Greg Camarillo’s goal is to get Vikings playbook down by end of week, with Dolphins due in

Camarillo’s goal: Get Vikings playbook down ASAP

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Greg Camarillo left almost his whole life behind last month when the trade sent him out of Miami.

Perhaps it’s best for now to be free of potential distractions. He has a lot of homework to do with Minnesota’s playbook.

“It’s getting there,” Camarillo said. “Every day I’m trying to learn more and pick up more, and my goal is by the end of the practice week to know everything in and out.”

This isn’t an ordinary week for Camarillo, with the Dolphins due in this weekend. He had one catch for 29 yards in his Vikings debut, the season-opening loss at New Orleans, but he’d love to have a more prominent role in the offense on Sunday.

“What more could you ask for? From the minute I got traded, I’ve been thinking about this,” Camarillo said, adding: “Last week how the whole team felt about the Saints and wanting to get their second swing at them, that’s how I feel about the Dolphins. It’s all my friends. No ill will toward the team, but I want to come out there and kick their” rears.

The fifth-year wide receiver from Stanford, who had 50 receptions for 552 yards for the Dolphins last season, was acquired for cornerback Benny Sapp last month after the Vikings learned Pro Bowl pick Sidney Rice needed hip surgery. After beginning his career with the San Diego Chargers, Camarillo had finally settled in Miami.

“That’s home. Well, was home,” he said on Monday. “It took a while to kind of get going there, but I felt like the community embraced me. I did some good work in the community there and really enjoyed it. That makes it all the more fun to play against them knowing everybody in town is going to be watching.”

Camarillo added: “My fiancee is there. My house is there. My dog is there. My car is there. Most of my clothes are there. So that is home. If someone asks me where is home, I’d tell them Florida.”

He said he’s beginning to make Minnesota feel like home, a sentiment that will surely be stronger once he gets comfortable with the offense and quarterback Brett Favre. The Vikings like his reliable hands and versatility at the different receiver spots, and they’re planning to give him a chance as a punt returner, too.

Though he had only one catch against the Saints, so did the rest of the receivers. It was an important one, too, on third-and-4 to get across midfield in the fourth quarter with the Vikings trailing. Camarillo said he hopes he’s gaining Favre’s faith.

“All I can do is catch it if he puts it out there. The more we do in practice, the better it will look in games,” he said.

The Vikings have only four wide receivers — Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian, Greg Lewis and Camarillo — on the active roster with Rice on the physically unable to perform list.

They’re bringing in some free agents for a workout at Winter Park on Tuesday, but coach Brad Childress said it’s a matter of routine and not a sign of a desire to sign another wide receiver.

The group includes Reggie Brown, who spent five seasons with Philadelphia before being let go by Tampa Bay last week. Disgruntled San Diego star Vincent Jackson has been linked to the Vikings in trade rumors, too, but Childress again said on Monday he’s “completely comfortable” with the four wide receivers he has.

At some point, Rice will rejoin the cadre. He was at Winter Park on Monday, using crutches as a precaution.

“No soreness at all,” he said. “I can move my leg and everything like that.”

The earliest he’s eligible to return is mid-October, after the sixth week of the season, but he declined to declare a timetable.

“I’ll be on these for a couple of more weeks,” Rice said, “and hopefully after that as soon as my muscles can start back to firing I’ll be back out there on the field.”

Notes: Rookie cornerback Chris Cook and rookie running back Toby Gerhart each participated in at least part of practice after knee injuries had them on the inactive list in New Orleans. Cook, though, has a long way to go to be cleared to play. “He doesn’t look completely comfortable,” Childress said. “As always, it’ll be how he comes back in and treats and how he shows back up tomorrow.”