Jerome Brown...Has it Really Been 20 Years?
I don't think that I have ever been as emotionally affected by an athlete's death like I was when Brown died 20 years ago today. I still remember where I was when the news came over the radio (WIP and I think Eskin delivered it although I am not sure). I was in my car driving to the store and I honestly remember holding back the tears (I couldn't let my wife see me crying over the death of a man I did not know personally) and not just for Brown but also for his 12 year old nephew that also died in that tragic accident. I remember not being overly fond of Brown when reading of how he led his Hurricane teammates on a walkout at a Fiesta Bowl dinner with Penn State players. The fondness grew after he was drafted by the Eagles and helped that defense become one of the best the NFL saw in the late eighties and early nineties (if not the best). We'll never know if Brown would have kept up his dominance or how long he would have played had he not passed but all Eagle fans certainly know that for 5 short years we saw a special player. Here's hoping you are resting in peace, Jerome!
45 Comments:
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Losing Jerome was really more than just losing the man himself. That was the end of one of the best forgotten defenses of all time. Hopefully this is the year we can finally do it. Bring it home for Jerome!!!
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We surely haven't forgotten, have we GG? During Brown's last season the Eagles defense led the league in all three categories (passing yards allowed, rushing yards allowed and total yards allowed), had the most sacks, fumble recoveries and were also tied for first in takeaways. They sent five players to the Pro Bowl and Brown was one of them. Unfortunately they lost Cunningham to an ACL injury in week one (damn Bryce Paup!) and had to win most of the 10 games they won by way of that ferocious defense.
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Paup hit was illegal and he should have been thrown out of the league for that dirty crap
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Jerome Brown and Reggie White were both class acts and played the game the right way. But you cant get all "willy nilly" with the usage of the word DIRTY. A W will go down as the NFL second dirtiest player ever. #1 Conrad Dobler.
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I remember being upset with the hit (I'm pretty sure no flag was thrown) but don't know anymore if it was me just being biased as a fan. I doubt he meant it and I have seen a hell of a lot worse and don't ever remember a player getting thrown out of the league for any hit so why should Paup have been thrown out? If Paup would have gotten thrown out for that hit the league would have had to toss hundreds of players for hundreds of hits since then.
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Should have gone down as one if not the greatest defense ever assembled but will fade into oblivion.
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Agreed Hollywood. Just one title and that defense would've been mentioned in the same breath as the '85 Bears. Which as everyone knows was Buddy Ryan's brain child. Speaking of Buddy Ryan, he was really nothing more than a glorified defensive coordinator. On the other side of the ball for those Eagles teams was Cunningham and really not much else. Hell I remember hearing they had a guy on the O-line that was nicknamed "The Human Turnstile." That's never good. And then, of course, was that god damn Fog Bowl game.
Other than the fact that the Bears seemingly just have our number and the crappiest playing surface in the NFL, the Fog Bowl is one of the other big reasons why I just have a huge dislike of Soldier Field. -
Dont forget the Ron Solt trade. Got 4 plays out of him for 2 #1 draft picks
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They got more than 4 plays out of him and the deal was a 1 and a 4 for him but regardless, the Eagles were robbed and he sucked while in Philly. Two bad knees, surgeries and a suspension for steroids soured Eagle fans on Solt pretty quickly. The funny thing is is that Ryan never wanted to "waste" early draft picks on rookie offensive lineman. He thought he could develop them by throwing any big body out there (I kind of remember him throwing a defensive lineman or two in the mix and trying to get something out of them) and hoped he could come up with good enough talent yet he gave up two draft picks for a steroid fiend with two bad knees. Kotite came in and used his first three 1st round draft picks on offensive lineman and didn't fair much better. Two 1sts on Antone Davis in 1991 (and 92's pick to move up to draft him) and a 1st on Lester Holmes in 1993. He also drafted defensive tackle Leonard Renfro with a 2nd first round pick in 93'. Not exactly what you call homeruns for his first 3 1st round picks (and 4 number 1 picks overall). I think Renfro barely played.
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4 plays 1st season?
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Possibly...don't remember.
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It was horrible and costly. I agree Ryan was a dope but a good talent evaluator in some respects. Reid is a great organization designer but horrible in certain game day coaching situations. And might be considered poor on the personnel management as well. He is not good in multiple roles. He should perfect coaching first. I just think its too late for him.
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Joe Gibbs was a much more refined coach. Burned Buddy in the wild card playoff game with an Earnest Byner misdirection pass. When I saw that I knew it was over.
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yae see hes wearing a leather helmet
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I was standing in front of my mom's porch when word went up and down the street like someone we knew had died. On what was a happy summer day of bustling "summer in the ghetto" activity, turned into a ghost town as everyone just up and went inside.
I have never before or since felt the death of a celebrity or athlete so personally. Like you said Green, I didn't even know him, and I was shook. Hit me all over again earlier this year watching "A Football Life" covering both Reggie and Jerome. -
Absolutely a tough day in Eagle football for all of us, flip and as sucker has shown below, tough day in football league wide.
