Brown eyes label of playmaker

Patriots pick looks to shed tag of underachiever

May 15, 2007|Christopher L. Gasper, Globe Staff

Kareem Brown bristles at the word: "underachiever." He can't get around it, as if an offensive lineman were grabbing a fistful of his jersey.

The label doesn't make sense to Brown, a defensive lineman who was the second player selected by the Patriots in this year's draft, taken in the fourth round (No. 127 overall).

How could he be an underachiever?

He -- not first-round pick Brandon Meriweather -- was the University of Miami's 2006 Defensive Player of the Year after recording 11 sacks, the second-highest total by a defensive tackle in school history. We're talking about a school that has produced Warren Sapp, 1991 No. 1 overall pick Russell Maryland, and New England nose tackle Vince Wilfork. Still, it sticks to Brown like a piece of gum wedged on the bottom of a shoe.

"People make judgments, I just play football," said Brown during the Patriots' two-day rookie minicamp over the weekend, at which he worked at defensive end and nose tackle. "I guess some of the media people [started that] and I guess it echoes because once one person says it, then another person says it, then another person says it. I don't know where that comes from."

Part of it might be that, despite his prodigious talents, the 6-foot-4-inch, 290-pound Brown didn't become a full-time starter until his senior season. After finally fighting his way to the top of the depth chart, he lost his starting job three games into the season. After returning to the starting lineup against Duke, Brown notched 10 of his 11 sacks over the season's final six games. But his dominant play was a double-edged sword: It showed what he was capable of, but also begged for further examination of why it didn't happen sooner.

Former Miami head coach Larry Coker said he didn't think Brown underachieved in college but acknowledged that he has not fully tapped his potential.

"He can only get better," said Coker. "He has a thick body and he's a good athlete and he likes to play the game. He's willing to work and do whatever to get better and be a good professional player.

"I don't think he's maxed out at all. You don't find many guys like him that are big and physical and strong and move as well as he does. I think the Patriots got a good player there potentially."