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08-31-2005, 05:20 AM
MSNBC.com
Brown back again after elbow injury
The Associated Press
Updated: 6:22 p.m. ET Aug. 30, 2005
DENVER - The latest chapter of Courtney Brown's long list of comeback stories began Tuesday, when he returned to practice with the Denver Broncos.
"Everyone has obstacles, some more than others, some different types," said Brown, who missed 3 1/2 weeks with a dislocated elbow. "The injuries have been my obstacle."
Brown was the first pick of the 2000 draft, a can't-miss prospect from Penn State who figured to make an impact in the NFL right away. And indeed, he was good, amassing a team high 25 quarterback pressures and collecting 4 1/2 sacks during a rookie season in which he played every game.
Things haven't been the same since. He missed 11 games in 2001, five in 2002, three in 2003 and 14 last season. Injuries have come to his neck, knee, ankle and elsewhere. Finally, the Cleveland Browns decided to part ways and Brown came to Denver, where he is one of four former Cleveland linemen trying to make the team this season.
Brown's latest injury came as he was trying to strip the ball from Broncos tailback Tatum Bell during a practice. His left elbow got tangled and twisted in traffic. Brown could be heard screaming in pain for several minutes before he was taken off the field.
"I sat waiting to be X-rayed and looking for answers of, `why me?,' and I couldn't find any," Brown said. "I reasoned that it happened and it was up to me to recover and get back my strength."
He credited the Broncos staff and his own inner strength for getting him through his rehab program and back on the field.
"They wouldn't let me get down," he said.
While the rehab program kept him in playing shape, he isn't sure how much the injury has set him back from the other defensive linemen. Defensive coordinator Larry Coyer wouldn't speculate his availability for the season opener on Sept. 11 at Miami.
"We'll see," Coyer said. "All I can tell you is he is a fighter and we'll be working with him daily. He's due a break. He's going to get a break and he's going to have a great year."
If there was one good news to come out of the injury, Brown says it might be that "it didn't hurt my golf swing."
The first overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft was able to find one silver lining in his elbow injury.
"Of course, I wasn't much of a golfer before the injury," he conceded.
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
© 2005 MSNBC.com
URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9135018/
Brown back again after elbow injury
The Associated Press
Updated: 6:22 p.m. ET Aug. 30, 2005
DENVER - The latest chapter of Courtney Brown's long list of comeback stories began Tuesday, when he returned to practice with the Denver Broncos.
"Everyone has obstacles, some more than others, some different types," said Brown, who missed 3 1/2 weeks with a dislocated elbow. "The injuries have been my obstacle."
Brown was the first pick of the 2000 draft, a can't-miss prospect from Penn State who figured to make an impact in the NFL right away. And indeed, he was good, amassing a team high 25 quarterback pressures and collecting 4 1/2 sacks during a rookie season in which he played every game.
Things haven't been the same since. He missed 11 games in 2001, five in 2002, three in 2003 and 14 last season. Injuries have come to his neck, knee, ankle and elsewhere. Finally, the Cleveland Browns decided to part ways and Brown came to Denver, where he is one of four former Cleveland linemen trying to make the team this season.
Brown's latest injury came as he was trying to strip the ball from Broncos tailback Tatum Bell during a practice. His left elbow got tangled and twisted in traffic. Brown could be heard screaming in pain for several minutes before he was taken off the field.
"I sat waiting to be X-rayed and looking for answers of, `why me?,' and I couldn't find any," Brown said. "I reasoned that it happened and it was up to me to recover and get back my strength."
He credited the Broncos staff and his own inner strength for getting him through his rehab program and back on the field.
"They wouldn't let me get down," he said.
While the rehab program kept him in playing shape, he isn't sure how much the injury has set him back from the other defensive linemen. Defensive coordinator Larry Coyer wouldn't speculate his availability for the season opener on Sept. 11 at Miami.
"We'll see," Coyer said. "All I can tell you is he is a fighter and we'll be working with him daily. He's due a break. He's going to get a break and he's going to have a great year."
If there was one good news to come out of the injury, Brown says it might be that "it didn't hurt my golf swing."
The first overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft was able to find one silver lining in his elbow injury.
"Of course, I wasn't much of a golfer before the injury," he conceded.
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
© 2005 MSNBC.com
URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9135018/