The more you listen to Brown -- and you have to listen carefully because he is soft-spoken -- the more you understand why General Manager Tom Heckert brought him to the Browns.
View full sizeBrowns cornerback Sheldon Brown breaks up a pass against the Rams on Saturday. BEREA, Ohio — Cornerback Sheldon Brown wasn't a flashy pickup for the Browns this year, which is fitting because he doesn't play the game -- or talk the game -- that way.
"I learned years ago from my high school coach, 'Always act like you've been there,' " Brown said. "You shouldn't be surprised to make a play. You should be expected to. That's the way I play the game."
So when others at his position may celebrate routine stops, Brown is undemonstrative. He lines up for the next play and the next play after that. Year after year, he answered the bell for the Philadelphia Eagles. He brought to Cleveland a streak of 128 consecutive games played -- starting at cornerback in 95 of his past 96 games.
That is eight years of never missing a game. And to fully appreciate that reliability, you have to examine the way Brown plays his position. "I played safety my first year at [South Carolina]," Brown said, explaining his penchant for delivering punishing tackles.
"That's all I've been known for my whole career. I wore 39 [normally reserved for a safety] as a rookie. On special teams, I would hit. And when I got in on the dime package, I would hit."
The more you listen to Brown -- and you have to listen carefully because he is soft-spoken -- the more you understand why former Eagles General Manager Tom Heckert brought him to the Browns. He is a role model for the young players in the secondary.
"Sometimes [cornerbacks] get caught up in the interception numbers," Brown said. "One of the guys I admired coming up was Troy Vincent, who taught me the game in Philly. He was an all-around corner. He would come up and tackle, plus get interceptions. In today's game, Charles Woodson is a guy I study and like a lot because he does it all. He's not a guy who just lives off interceptions."
Brown has quietly taken on the role of mentor to rookie cornerback Joe Haden and rookie safety T.J. Ward.
"He just talks about that when you put on the film, you want to stand out," Ward said. "You want teams to notice your physicality on film. You don't even have to say anything on the field. Your performance speaks for itself. That's part of the intimidation process."
Haden said: "He just told me basically when he gets the opportunity to hit somebody, he makes sure he does it because everybody sees it on film and you don't want to mess with that. He doesn't do too much talking on the field."
Brown doesn't just talk a good game. In Green Bay, he knocked Packers running back Ryan Grant out of the game with a mean hit to his ear hole. Against St. Louis, he leveled 264-pound tight end Michael Hoomanawanui to the ground after a catch.
"I think there are a lot of sure-tackling corners, but to make a statement, it takes some courage to do it," Brown said. "My thing is, too, I have to teach the young guys how the game is supposed to be played. It's only right I do that because that's how they taught me -- guys like Troy, Bobby Taylor, Brian Dawkins."
Those players were starters when the Eagles made three defensive backs their first three picks in the 2002 draft. Cornerback Lito Sheppard was first, followed by safety Michael Lewis and Brown in the second round. Brown can't help but notice Heckert following that strategy in Cleveland.
"It tells you the importance of a secondary and having guys coming up through the ranks together, and communicating, and playing with one another," Brown said.
"T.J. and Joe are going to be great football players. They are probably ahead of the learning curve now than when I was a rookie. I was on dime and special teams my first year. Lito didn't dress his first six or seven games as a rookie."
Tackling was the bane of the Browns' defense a year ago, and has been for some time. Most associate missed tackles with the front seven, but the secondary is the last line of defense and that is where the Browns failed the most.
"Sometimes you look at a defense and you find a corner who won't tackle and you run at him and make sure he's got to be the one to make the decision as to whether or not he wants to tackle," coach Eric Mangini said. "Sheldon's been consistent in that area. That's a real positive outside all the other things he's done.
"With DBs, the three things you look for are: can they play man-to-man, can they play in the deep part of the field and can they tackle? If any one of those are deficient, then they're not necessarily a complete player."
In that regard, Brown may be the consummate cornerback. And you have to go back a long time since the Browns had one of those.