Morgan's mark within Brown's grasp

``Who's this?"

``It's Stanley Morgan."

It was a nice hookup, which, of course, is nothing new to Morgan and Brown. When he played for the Patriots from 1977-89, Morgan totaled 534 receptions for 10,352 yards (19.4 average). The 534 catches remain a team record, although probably not for long. That's because the ageless Brown, now in his 14th season, is closing fast. He has 520 catches entering Sunday night's game against the Broncos.

Morgan and Brown have known each other for years, although neither expected to be speaking to each other on that particular day this past offseason. Turns out the stranger in the store had recognized Brown, and was also good friends with Morgan.

``It's a small world," said the 35-year-old Brown. ``Stanley wished me luck on the season and we talked about both of us being South Carolina kids, just small chitchat type of stuff. As for his record and possibly breaking it, I'm not even concerned about it."

In typical fashion, Brown actually seemed more concerned with touting Morgan for some national recognition.

``It surprises me that he's not at least getting consideration for the Hall of Fame," he said. ``You look at his numbers, what he put up, and they're outstanding. Then you compare them to other guys, someone like [Hall of Famer] Lynn Swann, and he didn't catch a ton of balls [336].

``Stanley had great numbers, and the catches he made were great. When you can post more than an 18-yard average throughout a long career, that's hard to do. I think he's at least deserving of Hall of Fame consideration. He was a phenomenal guy who could stretch the field."

Brown, of course, hasn't been too shabby, either. And this year, at a time when many 14-year veterans usually see their roles decrease, Brown's seems to be expanding -- and it's not because he's playing defensive back. In addition to being the team's emergency third quarterback this year, Brown also has become Tom Brady's security blanket on the outside, playing consistently in two-receiver sets for the first time in a few years.

Brown led the team with four catches for 51 yards in last Sunday's victory over the Jets, coming up with a key third-down conversion on the team's final drive. He added two receptions for 18 yards and one touchdown in the season-opening win over the Bills.