{"id":1641,"date":"2009-04-23T20:26:28","date_gmt":"2009-04-24T01:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pauleide.com\/?p=1641"},"modified":"2020-10-03T19:58:40","modified_gmt":"2020-10-04T00:58:40","slug":"2009-nfl-draft-interview-with-indianapolis-colts-running-back-donald-brown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/i80sportsblog.com\/2009-nfl-draft-interview-with-indianapolis-colts-running-back-donald-brown\/","title":{"rendered":"2009 NFL Draft Interview with Indianapolis Colts Running Back Donald Brown"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Donald+Brown+Indianapolis+Colts+Interview\"

Pssst! Want to know a secret with less than 72 hours before the NFL Draft? Donald\u00a0Brown is the best running back available.<\/p>\n

Chris Wells and Knowshon Moreno, who have thus far been pegged as the two \u201ccan\u2019t\u00a0miss\u201d RB\u2019s in this draft and are considered by most to be #1 and #2 running backs\u00a0available, benefit from coming out of two of the \u201cpower conferences\u201d. But hasn\u2019t history indicated time and time again\u00a0that this is at the very least a false assumption?<\/p>\n

The running back position, especially in terms of the NFL Draft is a fickle mistress. For\u00a0every first rounder like Adrian Peterson, there are five Kijana Carters, Curtis Enis\u2019,\u00a0Rashaan Salaam\u2019s, Lawrence Phillips\u2019 or \u201cinsert your favorite teams notable draft bust\u00a0RB here\u201d who also came from \u201cpower conferences.\u201d<\/p>\n

But somewhere on the eastern seaboard, Donald Brown sits and doesn\u2019t read too much\u00a0into anything he hears.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts pretty much all hearsay right now just like it has been since\u00a0the beginning,\u201d said Brown about his potential draft stock. \u00a0\u201cSo much can change from\u00a0now to the draft; if a team who needs an RB makes a trade right now everything changes.\u00a0So it\u2019s just a lot of hearsay until it actually happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown is a player who excels in all aspects of the running back position and doesn\u2019t have\u00a0a singular weakness the way Wells (isn\u2019t durable enough) or Moreno (isn\u2019t strong\u00a0enough) do. The critics say Brown lacks the break away speed necessary for a starting\u00a0NFL back but he ran a faster time in the 40 (4.51) than did\u00a0Wells (4.59) or Moreno (4.62) at the NFL Combine.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a matter of relaxing and going out there and running,\u201d said Brown about running\u00a0the 40-yard dash at the pressure cooker that is the NFL Combine. \u201cYou run the 40 so many times,\u00a0you just try to go out there, have fun, and remember why you are there. A lot of this stuff\u00a0doesn\u2019t matter. It doesn\u2019t matter how fast you can run 40 yards in a straight line. That\u2019s\u00a0irrelevant; you never see that in a game.\u201d<\/p>\n

So now that that\u2019s out of the way as a plausible reason for why Brown isn\u2019t getting the\u00a0respect he deserves, what else can it be? How about the level of competition.<\/p>\n

Brown, playing in the Big East conference as a junior, led the entire NCAA in rushing\u00a0yards in 2008 averaging over 160 yards per game for a total of 2,083 yards while scoring\u00a018 TD\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The sad thing about Brown\u2019s case, or the NCAA in general, is that if a player\u00a0doesn\u2019t come from one of the big name conferences, their accomplishments are seen\u00a0as invalid or less credible at the very least. \u00a0But Brown has flown under the radar for so\u00a0long he isn\u2019t about to start worrying about it now.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can play ball, you can play ball. I\u00a0take everything with a grain of salt and definitely do not worry about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown\u2019s low key demeanor and \u201ctake it as it comes attitude\u201d explains his transition from a\u00a0back-up to stud in his third year. In his first two years at UConn, he split time\u00a0with other RB\u2019s, but Brown averaged almost 860 yards, 5.2 yards a carry per year\u00a0and scored 17 total TD\u2019s. In 2008 when a preseason injury to back field mate Andre\u00a0Dixon meant Brown would be carrying the load himself, he responded. Brown took\u00a0double the amount of carries in 2008 as he did in 2007 and his ypc averaged actually\u00a0increased by almost a full yard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe success I had this season was due to all the work I put in the weight room, and just\u00a0being able to produce when I was asked to was an extension of all that preparation and\u00a0the fact I had a great offensive line in front of me,\u201d said Brown. \u201cThe most enjoyment I get\u00a0doesn\u2019t come from all of that, or leading the country in rushing. It comes from winning; it\u2019s\u00a0the most enjoyment I get and the reason we all play this game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sure that\u2019s the prototypical answer given by any potential first round pick in the days\u00a0leading up to the draft, but the difference is that when Brown says it you believe it. You get\u00a0the feeling that he is a great example of a guy who worked hard, even when it didn\u2019t seem\u00a0like it would amount to much, but did it anyway and is now reaping the benefits.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see the light at the end of the tunnel,\u201d says Brown about the mere hours that remain\u00a0between him and the Draft. \u201cIt seemed like a long way away when I first started preparing\u00a0for the draft, but here it is. It\u2019s good to take a step back and think about everything but\u00a0rookie mini-camp which is a week after the draft. But for now I\u2019m satisfied the way\u00a0everything went.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the last week, Brown has seen his stock rise considerably and may be the fastest\u00a0riser of all available prospects. From being projected as a possible late round pick at the\u00a0end of the season, he is now viewed as at least a late first round selection.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s funny to just \u00a0be relaxing, flip on the TV and see yourself or hear about your draft\u00a0stock,\u201d said Brown. \u201cI remember watching TV the other day and the ticker popped up at\u00a0the bottom and it said \u2018Going to the Patriots; Donald Brown.\u2019 It made me laugh because it\u00a0changes every day and it\u2019s funny. You can\u2019t really avoid it either because it\u2019s everywhere\u00a0you look.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what has spurred that transition?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a long journey with a lot of hard work, and I just think everything is falling into\u00a0place right now,\u201d said Brown. \u201cIt\u2019s obviously good that they are talking about you in a\u00a0positive way, but I don\u2019t buy into all the Mock Drafts. It changes every day and if you really\u00a0follow it you will drive yourself crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now though, after literally years and months of preparation and with the Draft closer than\u00a0ever, it\u2019s finally reached the simplest of stages. \u201cRight now it\u2019s just a waiting process you\u00a0don\u2019t have anything else to prepare for,\u201d said Brown. \u201cJust watch the draft and wait for\u00a0your name to be called.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here, read these:<\/p>\n