Mike Brown (American footballer)
Encyclopedia
Mike Brown is an American football
safety that is a Free Agent in the NFL. He was originally selected with the eighth pick of the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft
out of the University of Nebraska by the Chicago Bears
.
in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1996, where he starred in both football and baseball
.
In football he was an All-State choice and ranked the top defensive back prospect in the country by SuperPrep, and named Arizona Player-of-the-Year by every major publication. Mike Brown was named the state's top running back and defensive back by The Arizona Republic
, which was the first time in 10 years a player received both awards. Mike rushed for 2,036 yards (9.6 avg.) and 31 touchdowns as a senior.
In baseball he played center field and was an All-State choice as a senior, after batting .426, and posting 27 stolen bases.
and Football Writers Association and a unanimous all-Big Twelve
first-team pick and academic all-American. He started every game and finished the year leading the Huskers with 96 tackles while adding two sacks, one fumble recovery, six forced fumbles and five interceptions, five passes defended.
drafted Brown as 39th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft
. Brown was the only rookie to play in the 2000 season
’s opener, eventually becoming the team’s starting free safety for all sixteen games of the season. He recorded the second most tackles on the team that year and one interception that was returned for a touchdown. He received accolades from Pro Football Weekly
, Football News and Football Digest
, but lost the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award to teammate Brian Urlacher
. The following year, he had two memorable performances, during which he returned two interceptions for two consecutive overtime wins. The 2001 Bears
finished the season with a 13-3 record and one of the league’s most prominent defenses. Brown recorded a team leading five interceptions that year. However, the Philadelphia Eagles
defeated the team in the postseason’s second round.
Brown recorded three interceptions and 111 tackles in 2002, despite sustaining a hand injury during the off season. One of his most notable performances came when he returned a fumble for a 68-yard touchdown, following a fumble and lateral pass
from Rosevelt Colvin
. In addition to the return he had forced three fumbles that season. However, Brown only intercepted two passes during the 2003 season
, and tied for third among tackles on the team.
After sustaining an Achilles
injury in 2004, which forced him to miss the last 14 games, and a calf-injury in 2005 which made him miss the last four games of 2005, the Bears defense was noticeably less effective. Brown tried to play in a January 2006 Divisional Playoff game for the Bears against the Carolina Panthers
, but had to leave the game in the first quarter. The Panthers would go on to win the game, 29-21. During week six of the 2006 Chicago Bears season
, Brown suffered a Lisfranc fracture
. The ailment forced him to undergo surgery, and sent him to Bears' injured reserve
for the remainder of the season.
Brown is also noted by teammates and coaches for his on-field coaching ability. He made the NFL transitions much easier for his fellow safeties Chris Harris
and Danieal Manning
by making sure they were in the correct positions. Brian Urlacher often referred to him as the actual leader of the defense. Brown returned to the field during the 2007 season's mini-camp, making a recovery much earlier than expected. Brown recorded an interception during the 2007 season's opener against the San Diego Chargers
. However, he sustained a knee injury after Lorenzo Neal
horse-collar tackle
d him. Brown returned to the locker room, and emotionally stated that something in his knee did not feel right. Further medical examination confirmed that Brown would miss the remainder of the season.
Neal, who knew he was at fault immediately after the play, apologized to Brown and the media. Brian Urlacher
, one of Brown’s longtime teammates and friends, stated he was unsure whether Brown would attempt another comeback.
The Bears reached an agreement with Brown on a restructured contract on May 20, 2008. This deal protects Chicago if Brown gets hurt for the fourth time in his career. He will still make his annual $2.44 million, but only $950,000 of it is guaranteed for being on the Week 1 roster. The rest of the money can be based on playing time. If Brown gets injured in preseason, he gets just $320,000. Brown sustained a calf injury during the Bears' second-to-last game of the 2008 season, and was subsequently placed on the injury reserve. Brown was just one game away from completing his first full season in more than four years.
