TSN: The NFL's grand old man

[bubba9497]

The NFL's grand old man

By Dennis Dillon

Sporting News

http://www.sportingnews.com/exclusives/20050720/633486.html

The temperature is rising, and the grass smells different. The Fourth of July parades-festivities that mark the midpoint of summer for most of us but signify the end on his calendar-have passed. Clothes, athletic shoes and football souvenirs that have filled half the space in his four-car garage are packed in boxes, waiting to be moved across the country.

These portents mean only one thing: Another training camp is around the corner for Leonard Ray Brown Jr., the grand old man of the NFL.

When he reports to Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va., in a couple of weeks and puts on the pads for another regimen of two-a-days, Ray Brown will begin his 20th camp. At 42, he is the league's oldest offensive lineman since World War II, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He is an exception -- at 6-5 and 320 pounds, an immense exception-to the axiom that NFL careers are short-lived. For offensive linemen, the average career is less than four years.

"It's amazing. Time never caught up to him," says Cowboys defensive tackle La'Roi Glover. "Shoot, I'm going on year 10 and I'm 31. He's going on year 20 and he's 42."

Why is Brown still playing at an age when most NFL players long ago have retired to their Barcaloungers? Most important, Brown still is an effective lineman. He also feels wanted by the Redskins, who value his leadership as much as his playing ability. And he wants his 2 1/2-year-old son, Trey, to see him play football so one day he'll understand what daddy did. (Ray and his wife, Ashley, also have a 9-year-old daughter, Miriam, and Brown has three college-age children from another marriage.) Perhaps it goes back to his sluggish start in the NFL. He started only eight games in his first six seasons, two of which were spent on injured reserve. So maybe Brown is making up for time lost.

This has been an atypical offseason for Brown. Within a three-week period, he had surgeries on his left knee (torn meniscus) and right ankle (bone chips). After minicamp in mid-June, he and Ashley returned to San Jose, their offseason residence for the past 10 years, and finished the process of selling their home; they are building a house in Ashburn that should be ready in the fall. The Browns were married in the D.C. area; Miriam was born there, and Ray might continue his career in football there after he stops playing. "In the offseason, we kind of made a commitment to him that whenever he's through playing, we want him to stay in the organization," says Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. "He's such a valuable asset."

Through the offseason's twists and turns, Brown managed to keep his football focus. He began running in early May, participated in most of the Redskins' offseason training activities and maintained his conditioning program, which includes Pilates and a combination of running and walking, down and back, on a hill in San Jose -- a distance of about 4.5 miles.

His mood is the same as it usually is this time of year. "I believe it's going to be the same mentality I had the previous 19," says Brown. "Excitement. What do I have to work on? Can I get better? Can I continue to play this game?"

We know why Jerry Rice has lasted 20 NFL seasons; unique talent and impeccable conditioning have raised his star to the most luminous zone in the NFL constellation. Brown is a late bloomer whose journey has been inconspicuous but no less extraordinary.

Given the length of Brown's run on the NFL stage-this probably will be his final season, although he hasn't made an official pronouncement -- it is instructive and most appropriate to view his career as a play in four acts.

Act I: Young lion, lost lion 1986-88, Cardinals

Brown is an eighth-round draft pick out of Arkansas State, where he was a 237-pound tackle/tight end in a wishbone offense. That seems like an unsuitable resume for a player whom the St. Louis Cardinals project as a tackle, but then the Cardinals have a reputation for making puzzling draft decisions.

Initially, Brown doesn't understand the concept of pass protection, which is evident during the first week of training camp. "I can't put you in the game," coach Gene Stallings tells him. "You're a quarterback killer." But Brown can run-block. The Cardinals start him at left guard in the final four games of his rookie season, even though Brown doesn't think he is ready. "I was shocked. I really was," he says.

Brown adds 43 pounds in the offseason, but the Cardinals release him on September 7, 1987. They re-sign him 18 days later after NFL players go on strike. He starts at left tackle in the three "replacement" games during the 24-day strike, then doesn't start again until the final game of the 1988 season, the franchise's first in Arizona.

It takes Brown most of those first three seasons to learn the importance of lifting weights, develop a passion for the game and set his priorities.

"I remember coach Stallings telling everybody about God, family and football-that's the way it should be," Brown recalls. "It was hard for me to buy into that because I was a rookie who was just thinking, 'How do I get a job on this football team?' Then I finally set some goals for myself. As long as those things got in the proper order, I was able to become a better player."

His career stalls when the Cardinals make him an unconditional free agent in February 1989, then takes a sharp turn when the Redskins sign him a few weeks later.

Act II: Coming of age 1989-95, Redskins

Brown doesn't play until the 10th game of the 1989 season, when he replaces injured tackle Joe Jacoby and receives a game ball for not giving up a sack against Eagles end Reggie White. "It might not have been the most aesthetically played game," says Brown, "but he didn't hit the quarterback."

