Ron Brown Tries to Take a Step Backward : Raiders: Former Ram receiver/kick returner will attempt to earn a spot as a cornerback, his position at Arizona State.
Raider owner Al Davis is fascinated by speed, the quality he prizes above all others in a football player.
“Early in my career, I let a guy go who became one of the great players in the league,” Davis said, declining to name the player. “I made a commitment that no one’s getting out of here if they can run.”
Which explains why Davis gambled by signing Ron Brown, a former Olympic sprinter, to a reported $1-million, four-year contract. Although Brown spent the first six years of his NFL career as a wide receiver with the Rams, the Raiders plan to convert him into a cornerback, the position he played during his first three years at Arizona State.
After catching a total of seven passes in the past two seasons with the Rams, who paid him $56,143 per reception based on his earnings of $393,000, Brown is attempting to revive his floundering career by moving from offense to defense, where the Raiders hope he can use his sprinter’s speed to the best advantage. Brown won the NFL’s fastest-man contest last May, beating Raider wide receiver Willie Gault.
“It’s an experiment in a sense for Ron Brown, but he was a defensive back for three years in college before he moved to wide receiver, so it’s not like he’s learning from scratch,” Raider Coach Art Shell said. “It’s more of a retraining and retooling.
“It’s like a swimmer. You never forget how to swim. He hasn’t forgotten how to backpedal.”
But playing defensive back requires more skill than just running fast backward. Brown must master the Raiders’ defensive coverages.
“It is a big adjustment,” Brown said. “You’re out there on an island as a defensive back. And there’s less glory. Being a receiver is more of a glory position than being a defensive back.
“It’ll be a challenge for me, but I’ve played both sides of the ball, so I know what receivers are thinking. But if I had it my way I’d play wide receiver. I really like (playing) wide receiver best, to be honest with you.”
What skills are required to move from receiver to defensive back?
“It takes a lot of speed to play cornerback for the Raiders, and Ron Brown has the speed,” said Willie Brown, who moved from tight end to cornerback and was elected to the Hall of Fame. “But your temperament has to change to play defensive back. You’ve got to be a little tougher and have that killer instinct. You’ve got to be willing not to be a gentleman anymore. Receivers tend to be a little soft because it’s not one of the toughest positions on the football field.
“In my opinion, he can be a good cornerback because he does have the speed and the experience in the pros to do it. If he didn’t have the experience in the pros, it would take longer for him to learn the position. He has a lot of things on his side that I didn’t have when I first came in.”
The Raiders are willing to gamble on Brown, who earned a gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Games as a member of the United States’ 400-meter relay team.
Brown’s NFL career began with much fanfare when he signed a four-year contract with the Rams four days after the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where he finished fourth in the 100-meter dash.
Despite his speed, Brown failed to reach his potential on the football field, where he was hampered by injuries. He never caught more than 26 passes in a season.
Brown fumbled two kickoff returns in consecutive games last season, one of which when the Rams blew a 17-point lead during a 30-27 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in a Monday night game.
“The way I play the game is going to be a lot different than a lot of guys,” Brown said. “My forte is my speed and my quickness. I like to get the ball and go. And a lot of times, guys that play the position like I play it with my kind of speed will drop a few because you’ll go before you actually catch it.”
After failing to reach agreement with the Rams on a new contract, Brown retired before the 1988 season to attempt an Olympic comeback, saying he was finished with football at 27.
Left with nowhere to run after failing to make the Olympic team, he returned to the Rams midway through the 1988 season at a substantial pay cut. Brown, who earned $200,000 in 1988, made just $123,000 for playing in nine games. He was unproductive, however, catching only two passes.
Re-signed to a one-year contract worth $270,000 last season, Brown found himself behind Henry Ellard, Flipper Anderson and Aaron Cox, catching five passes.
Brown signed with the Raiders as a Plan B free agent in March after being left unprotected by the Rams. Yet, Brown bears no grudge against the Rams.
“I really can’t say anything negative about the Rams,” Brown said. “I think they’re a class organization. I really do. Coach (John) Robinson is an excellent guy, and (assistant coaches) Ernie Zampese and Norval Turner are excellent. And Georgia Frontiere was the best to me. I feel they gave me the opportunity to start my business (car dealership) and put my mother and sister through law school.”
Raider Notes
Quarterbacks Jay Schroeder and Steve Beuerlein and tight end Ethan Horton are supposed to arrive in camp today. Although Schroeder and Beuerlein remain unsigned, the Raiders hope to reach a quick agreement with each. “We’re working on it and we think we’re pretty close,” said Steve Ortmayer, director of football operations. . . . Lyle Alzado’s comeback update: The 41-year-old defensive end missed practice for the second consecutive day because of a strained right calf. “We’re going to take it easy with him for the rest of the time until the veterans get here (on Friday),” Coach Art Shell said. “We’re going to let him rest up. He doesn’t have to prove anything.” . . . Are the Raiders interested in signing linebacker Brian Bosworth, who was waived by the Seattle Seahawks after failing his physical? “Not right now,” Shell said. “We’re trying to look at the people we have in camp. That’s not to say down the road we might not take a look. But right now I’d say no.”