On February 14, 2009, the Chicago Bears announced that they would not offer a contract to Mike Brown. He then signed with the Kansas City Chiefs
on June 24. Brown started in all 16 games for the Chiefs, recording three interceptions and 79 tackles.
He is currently a free agent
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
safety that is a Free Agent in the NFL. He was originally selected with the eighth pick of the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
out of the University of Nebraska by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
High school career
Mike Brown graduated from Saguaro High SchoolSaguaro High School
Saguaro High School is a former A+ and Blue Ribbon Schools Program certified high schools of the Scottsdale Unified School District in Scottsdale, Arizona. Saguaro was opened in 1966....
in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1996, where he starred in both football and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
.
In football he was an All-State choice and ranked the top defensive back prospect in the country by SuperPrep, and named Arizona Player-of-the-Year by every major publication. Mike Brown was named the state's top running back and defensive back by The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic is a daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. It was ranked tenth in US daily newspapers by circulation in 2007.-Early years:The newspaper was founded...
, which was the first time in 10 years a player received both awards. Mike rushed for 2,036 yards (9.6 avg.) and 31 touchdowns as a senior.
In baseball he played center field and was an All-State choice as a senior, after batting .426, and posting 27 stolen bases.
College career
Brown enjoyed a stellar college career and is still considered by many fans and experts of Nebraska football to be the greatest strong safety in the modern history of the school. Brown played cornerback as a freshman before playing both safety positions in final three seasons. As a junior, he set Nebraska single-season record for tackles by a defensive back with a career-high 102 and was named to all-Big 12 first-team. Brown enjoyed his greatest season as senior in which he was first-team all-America selection by Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and Football Writers Association and a unanimous all-Big Twelve
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
first-team pick and academic all-American. He started every game and finished the year leading the Huskers with 96 tackles while adding two sacks, one fumble recovery, six forced fumbles and five interceptions, five passes defended.
Professional career
The Chicago BearsChicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
drafted Brown as 39th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
. Brown was the only rookie to play in the 2000 season
2000 Chicago Bears season
The 2000 Chicago Bears season was their 81st regular season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a disappointing 5-11 record under head coach Dick Jauron...
’s opener, eventually becoming the team’s starting free safety for all sixteen games of the season. He recorded the second most tackles on the team that year and one interception that was returned for a touchdown. He received accolades from Pro Football Weekly
Pro Football Weekly
Pro Football Weekly is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, that covers the National Football League...
, Football News and Football Digest
Football Digest
Football Digest was a sports magazine for fans interested in professional American football, with in-depth coverage of the National Football League...
, but lost the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award to teammate Brian Urlacher
Brian Urlacher
Brian Keith Urlacher is an American football player for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League . He attended the University of New Mexico, where he was one of the school's most decorated athletes. In addition to setting multiple university records, Urlacher earned consideration for the...
. The following year, he had two memorable performances, during which he returned two interceptions for two consecutive overtime wins. The 2001 Bears
2001 Chicago Bears season
The 2001 Chicago Bears season was their 82nd regular season and 23rd postseason completed in the National Football League. The club posted a surprising 13-3 record under head coach Dick Jauron en route to an NFC Central title and the number two seed in the NFC...
finished the season with a 13-3 record and one of the league’s most prominent defenses. Brown recorded a team leading five interceptions that year. However, the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
defeated the team in the postseason’s second round.
Brown recorded three interceptions and 111 tackles in 2002, despite sustaining a hand injury during the off season. One of his most notable performances came when he returned a fumble for a 68-yard touchdown, following a fumble and lateral pass
Lateral pass
In American football, a lateral pass or lateral, officially backward pass , occurs when the ball carrier throws the football to any teammate behind him or directly next to him...
from Rosevelt Colvin
Rosevelt Colvin
Rosevelt Colvin, III is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, he played college football at Purdue....
