FOXBORO, Mass. — Brandon Browner doesn’t only bring size, speed, length and versatility to the New England Patriots’ defense. He also adds a much-needed edge.
Browner, at 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds, is the biggest cornerback in the NFL, and he plays like it, laying the lumber on wide receivers, tight ends, running backs — and pretty much anyone else who gets in his way. He’s the only corner who can disrupt a pass and cause a breakup just by landing on a receiver.
Fellow cornerback Darrelle Revis described Browner as the defense’s “Energizer Bunny” on Sunday after the Patriots trounced the Denver Broncos 43-21. Browner said he’s drawing inspiration from Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
“I’m just trying to be that attitude. I’m just trying to spark a flame in the guys by the way I play, because I know that goes a long way,” Browner said Tuesday in the Patriots’ locker room. “Just like when I’m on the sideline, and I watch Gronk make a big play and he spikes the ball, I feel that energy. I’m just trying to be that guy on the defensive side of the ball.”
Luckily for the Patriots, there’s only one player like Browner in the NFL, and he has proven his worth this season by limiting opposing players who slightly resemble Gronkowski. Browner had success in Week 8 against Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett, and he helped limit the Broncos’ Julius Thomas to just two catches for 33 yards and one touchdown (let up by safety Patrick Chung).
“It’s a fun challenge for me,” Browner said. “It’s actually a lot easier for me for the simple fact that these guys are big targets, and they’re not as quick and as agile as some of these 5-10, 180-pound guys. Therefore, they’re a bigger target for me to put my hands on, because my game is — I put hands on as much as possible at the line of scrimmage to slow down the timing between the wide receiver and quarterback.”
Browner’s assignment against Thomas had him lining up all over the field, from cornerback to the slot, safety and even a hybrid-linebacker role, where he hasn’t played since Pop Warner.
“Yeah, I actually had about 10 to 15 snaps inside the box with my hands on my knees looking like a linebacker, so it was actually fun for me,” Browner said.
Browner’s main role will be to cover big outside receivers, however, and he has some unique challenges in the upcoming weeks, facing the Indianapolis Colts’ Hakeem Nicks, Detroit Lions’ Calvin Johnson and Green Bay Packers’ Jordy Nelson.
“I kind of understood that’s what the deal was going to be when I got here, and I saw it on the schedule,” Browner said. “We face some pretty big guys, and that was my mindset coming in here, to show these guys that I’m the guy to match up against the big guys. That was my mindset from Day 1.”
Photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
