Druley: St. Charles North grad Brown’s 2nd stint with Vikings fruitful

Patrick Brown spent most of the NFL season protecting Minnesota Vikings placekicker Ryan Longwell from would-be field-goal blockers.

When it came time to provide then-Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb with the same shield, the St. Charles North alum blinked only because it was natural.

Brown’s most extensive – and visible – action of 2011 came during the second half of a Week 6 loss to the Bears at Soldier Field, as he filled in for injured starting right tackle Phil Loadholt. A few fourth-quarter snaps in Kansas City two weeks earlier eased the transition, but Brown believes his long history on professional practice squads would have made him ready regardless. The venue was simply icing on the cake.

“After the nerves went out and I was in for the first couple snaps, I stopped and looked around for a minute,” Brown said. “It wasn’t really star-struck, it was just more surreal. To know that a place I grew up going to, grew up watching on TV, that I’m there.”

Lambeau Field, the Georgia Dome, Arrowhead Stadium and, of course, the Vikings’ Mall of America Field at the Metrodome were among the other stadiums that saw Brown’s shadow this season. His second stint with Minnesota proved to be his most fruitful time in the NFL to date.

The first NCAA Division I signee in North Stars football history, the Central Florida product went undrafted in the spring of 2009 before spending time with three teams that season. Brown advanced to the final round of cuts in the Carolina Panthers’ training camp, signed with the New England Patriots one day after being waived and then landed with the Vikings in late September.

Brown felt he had found a home in Minnesota, but was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets as training camp ended in September 2010. He spent three weeks with the Jets and six more with the Miami Dolphins when the waiver wire beckoned again. So did the Vikings; a season-ending injury to guard Anthony Herrera paved the way for a return in mid-November.

Though Brown did not appear in any games down the stretch, his elevation from the practice squad to the 53-man roster reinforced his work ethic while steeling his self-confidence.

“With being older and knowing how to operate, you’re out there and you feel like you can handle it,” Brown said. “You can handle it whenever they need you.”

Like the rest of his NFL brethren, Brown wasn’t certain when that would be during the lockout that opened the 2011 league year. Given the restrictions on sanctioned workouts and the use of team facilities, the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Brown returned to Central Florida to stay in shape.

Former coaches welcomed the presence of an NFL player on campus, and Brown embraced a lifestyle that made it easy to focus on the weight room.

“It was a free place to work out and all you had to do was pay rent,” he said, “so it worked out fine for me.”

A 2011 season that included full participation on the kickoff and field goal teams – first-year special teams coach Mike Priefer favored more offensive linemen on both units – fit the same bill.

Brown plans to take January off to get refreshed before returning to Minnesota, where he’ll have full reign of the Vikings’ practice facility throughout the offseason. He was set to get a jump start on a month of relaxation when he traveled to watch younger brother Ryan play in Northern Illinois’ GoDaddy.com Bowl victory against Arkansas State on Sunday.

The Brown brothers are swing tackles. They’re capable of playing on both sides off the offensive line to hedge against potential injuries or emergencies.

On the heels of the Vikings’ 3-13 season, Patrick Brown hopes he and his teammates are equally resilient.

“We have a good attitude on the team right now,” he said. “Obviously, we need to fix the mistakes because that’s what killed us. But I’d say for 99 percent of the time, we kept going, kept motoring through. There’s a lot of guys who care and work hard, so I think we’re going to see a lot of success next year.”

For now, Brown knows one thing: it’s much easier to feel like part of the rebuilding effort when you’re seeing the field every Sunday. He won’t forget his practice squad past, but he’d just as soon not re-acquaint himself, either.

• Kevin Druley is a sportswriter for the Kane County Chronicle. He can be reached at 630-845-5347 or kdruley@shawmedia.com.