. In addition to the return he had forced three fumbles that season. However, Brown only intercepted two passes during the 2003 season
2003 Chicago Bears season
-Scoring Summary:Q1 - SF - 7:51 - Jeff Chandler 22 yd FG Q1 - SF - 3:23 - 12 yd TD pass from Jeff Garcia to Garrison Hearst Q2 - CHI - 12:05 - 3 yd TD pass from Kordell Stewart to Desmond Clark...
, and tied for third among tackles on the team.
After sustaining an Achilles
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
injury in 2004, which forced him to miss the last 14 games, and a calf-injury in 2005 which made him miss the last four games of 2005, the Bears defense was noticeably less effective. Brown tried to play in a January 2006 Divisional Playoff game for the Bears against the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
, but had to leave the game in the first quarter. The Panthers would go on to win the game, 29-21. During week six of the 2006 Chicago Bears season
2006 Chicago Bears season
The 2006 Chicago Bears season was their 87th regular season and 25th post-season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 13-3 regular season record, the best in the NFC, improving on their previous year’s record of 11-5...
, Brown suffered a Lisfranc fracture
Lisfranc fracture
The Lisfranc fracture is a fracture of the foot in which one or all of the metatarsals are displaced from the tarsus.It is named after 18th- and 19th-century surgeon and gynecologist Jacques Lisfranc de St. Martin.-Causes:...
. The ailment forced him to undergo surgery, and sent him to Bears' injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
for the remainder of the season.
Brown is also noted by teammates and coaches for his on-field coaching ability. He made the NFL transitions much easier for his fellow safeties Chris Harris
Chris Harris (football player)
For the Denver Broncos player of the same name, see Chris Harris Chris Harris is an American football safety for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League...
and Danieal Manning
Danieal Manning
Danieal Manning is a professional American football safety for the Houston Texans. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the 42nd pick in the 2006 NFL Draft from Abilene Christian University, which made him the first player from a non-Division I school to be selected that year...
by making sure they were in the correct positions. Brian Urlacher often referred to him as the actual leader of the defense. Brown returned to the field during the 2007 season's mini-camp, making a recovery much earlier than expected. Brown recorded an interception during the 2007 season's opener against the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. However, he sustained a knee injury after Lorenzo Neal
Lorenzo Neal
Lorenzo LaVonne Neal is an American football fullback who played in the NFL from 1993–2009. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL Draft...
horse-collar tackle
Horse-collar tackle
The horse-collar tackle is an American football or Canadian football maneuver in which a defender tackles another player by grabbing the back-inside of an opponent's shoulder pads. The technique is most closely associated with Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams...
d him. Brown returned to the locker room, and emotionally stated that something in his knee did not feel right. Further medical examination confirmed that Brown would miss the remainder of the season.
Neal, who knew he was at fault immediately after the play, apologized to Brown and the media. Brian Urlacher
Brian Urlacher
Brian Keith Urlacher is an American football player for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League . He attended the University of New Mexico, where he was one of the school's most decorated athletes. In addition to setting multiple university records, Urlacher earned consideration for the...
, one of Brown’s longtime teammates and friends, stated he was unsure whether Brown would attempt another comeback.
The Bears reached an agreement with Brown on a restructured contract on May 20, 2008. This deal protects Chicago if Brown gets hurt for the fourth time in his career. He will still make his annual $2.44 million, but only $950,000 of it is guaranteed for being on the Week 1 roster. The rest of the money can be based on playing time. If Brown gets injured in preseason, he gets just $320,000. Brown sustained a calf injury during the Bears' second-to-last game of the 2008 season, and was subsequently placed on the injury reserve. Brown was just one game away from completing his first full season in more than four years.
On February 14, 2009, the Chicago Bears announced that they would not offer a contract to Mike Brown. He then signed with the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
on June 24. Brown started in all 16 games for the Chiefs, recording three interceptions and 79 tackles.
He is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
.