Watson’s influence at Senior Bowl: It’s been 13 months since Jamie Newman played in a football game, so it may feel a little strange when the former Wake Forest and Georgia full-back takes shots for the U.S. team in the Senior Bowl on Saturday. But thanks to extensive daily workouts that have been going on since October, Newman said he did not feel rusty in practice.
He threw five days a week with his private trainer, Quincy Avery, and remained in physical condition.
“Soccer is like riding my bike,” Newman said. “It’s a game I’ve loved since I was 5 years old.”
Newman is one of several Senior Bowl players selected in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with CB, for the entire 2020 football season. Ambry Thomas and WR Nico Collins of Michigan, Wake Forest WR Sage Surratt, Oregon CB Thomas Graham Jr. and Washington DT Levi Onwuzurike. For all, 2020 represents lost experience that can never be recovered, at least as a draft prospect. But Newman did everything in his power to limit the impact. He also got the chance to pick the brains of one of the NFL’s leading backs.
“I had the pleasure of sitting down with Deshaun Watson a few times and learning how he plans the game,” Newman said. “It was a special occasion.”
Newman played for Wake Forest in 2019 and then transferred to Georgia, but never played for the Bulldogs due to his decision to exclude them. Saturdays in the fall were mostly a day of rest for Newman, and he included as much college football as he could absorb, and he watched up to eight or ten games. If Wake Forest and Georgia were at the same time, he would not miss a play.
“I would have Wake on my TV and Georgia on my laptop,” Newman said. “I just used Saturdays to light my fire.”