Thursday, May 11, 2006

Now Here's a Player, Not a Whiner

Unlike the case of the wide receiver who was "disrespected" in Green Bay and threatened hold outs and retirement while still having two years left on his contract, the Packers now have someone in camp that is glad to be there, and you just have to root for him. OK, they actually have quite a few players like that and are blessed in that regard. But undrafted free agent signee Ben Brown is the latest addition to that roster...literally.

Brown is a 6-foot-1, 246-pound fullback from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan. Where? Doesn't matter. Brown is apparently one of those hidden gems that college scouting director, John Dorsey, occasionally finds among the 1,000 tapes he sifts through during the course of a year. While recruited by the likes of UCLA and Fresno State, Brown wound up having to go the junior college route for academic purposes. Then he had to quit for three years after the birth of his daughter and the need to support his new family. He was finally able to get back to the game he loved. He found a spot at Tabor College. The coach there says that he easily could have racked up quite a few yards as a tailback. Instead, the team needed a fullback. And Brown wanted to do whatever he could to help the team win. (What a concept! Football is a TEAM sport! How did that unnamed WR miss that part of the idea? Hmmm...)

Anyway, Dorsey liked what he saw on tape and in an on-campus visit. And the Pack was pleased enough with what they saw at their first minicamp to sign Brown and see what he can do in the next camp.

A great story, not unlike that of Samkon Gado. Nice that the Packers seem to have more of these kinds of players than...uh...what was that receiver's name again?

Anyway, you can read more about Brown here. Check it out.