said.

That Thanksgiving game in 2004 gave a strong indication that McDermott had next-level skills.

Although Mansfield entered the game at 9-0, the Hornets were underdogs to the also-unbeaten Warriors and were knotted in a 7-7 battle when, with 7:10 left in the second quarter, McDermott turned in a play that would change the course of the contest. Foxboro had just gained possession at midfield on a botched fake punt, but on a second-and-1 play, McDermott burst through the line of scrimmage on a blitz and slammed full-force into Foxboro running back Joe Bordieri, knocking the ball free.

Mansfield recovered the fumble and did not score on that possession, but it was clear to all in attendance that the momentum had shifted on McDermott's big hit. Mansfield scored three touchdowns in the last 4:39 of the first half, two on passes of 22 and 27 yards from Tyler D'Ambra to McDermott, to take a 27-7 halftime lead, and McDermott added another 27-yard TD catch near the end of the third quarter to complete the stunning turnabout.

"Being a Mansfield Hornet, any time that you can beat Foxboro is a great experience and one you'll always remember," McDermott said. "The way that game went, and my senior year, to finish the regular season like that is something I'll always remember, and all my teammates remember that game as well.

"It was a great stepping stone into college," he continued. "Now that I am a little more removed from that game, it's still something I'm going to remember. I still have my helmet and my jersey here, and every time you see something like that, you remember the great things that you and your team did."

At Holy Cross, McDermott caught 138 passes for 1,736 yards and 14 touchdowns over three starting seasons. He had 56 catches for 727 yards as a junior, and 43 for 491 as a senior, adding 11 kickoff returns for 244 yards to his resume in his final collegiate season.

Possibly becoming a pro was merely a dream in the back of his head, he admitted - but after his outstanding junior year and with the addition of special-teams responsibilities as a senior, he began to believe that his dream had a chance to become reality.

"I've always tried to get to the highest level I can, regardless of what it is," McDermott said. "It wasn't realistic of me to think of that in my freshman year, but it was still in the back of my mind. And junior year, I had a nice year and I started thinking that maybe, if I put together a half-decent senior year, then maybe I could see what I could do.

"With the help of the team and the coaches, specifically on kickoff returns, this year was a very good year for me thanks to the coaching," he said. "Coming from a smallish school and not really on the national map on that sense, I couldn't have been any more appreciative looking back at the coaches who worked with me, and the players that helped push me. You think of all the times that you did an extra workout, or you ran an extra route, or something like that, and you appreciate the people who were working with you and the people who continue to help you."

Through the OTAs and minicamps, McDermott quickly learned what it means to be at the next level of football.

"The speed of the game, I always knew it was going to be a big step up," he said. "But you never really believe it until you actually see it. You're down on the field and you're watching these guys go, and the scariest thing I've ever seen is the D-line, how big they are and how quickly they move.

"Defensive backs are only going to get that much faster and that much quicker ... there's a ceiling to that," he said. "But watching defensive linemen in college and these guys, there's no comparison. These guys are absolute freaks ... just as fast as me, and they weigh 100 more pounds than me. It's a scary thing to witness."

McDermott also knows that if he has a chance to make the Colts' roster, it will be from what he shows on special teams.

"It's asking a lot of a rookie to go through that playbook, which is very thick," he said. "For a rookie to come here and be able to take in all that information and translate it to the field, that's extremely hard to do, and that's just for the draft picks. So the mark I need to make going into the preseason and this (rookie) minicamp is definitely on special teams. I'll try to work into them as much as I can, every one."

The last rookie minicamp for the Colts begins four days before the official start of training camp on Aug. 2. Until then, McDermott knows what he must do.

"Basically, just stay in great shape," he said. "That's the thing that will help you the most. If all else is even, they're going to take a guy that has taken care of himself this month and last month. I'm going to make sure I stay healthy and am in good shape.

"I've gone through these OTAs and the minicamps and I think I've done pretty well," he added. "So I just need to stick with the confidence I have now, make sure I get my head in the playbook, be on point mentally, and just hopefully continue what I was doing through those OTAs.

"Then we'll let the chips fall where they may," he said.

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.