Tuesday, January 27, 2004
After a strong three-year stretch, the Patriots wideout had 40 catches this year.
HOUSTON (AP) -- Troy Brown thinks he knows why he is Tom Brady's favorite receiver on third and fourth down.
It's because of what he does on first and second.
"I'm running every route like I'm expecting the football," Brown said Monday. "I think I've earned his respect by doing that."
Brown has earned the respect of defenses as one of the most sure-handed receivers in the league. Although he had just 40 receptions this year -- his lowest total since he became a starter in 2000 -- he's still the guy Brady goes to when New England needs to make something happen.
"Any time Tom's throwing to Troy, you can be pretty sure it's going to be a big play," offensive lineman Matt Light said. "It happens a lot."
Brown's 40 catches might not seem like much, especially following a three-year period in which he had 281. But Brady found Brown on a fourth-and-3 against the Titans to help set up the winning field goal.
"Of course," Brady said then, "in the biggest situations, I always find Troy."
Big play Brown
Brown followed that with a series of clutch catches in the AFC championship against Indianapolis, two on third down and a 16-yarder on fourth-and-8. Those catches, he said, are at least as satisfying as his 82-yard touchdown against Miami.
"When it's fourth down, if you don't get it you're coming off the field. So it's a huge play," he said. "But no matter what your role is, you have to know it and play it well. I got hurt early in the season, and we had some guys step up and make some plays. When I came back, I took my role on and tried to do the best I could at it."
The 198th pick in the 1993 draft, Brown was waived once and allowed to enter free agency three times before he settled into a role as a punt returner and backup receiver. When Bill Belichick took over as coach in 2000, Brown finally got his chance to start.
Brown had 83 receptions that year and 101 in 2001, when New England won its first Super Bowl and he made his only appearance in the Pro Bowl.
"When these guys came in here, they gave me the opportunity I'd been waiting for," Brown said. "It was frustrating. I had people telling me all the time, 'Just stay patient.' It's hard to stay patient for six years."
Breaking through
Once he broke through, Brown wasn't just making the big catch -- he was making virtually every catch. He scored five touchdowns and twice more on punt returns in the regular season, and kept it going through the playoffs.
He had eight catches in the AFC title game against Pittsburgh and also made two big plays on special teams, returning a punt 55 yards for one TD and recovering a blocked field goal. In the Super Bowl, Brown led the Patriots with six catches for 89 yards.
But, once again, one of them stood out.
With the game tied, Brown caught a 23-yard pass and got out of bounds at the St. Louis 36 yard-line with 20 seconds left in the game. Two plays later, Adam Vinatieri kicked a 48-yard field goal that gave New England its only Super Bowl championship.
Brown caught 97 passes last year, but a leg injury sidelined him for four games midway through this season. When he came back, Deion Branch had surpassed him as Brady's most frequent target.
"It's frustrating when you're hurt. Nobody wants to be sitting on the sidelines watching," he said. "Although the team is winning, and you're happy, it's not the same kind of feeling as when you are out there playing.
"I was ecstatic about coming back," he said, and it showed. After he returned, he got up after his first catch and threw the ball in the air triumphantly.
"I love playing the game, that's what I love to do," Brown said. "I didn't want to be sitting around, just watching for the rest of the season."