A big part of his problem was circumstance. Brown spent the early part of his career as a standout kick returner, who never caught more than 49 passes during his first five seasons. When he blossomed into a Pro Bowl receiver in 1994, the Raiders were well on their way to becoming the most dysfunctional franchise in sports. Everything he did during those years hardly mattered; his best games often came in defeat. Even when the Raiders developed into a championship-caliber team in the twilight of Brown's career, the football gods seemed determined to dim his thunder. It was during that time that Rice, the greatest receiver in NFL history, signed on with the Raiders in hopes of showcasing what skills he had left.
The sad part of all this is that many people never realized how masterful Brown was at his job. He was a crafty possession receiver, one who worked the middle of the field with the grace of a tap dancer. He'd slither into the slightest cracks in coverage, shake a little after the catch, and gain five or six more yards before hitting the turf. That's how Brown operated for most of his career, with nerve and guile as the underneath guy whom defenders rarely rattled.
Word. Late in his career, Brown garnered a somewhat-deserved reputation as someone who was always whining to the refs, but the fact is, he was usually right, and it rarely mattered anyway -- anyone who doesn't think the NFL has it in for Al Davis should take a look at the Raiders' strength of schedule every year, whether or not they made the playoffs the previous year. Or the selective application of the "tuck rule". Haven't heard tell of that one since the Snow Bowl, have ya?
(Example on strength of schedule: they finished 5-11 last year, near the bottom of the league. They start the NFL season off with a Thursday night game at Foxboro Stadium. Their overall strength of schedule is 9th, but four of the higher teams are the AFC East, in which reside the Super Bowl champion Patriots.)
Anyway, Tim Brown was the quintessential Raider receiver, in the tradition of Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch -- tough, smart, not big but big enough to get the job done, not super fast but fast enough to get where he needed to be. Timing is what it's all about. I was fortunate enough to see him play in person three times, including their return game to Oakland, and it was always a thrill.
Like the Raiders themselves, even in a losing effort, Brown was never dull to watch. Like Dan Marino, he'll always have it hanging over him that he never won the big game. But the numbers tell a fuller story, of a man that led his team even though he and Al Davis didn't get along much of the time (and by the way, real classy of Davis to blow off the retirement ceremony altogether), and even though he didn't see eye-to-eye with the coaches all the time.
I'll always think it was a shame that Brown wasn't used nearly enough in his lone lamentable Super Bowl game, in 2002, but that's on the execrable coaching of Bill Callahan, not on Brown.
At any rate, thanks for the memories, Tim. It's been fun.
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