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The "Canes" are my favorite CFB team. The best players to ever play the game is a product of the school. Michael Irvin/Ray Lewis/Andre Johnson/Russel Marland/Ed Reed/Jesse Armstead. So you can imagine my grief when Jerome was drafted by the eagles. But I have to admit the tandom of him and RW and AW on the back end,{dirtiest play ever} this D rival the 85 Bears/75 Steelers/2000 Ravens/and the Purple People Eaters. PURE-D-NASTY.
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They sure were, sucker and it ended all too soon...the death of Brown just being the start of it. Plenty of defense left in some of those players when Norman Braman allowed them to leave in the first couple years of free agency within a couple years of Brown's death. The end of an Eagle's era!
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No owner back then would have had the money to pay the free agents that Philly had to let go. Braman would have been in a bidding war for his team. He was a sacrificial lamb for the NFL and players union. He had good reason to sell.
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A sacrificial lamb? Weren't there any other teams in the NFL in 93'? I certainly don't remember half the owner's in the league looking to dump their teams, hollywood yet Braman went running. Why do you think that Lurie chose the Eagles? Because it was available! Braman NEVER gave any offer for any of his top free agents during free agency..he let them walk. He didn't even TRY to keep them. I'm almost positive that Braman was interviewed after White's death and he said that his biggest regret while owning the Eagles was letting White leave Philly. Stop trying to make a man that was not liked by the fans, one of his coaches nor his best players sound like he was misunderstood. He was everything you claim Lurie is...cheap, invisible and only in it for the money. He was the one that sold out and went running when he got a good offer.
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Eagles broke ground by having its players be the first to have free agency.
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SOME of the players were Eagles, they were not the only team to have free agents in 1993. It doesn't matter honestly...my point was that not every owner went running for the hills when free agency arrived...Norman Braman did!
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The players that became free agents were some of the best players in the league that contributed for years after after other teams paid tremendous dollars in an era of no salary caps. The Eagles got burned BAD
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You make a thread about Browns death into a place for you to pontificate about Braman not paying. The fact is that the Eagle players broke down the roadblocks to free agency through legal challenges and Braman never stood a chance of stopping it. He didnt have the benefit of a brand new state of the art taxpayer financed stadium with all the trimmings. So quit your crap.
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I didn't make this thread for that reason and I all did was point out one bit of truth about Braman and you jumped in to defend him. You want to debate, I'll debate you, hollywood. I know that SOME of the players were Eagles that took the NFL to court over free agency but not ALL of them. Of course you want to make this all about the Eagles like usual.
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I was watching the news and I saw Reggie White on television at a Billy Graham ceremony at the VET when when he told everyone the news. I remember the sinking feeling I got in my stomach. It's a shame, because there were two young victims of that crash. His nephew and his young son who had to grow up without a father. Last I heard his son was playing minor league baseball. I wonder if he still is.
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One of the saddest days in sports history for me, Eazy. I remember the news kept showing clips of the Fog Bowl with Brown walking out of the fog. Hard visual to take.
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When they lost Brown they lost hope.
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Losing a player, especially one with Brown's talent, is hard for any team but they lost hope? I'm certain that the likes of White, Joyner, Simmons, Allen, Hopkins, Waters and the rest of that defense didn't give up, hollywood. They didn't have a year like 91 (not many teams in the NFL ever had or have) but they still had a very good year statiscally in 92'. Kind words for Brown but you almost seem to be saying the Eagles have never been the same since then. 5 NFC championship game appearances and 1 Super Bowl appearance will beg to differ!
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wow wee. All that money Lurie got and we have one superbowl appearance. Teams with far less have done far more. And teams with far more have done far more. Where does that leave the Eagles?
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All I was doing here was pointing out that the Eagles over that time span certainly didn't play like a team without hope. Of course you decided to make it about something else.
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The teams after those seasons were of a much different design. All the initial players that got picked up went on to win superbowls. Those players had a championship mentality. Lets just say their quite a few DAWKINESQUE players on that team before it was stripped. they hadnt even hit their prime. But there were parts missing as well but the nucleus was there.
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Romo I hate to agree with you on this but i have contended that about Dawkins for years. But I will say this in his defense, Dawkins often became invisible in big games because good Qbs looked to avoid playing to his strengths. They avoided him.
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they havent.
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LOL. I'm here romorules and thanks for the kind comment. Brown was a great player and unfortunately we Eagle fans will probably never see a defense that good again from a fan's perspective. If only Buddy Ryan could have realized the importance of a good O-line, found an actual running back (I loved Byars as a receiver but...) and Cunningham wouldn't have gotten injured in 91'...oh well, can't live in the past.
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agreed
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作ってみた -
Sorry guys I'm a little out of sync with the threads. I was on vacation last week taking the kids to Disney.
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me too. in wrightsville beach, NC. Great beach.
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