Eagles rookie Bryce Brown prepares for first NFL start
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| Running back Bryce Brown likely will start for the Eagles against the Panthers on Monday night. (US Presswire) |
The last time running back Bryce Brown started a game, or even played a significant role in one, was back when he played for Wichita East High in Kansas.
Now, four years later and 11 games into his rookie season, Brown will get a chance to carry the ball -- and the load -- when the Philadelphia Eagles play the Carolina Panthers on Monday night.
It appears starter LeSean McCoy will miss the game with a concussion -- McCoy didn't practice on Wednesday and coach Andy Reid said McCoy still is in Phase 1 of the recovery process.
Reid didn't rule McCoy for Monday, but the writing is on the locker room wall and Brown can read it.
“I'm excited about this opportunity to get a lot more carries and be more involved in the game,'' Brown said on Wednesday. “I've waited a long time for this and, believe me, I'll be ready.”
Brown's road less traveled to the NFL started after he graduated from Wichita East and accepted a scholarship to Tennessee. He carried the ball 101 times for 460 yards as a freshman, but he left Tennessee when Volunteers coach Lane Kiffin took the job at Southern Cal.
Brown transferred to Kansas State and had to sit out a year, and then he injured an ankle early in the 2011 season and played in just one game before leaving the program.
But Brown attended Kansas State's pro day and made a good impression on the Eagles, who selected him in the seventh round of April's draft. And Brown played well enough in training camp and the preseason to leap over second-year man Dion Lewis to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.
So far, he's carried the ball 32 times for 144 yards, an average of 4.4 yards per rush.
And now he's primed for his first NFL start. When asked what it felt like to be so involved after so many years, Brown smiled and shook his head before answering.
“It's pretty amazing, really,'' he said. “I mean, think about it. I didn't know if I'd get drafted and then I didn't know if I'd make the team and then I didn't know whether I'd ever get a chance to play, and here I am preparing to start a game in the NFL.
“The real key, though, is that even though I didn't know if this opportunity would ever come, I made sure I was prepared, just in case. And now it looks like that approach is going to finally pay off for me.”
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Philadelphia Eagles from blogger Kevin Noonan, follow @CBSEagles.
Now, four years later and 11 games into his rookie season, Brown will get a chance to carry the ball -- and the load -- when the Philadelphia Eagles play the Carolina Panthers on Monday night.
It appears starter LeSean McCoy will miss the game with a concussion -- McCoy didn't practice on Wednesday and coach Andy Reid said McCoy still is in Phase 1 of the recovery process.
Reid didn't rule McCoy for Monday, but the writing is on the locker room wall and Brown can read it.
“I'm excited about this opportunity to get a lot more carries and be more involved in the game,'' Brown said on Wednesday. “I've waited a long time for this and, believe me, I'll be ready.”
Brown's road less traveled to the NFL started after he graduated from Wichita East and accepted a scholarship to Tennessee. He carried the ball 101 times for 460 yards as a freshman, but he left Tennessee when Volunteers coach Lane Kiffin took the job at Southern Cal.
Brown transferred to Kansas State and had to sit out a year, and then he injured an ankle early in the 2011 season and played in just one game before leaving the program.
But Brown attended Kansas State's pro day and made a good impression on the Eagles, who selected him in the seventh round of April's draft. And Brown played well enough in training camp and the preseason to leap over second-year man Dion Lewis to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.
So far, he's carried the ball 32 times for 144 yards, an average of 4.4 yards per rush.
And now he's primed for his first NFL start. When asked what it felt like to be so involved after so many years, Brown smiled and shook his head before answering.
“It's pretty amazing, really,'' he said. “I mean, think about it. I didn't know if I'd get drafted and then I didn't know if I'd make the team and then I didn't know whether I'd ever get a chance to play, and here I am preparing to start a game in the NFL.
“The real key, though, is that even though I didn't know if this opportunity would ever come, I made sure I was prepared, just in case. And now it looks like that approach is going to finally pay off for me.”
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Philadelphia Eagles from blogger Kevin Noonan, follow @CBSEagles.