In Washington, Brown is exposed to the Hogs-Jacoby, Russ Grimm, Jeff Bostic, et al. -- the offensive linemen who have helped the Redskins become the dominant team in the NFC East, going to three Super Bowls and winning two from 1982 through '87.

"Those guys probably drank harder than anybody I know," says Brown. "But they were going to show up the next day, and they were consistent in how they practiced and how they played the game. I was in their midst. I think once you're in the company of some great players, you better heed whatever is necessary to be successful."

Following the Hogs' example, Brown becomes more disciplined in his approach to conditioning, studying film and practice. Even though he spends the 1990 and '91 seasons on injured reserve -- he misses the Redskins' run to a Super Bowl championship in '91 -- Brown gets plenty of seasoning in practice.

"I got thrown around by guys like Charles Mann, Jumpy Geathers and Tim Johnson until I was able to establish myself as a player," says Brown. "That preparation, that practice time, is really the reason I'm around now."

The transformative moment in Brown's development comes in early 1992, a few weeks after the Redskins win Super Bowl 26. He is walking through the team's training facility when offensive line coach Jim Hanifan calls him into his office. Hanifan shuts the door, fires up a cigarette and says, "Raymond, you're not a tackle. I don't know why everybody tries to make you a tackle. You're a guard."

After six seasons -- three with the Cardinals, one in Washington under line coach Joe Bugel and two under Hanifan -- this is a football epiphany. "Until then," Brown says, "I was masquerading as an ex-tight end trying to be a tackle."

Hanifan believes Brown is a better fit at guard because of his size, strength and hand technique than at tackle, where going one-on-one against quick pass rushers requires more foot speed and the ability to change direction quickly. At first, Brown is skeptical about switching positions. But he gradually grows more comfortable inside, where the action is more abrupt and congested. Brown's ability to pull on traps and counter plays also makes him a good fit.

There's something else. An evolution is taking place on the defensive line; tackles are becoming bigger. At guard, Brown is a formidable match for those tackles because of his size, which rises above 300 during his Washington tenure.

He starts 54 games, most of them at left guard, in the final four seasons of his first tour with the Redskins. After the '95 season, he becomes a free agent and signs a five-year, $10 million contract (including a $2.75 million bonus) with the 49ers. At that time, it is an enormous contract for a guard. But Brown almost is apologetic when he calls Hanifan to tell him he's leaving, and both Ray and Ashley weep when they come to Redskins Park and say their goodbyes.

"I really believe I became a man here," Brown says. "I got to be who I am and what I could be because they gave me the opportunity."

Act III: In his prime 1996-2001, 49ers

Offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick tells Brown the 49ers had wanted to sign him as a Plan B free agent years earlier, but either the Redskins were "stashing" him on I.R. or he was injured. "We couldn't figure out why a big guy like you never played," says McKittrick.

In San Francisco, Brown becomes the anchor of the line at left guard and misses only one start (sprained foot) in six seasons. He makes a key block on Garrison Hearst's 96-yard touchdown run in overtime against the Jets in the 1998 season opener, allows no sacks in 2000 and is selected to his first and only Pro Bowl in 2001 -- his 16th year in the league.

"His consistency day in and day out is what I remember," says Falcons offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, a 49ers offensive coach from 1995-2003. "He would come in and prepare like it was the last game of his career, whether it was a playoff game or a preseason game."

Brown learns how to cut block, a legal but somewhat controversial technique in which an offensive lineman tries to knock a defensive lineman off his feet by sticking his helmet past the defensive player's "play-side" knee -- the knee closest to the direction of the play. Learning to hold within the confines of the rules -- keeping his hands inside and grabbing an opponent's exposed pads or a piece of the jersey if it isn't skin-tight-is another trick of the trade that allows Brown to prosper. "I definitely hold but no more or no less than all the great offensive linemen who have been able to ply this wonderful trade," Brown admits, chuckling.

Brown's run with the 49ers reaches an inglorious end after his Pro Bowl season. Then-general manager Terry Donahue suggests Brown retire, and the 49ers release him on June 3, 2002. But Brown isn't ready to make an exit.

"I was motivated by the fact (Donahue) thought I should retire," he says. "I just knew I could still play."

Act IV: Changes in latitude 2002-03, Lions; 2004-present, Redskins

Second-year Lions coach Marty Mornhinweg agrees with Brown. Mornhinweg, who was the offensive coordinator in San Francisco during Brown's stay there, brings Brown to Detroit as a free agent in August 2002. Two days later, the Lions trade starting guard Brenden Stai to Washington.

At an advanced age, Brown demonstrates his flexibility. When the 2002 regular season opens, Brown, then 39, makes the first of 32 consecutive starts at right guard, a new position.

