Brown Is Gone But Is This Really It?

It was just a matter of time until this news broke. Last week it was Ty Law and today its Troy Brown. If I were Teddy Johnson, I wouldn't buy a new house in Boston just yet.

Well, the Patriots made it final yesterday - Troy Brown has been released and is now free to seek out greener pastures. Was this piece of news a surprise? Absolutely not! Troy Brown was due to receive a $2.5 million dollar roster bonus in coming weeks and there was no way the Patriots were going to cut this check. When you add in his salary, Brown was set to carry a five million dollar charge against the Pats 05 salary cap. The Pats simply had no option but to release Troy at those numbers. You just can't fork over five million dollars for a guy who catches 40 balls a year, regardless of whether he plays some nickel back. Unfortunately, this is how professional football works. Its all about money. As much as teams speak about loyalty, it becomes secondary when big cap charges are at stake

I am going to be the first to admit that I will be sorry to see number 80 go. He has been a tremendous contributor during the Pats Dynastic run and his presence will be missed. Brown was not a flashy guy, but he was about as clutch a receiver as this franchise has ever had. Moreover, Brown always seemed to play big in the playoffs. You want examples? How about the punt return against Pittsburgh in the 2001 AFC Championship. That touchdown was a game changing moment and it went a long way towards propelling the Pats to the Super Bowl. And once that team made the Super Bowl, Brown made the big catch over the middle that allowed Vinaterri to kick the game winner. The same thing happened in Super Bowl 38 when Brown made an impossible catch to keep the Pats game winning drive alive against the Panthers. If Brown drops that ball, the Pats are going into overtime with no momentum and a devastated secondary. In other words, if Brown drops that ball, the Patriots probably lose that game.

Troy Brown is a free man today, but I am not quite ready to write his New England eulogy just yet. While he and the Pats couldn't work things out this week, I am not so sure Brown won't be back in a few weeks. I can't see there being a ton of demand for his services and I think he will soon realize that he is not going to get rich on the open market. Once this realization sets in, I think its likely that he will give the Pats a shout. And given the fact that some important locker room contributors like Pfeiffer and Bruschi may not be back next year, I think the Pats would love to have the well-liked Brown back at the right price. At the end of the day, I suspect that Troy does not want to play out the string in Cincy or Minnesota or Seattle. He has always been a Patriot and I think he ultimately will retire as a Patriot. If I am wrong, I bid Brown a fond farewell. He was the consummate professional and his hands will be missed when the team needs a big fourth quarter first down.