Troy Brown Knew Pats Had It All Along

"Maybe I started to get a little worried when they were down by two scores," former New England Patriots jack-of-all-trades Troy Brown told FanHouse about his former mates, "But I never thought they were going to lose."

That's a lot of confidence to have in a team that trailed 24-13 with 5:32 remaining in the game, but Brown has reason to believe. He won three Super Bowl rings during his 15-year career in New England. Brown was in-house Monday night for the Bills-Patriots game to be honored with several former teammates at halftime as part of the Patriots' All-Time Team.

He's also looking to promote a charitable venture he's helping Tom Brady with.

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In conjunction with SmartWater, Tom Brady is running the "Zero Sack Give Back" this season. For every game he plays without taking a sack, $5,000 will be donated to the Boston Centers for Youth & Family. Brown is lending a hand to his pal to spread the word, because he strongly believes in the cause.

The BCYF provides myriad things to less fortunate youth around the Boston area. They have summer camps and after-school programs, award scholarships, provide sporting equipment where needed and many, many other worthwhile causes. There are currently 46 community centers in the metropolitan area. The BCYF enhances the quality of life for these youth and promotes a healthy, active lifestyle.

"It's always easier to throw touchdown passes from my feet than it is from my back, so I like to avoid getting sacked whenever possible," Brady said. "But this year, in addition to helping the team, staying upright will help a great organization like BCYF. Pursuing an active and healthy lifestyle is a cause I feel strongly about, so I'm excited to partner with SmartWater on this great program."

Brown also added that he, along with Brady and a few others, are -- in a good-natured way, of course -- giving the business to the offensive line and putting pressure on them to help with the cause by keeping guys out of the backfield.

Things didn't quite work out charity-wise on Monday night, as Brady was sacked by Aaron Schobel late in the first quarter. In fact, nothing really worked well for 3 1/2 quarters for the Patriots. Some would attribute their overall struggles to the fact that it was Brady's first regular-season game back on the field since tearing his ACL during Week 1 last season.

"I actually thought the whole team was rusty (not just Brady)," Brown said. "There were things happening that normally don't. Passes being dropped ... Wes (Welker) dropped one ... Randy (Moss) dropped one ... even Kevin Faulk, which I couldn't believe, dropped one."

Brown did also give credit to the Buffalo Bills for showing up and playing a great game in a raucous atmosphere.

"They had the big T.O. addition. They were playing on the big stage and were obviously excited about the opportunity," Brown said.

"They had a good chance to show everyone on national TV they are better than people are giving them credit for," he went on. "If they continue to play like they did for the first three quarters, they have a shot at being a strong team."

Some other notes from the conversation with Brown:

• He emphatically believes Tedy Bruschi should be in the Hall of Fame, once he becomes eligible. "It's about a lot more than just numbers," Brown said, in defense of his former teammate. While remaining professional and respectful, it was evident Brown didn't think the writers who vote for the Hall of Fame can always fully appreciate the job someone does from the press box. He also brought up how much smaller Bruschi is than many other linebackers.

• His story about getting moved over to defense from wideout earlier this decade was interesting. It all started as a joke between Brown and Ty Law on switching positions. They talked about it so much, Eric Mangini -- the Patriots' defensive backs coach at the time -- began to show an interest. "He'd say, 'are you serious? I'll tell Bill (Belichick),' " Brown said with a chuckle. All of a sudden, one day, Mangini dropped the defensive playbook on Brown fifteen minutes before practice and told him to cram. Brown admitted the first few days didn't work out so well, but when injury strife hit the Patriots' secondary, they turned to him. It happened to be in St. Louis, where "The Greatest Show on Turf" played. "I definitely would have been more comfortable at home on grass. Those guys were so fast on that turf, but I think I did OK," Brown said. I'd say he was more than OK. The receiver-turned-defensive back intercepted three passes in 12 games during 2004.

• I asked him what he was most proud of, and he immediately said it was being on a team who went to -- and won -- multiple Super Bowls. I was actually talking about what made him individually proud, so I pressed him on that. The only thing he would say about himself is that he was proud to earn the respect of peers. He didn't even mention the fact that he went from an eighth-round draft pick to a Pro Bowl receiver, his 557 career catches, 6,366 yards or 35 total touchdowns. Which makes sense. Whether it's playing out of position, helping Brady promote a charitable venture or answering questions about himself, Troy Brown continues to show he's a classy, selfless team player.