Nit's in Sunday NY Times
>>March 12, 2000
PRO FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
Brown Makes a Power Rush to Lofty N.F.L. Draft Status
By MIKE FREEMAN
ne of the National Football League's best personnel men was scouting a Penn State game last season, munching on a candy bar, trying not to get too much chocolate on his fingers or his fancy new binoculars, when he saw something that amazed him. The Penn State defensive lineman Courtney Brown was making an overwhelming power rush despite being triple-teamed, displaying his raw talent that has scouts drooling.
After that move, the chocolate bar went careening, decorating the executive's nice outfit.
And he didn't care. He knew he was watching someone who had a chance to be a great professional player.
If scouts weren't scribbling on their notepads or picking up the phones after one of Brown's plays last season, they were sitting in their seats smiling.
On that particular play, as is often the case, a hulking offensive lineman, a tight end and a running back were all trying to contain Brown, a massive 6 feet 5 inches, 270 pounds.
Brown busted through them all and actually made running through three grown men look easy. Thus the lost chocolate bar, thus the impending possibility that Brown might be taken first over all in the April 15 draft by the Cleveland Browns. He would overtake Peter Warrick, the flashy Florida State wide receiver, who many in the news media thought was a lock to be the first selection. That is no longer the case.
The Browns have a difficult choice. They can pick Warrick, who would be a great weapon for a young quarterback, Tim Couch. Or, they could go with Brown, a rarity in that he is a great pass-rushing defensive end, who is also solid against the run. He is being called the next Bruce Smith, and if that is not enough pressure on him, San Francisco 49ers general manager Bill Walsh called Brown "a Lawrence Taylor-type of impact player."
Cleveland has other choices, such as Brown's former Penn State teammate, linebacker LaVar Arrington, but the Browns are believed to have narrowed their choice to Warrick or Brown. But they are still keeping Arrington in the picture.
"For a long time it was Peter, Peter, Peter," said the Browns vice president Dwight Clark. "Now, it's, 'Maybe we should look at these other two guys; they're pretty darn good.' They are just unbelievable specimens. It's like somebody chiseled them out of granite."
The "other two guys" to whom Clark was referring are Brown and Arrington.
It is not that Warrick's stock is falling.
There are scouts who believe that Warrick is a better pick because he can instantly change an offense. He has speed, athleticism and game-breaking abilities.
But Brown's stock, right now, is the bluest of the blue chips. He's Amazon.com. He is a big lineman who can run a 4.53 40-yard dash. Brown set a school record with 33 career sacks, and last season, showing that he is also a good run-stopper, Brown had 29 tackles for a loss.
What is also extremely attractive about Brown is his personality. He is known for his understated nature and pleasant demeanor. While Warrick became infamous for his shopping habits, scouts and personnel men say they have discovered nothing in Brown's past that concerns them.
"You never know," said one scout, referring to off-field behavior of prospects, "but this guy, so far, is clean as a whistle."
Does Brown think he will be the first pick?
"You can never tell," he said. "Obviously, yes, you want to be the first pick. But you never can tell in the draft."
He is right about that -- no one can ever predict what a team will do. There is even the remote possibility that Cleveland might trade the pick, maybe to the Jets. But if the draft were this month, Brown would probably be a Brown.
"If Cleveland goes with Warrick," said one general manager, "they are making a mistake." <<
Tell me again how/why we lost 3 games....in a row?? |