Moving from one side of the center to the other might not seem complicated until you realize the mirror image effect. It's like the difference between driving a car in the United States and the United Kingdom. At left guard, you put your right hand on the ground, step first with your left foot and use your right leg to anchor. At right guard, everything is reversed.

"Being versatile is an asset for me," says Brown. "I can come in and hold a spot until an injured starter is ready to come back in. Or I can start if you want me to."

That's what happens in 2004, several months after Brown becomes a salary cap casualty in Detroit. Right tackle Jon Jansen ruptures an Achilles' tendon in the Redskins' opening exhibition game and is lost for the season. That night, the Browns receive a phone call from Monica Mitchell, the wife of Brian Mitchell, a former teammate and longtime friend of Brown.

"That looks like a job for you guys," Monica says.

"That's not going to happen," says Brown, an unemployed free agent sitting in San Jose. "He's a tackle; I'm a guard."

The next morning, the phone rings again. This time, it's Redskins vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato, asking Brown if he's interested in coming to camp for a tryout. Brown is signed as a depth-fortifying addition but ends up starting 14 games, including 13 at right tackle. It is an adjustment.

"I had to watch my weight. Whereas I could play guard at 315, 320, I had to get lighter. I had to make sure I could move my feet out there," says Brown, who admits he suffered "competition anxiety" moving to a position he hadn't played in 11 years, since starting three games at right tackle for the Redskins in '93.

To ease that anxiety, Brown spends extra time in the film room. He studies tape of his upcoming individual opponent and the offensive tackle who most recently faced that man. He also watches different right tackles around the league. "I tried to see what other guys were doing and tried to copy them," he says. Even into his 40s, he remains a student of the game.

Now, Brown will try to hold off Father Time one more year. He will go into the Redskins' training camp as a backup at both guard and tackle and will compete with Lennie Friedman for the role of sixth man on the line. It seems appropriate Brown's career is ending where it blossomed.

"I've seen him grow in leaps and bounds," says Bugel, now the Redskins' assistant head coach/offense, who remembers when Brown was a raw prospect in 1989. "He's the epitome of a pro offensive lineman. He can knock you from here to yesterday."

Brown may have been a late bloomer, but he has had remarkable staying power.

[DieselPwr44]

Good read. It says in the article that Gibbs has promised Brown a position in the organization whenever he decides to retire. Interesting....

Possibly Gregg Williams' offensive line coach when Gibbs and Buges retire??

[Jimbo]

Not sure if the admission of holding was a good idea. I just hope the refs won't be watching any closer than normal. :paranoid:

[dg28daman]

He was another good signing by Joe Gibbs.

[flexxskins]

Man, that was some good reading. I especially liked the part where he spoke about the hogs and how they could drink but always showed up the next day.

[Joeythetapeworm]

Originally posted by DieselPwr44

Good read. It says in the article that Gibbs has promised Brown a position in the organization whenever he decides to retire. Interesting....

Possibly Gregg Williams' offensive line coach when Gibbs and Buges retire??

Seems like we're doing a good job of setting up a future coaching staff.

Williams at HC.

Blache at DC.

Brown as O-Line Coach.

I can see Hixon, Byner, Musgrave, and Brown very possibly developing a chemistry comparable to Breaux/Buges/Gibbs

Not to mention Dale Lindsay, DeWayne Walker, and Steve Jackson all continuing to maintain the machine that is our D, alongside Williams and Blache.

I really believe we're getting ourselves set for the future.

[redskin-one]

Nice article. Thanks for the posting.

[Riggo-toni]

So, we traded for Brendan Stai when we could've signed Brown for free...... :doh:

[RunRiggoRun]

Originally posted by Joeythetapeworm

Seems like we're doing a good job of setting up a future coaching staff.

Williams at HC.

Blache at DC.

Brown as O-Line Coach.

I can see Hixon, Byner, Musgrave, and Brown very possibly developing a chemistry comparable to Breaux/Buges/Gibbs

Not to mention Dale Lindsay, DeWayne Walker, and Steve Jackson all continuing to maintain the machine that is our D, alongside Williams and Blache.

I really believe we're getting ourselves set for the future.

Exactly what Gibbs main plans was.

Of Course he wants to win in the playoffs and try to win another Bowl, but if worse comes to worse he has said many times he wants to get the Redskins franchise back to glory with or withour him (most likely with him and then after)

we will be much better off in a few years when Gibbs leaves then when he left the first time.

[VaBeachSkinzFan]

That was a great read thanks for the post.

[skinsfn]

Great read. Thanks for posting it.

[Woofer]

Originally posted by Skindrodamus

Exactly what Gibbs main plans was.

Of Course he wants to win in the playoffs and try to win another Bowl, but if worse comes to worse he has said many times he wants to get the Redskins franchise back to glory with or withour him (most likely with him and then after)

we will be much better off in a few years when Gibbs leaves then when he left the first time.

I hope you're right. Gibbs leaving the first time seemed to have caught everybody off guard and the team never did recover.