MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings Thursday announced the signing of two Plan B free agents, punter Harry Newsome and offensive lineman-long snapper Adam Schreiber.
Newsome, 26, spent five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and led the NFL with a 45.4-yard punting average in 1988. He averaged under 40 yards only in his rookie year of 1984.
Last year Newsome punted 82 times for a 41.1-yard average, which gave him a No. 4 ranking in the AFC. He had 15 inside-the-20 punts last year.
Newsome's career average is 41.4.
He averaged 43.5 yards a kick at Wake Forest and was an eight-round draft choice of the Steelers in 1985.
Schreiber, 27, and a six-year NFL veteran, was with the New York Jets last season. He was a backup at all five offensive line positions and handled the long-snapping duties.
Schreiber was a 9th round draft choice of the Seattle Seahawks in 1984, out of the University of Texas.
The 6 foot 4, 285-pound Schreiber also played with the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Vikings have signed 12 players this year, seven from Plan B and five free agents.
The five Plan B players signed previously are guard-tackle Craig Wolfley fromthe Steelers; center-guard Doug Marrone from the Saints; safety Ken Stills fromthe Green Bay Packers; wide receiver Andy Schillinger from the Cardinals, and safety Robert Lyons from the Browns.
The five free agents include quarterback Sean Salisbury, who was in the NFL for two seasons with Seattle and Indianapolis and with Wwinnipeg of the Canadian Football League in 1988 and 1989. The remaining free agents signed are safety Ken Johnson, who was on the Vikings' active roster for two games and on the developmental squad the rest of last season; punter Chris Becker, who was on the Vikings' developmental squad for part of the 1989 season; running back Wayne Williams, who was on Denver's developmental squad last season, and guard-tackle Paul Blair, a three-year veteran with Denver and Chicago.
