Ickybaluky
04-02-2004, 10:49 AM
Pretty good article in the Chicago Tribune with quotes from Ruben (Registration required, so I'll post it):
Chicago-Tribune (http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/cs-040401bears,1,3817401.story?coll=cs-bears-headlines)
The newest Bear answers to "Rube," but that would be the wrong word to describe him. Ruben Brown is wise to critics around the NFL who say the 32-year-old offensive lineman's best years are behind him.
"All I can say is watch me play," he said Thursday from his home in Orchard Park, N.Y.
He has agreed to a three-year, incentive-based deal with the Bears that guarantees him $1.5 million and he will fly to Chicago on Friday to sign the contract. The Bills cut Brown after nine seasons in Buffalo rather than absorb a $5.8-million hit to the salary cap for a player considered past his prime.
"Everybody has an opinion, and their opinions don't matter a bit," said Brown, now the oldest Bear. "I'm still healthy, still hungry and still can do the job on Sunday. I've gotten through nine years relatively unscathed and I have a lot left."
The Bears plan to start Brown at right guard, shifting Mike Gandy back to left tackle to compete with Qasim Mitchell on a revamped offensive line. Brown downplayed the shift from the left side to the right—"It's putting down a different hand, that's all," he said—and pointed out he had lined up at right guard several times during his eight Pro Bowl appearances.
"I'm first and foremost a player and can play anywhere," said Brown, a left tackle in college at Pittsburgh. "We're going to have a good line. It starts with Olin Kreutz and goes out from there. I'm cherishing the opportunity to get back to playing with an outstanding center."
He also looks forward to playing for a coach, Lovie Smith, with whom Brown connected during his visit March 22 to Halas Hall. From Smith to offensive line coach Pete Hoener to the secretaries saying hello, Brown sensed a welcoming spirit he had been seeking.
"I want a new start [because] if you're at the same job for a long time, you get stale," Brown said. "It was right in Chicago, and I met [Smith] and sat down and just felt a bond. It's hard to explain."
Brown finds it just as difficult to put into words the circumstances of his absence from the Bills' season finale last year. Former coach Gregg Williams held the team leader out of the game after Brown reportedly showed up late for a meeting and, according to another Bills player, went over a table to confront ex-offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride.
Asked about the incident, Brown resisted peering into his personal rear-view mirror.
"The past is done and over with and I'm focused on looking forward," Brown said.
Friends and coaches who know Brown paint a picture of a hard-working, tough-talking veteran so committed to winning that he tends to hold teammates to the lofty standards he holds himself.
"Don't worry, I don't think you'll have any problems with Rube because he's a good leader, deals with things in a clear and honest way and is great to have around," said former Bills quarterback Alex Van Pelt, also Brown's teammate at Pitt. "Trust me, he won't be a problem. The Bears are getting one heck of a football player."
Brown the person comes just as highly recommended. Gretchen Geitter, the Bills' director of community relations, called Brown "Jackpot," because he was such a payoff for Buffalo charities.
He took needy kids on a shopping spree every Christmas. He donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Salvation Army because it steered him straight as a kid growing up in Lynchburg, Va. He also promoted organ transplants and established a foundation to benefit the ailing daughter of a former coach.
"I just do things that come naturally and are dear to my heart," Brown said.
Added Van Pelt: "He's more involved than any athlete I've ever found. The biggest loss will be to the community."
Buffalo's loss, Chicago's gain.
"The Bears [need] experience and guys who have been around the block and can come into the locker room and provide some motivation," Brown said.
"I can do that."
Chicago-Tribune (http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/cs-040401bears,1,3817401.story?coll=cs-bears-headlines)
The newest Bear answers to "Rube," but that would be the wrong word to describe him. Ruben Brown is wise to critics around the NFL who say the 32-year-old offensive lineman's best years are behind him.
"All I can say is watch me play," he said Thursday from his home in Orchard Park, N.Y.
He has agreed to a three-year, incentive-based deal with the Bears that guarantees him $1.5 million and he will fly to Chicago on Friday to sign the contract. The Bills cut Brown after nine seasons in Buffalo rather than absorb a $5.8-million hit to the salary cap for a player considered past his prime.
"Everybody has an opinion, and their opinions don't matter a bit," said Brown, now the oldest Bear. "I'm still healthy, still hungry and still can do the job on Sunday. I've gotten through nine years relatively unscathed and I have a lot left."
The Bears plan to start Brown at right guard, shifting Mike Gandy back to left tackle to compete with Qasim Mitchell on a revamped offensive line. Brown downplayed the shift from the left side to the right—"It's putting down a different hand, that's all," he said—and pointed out he had lined up at right guard several times during his eight Pro Bowl appearances.
"I'm first and foremost a player and can play anywhere," said Brown, a left tackle in college at Pittsburgh. "We're going to have a good line. It starts with Olin Kreutz and goes out from there. I'm cherishing the opportunity to get back to playing with an outstanding center."
He also looks forward to playing for a coach, Lovie Smith, with whom Brown connected during his visit March 22 to Halas Hall. From Smith to offensive line coach Pete Hoener to the secretaries saying hello, Brown sensed a welcoming spirit he had been seeking.
"I want a new start [because] if you're at the same job for a long time, you get stale," Brown said. "It was right in Chicago, and I met [Smith] and sat down and just felt a bond. It's hard to explain."
Brown finds it just as difficult to put into words the circumstances of his absence from the Bills' season finale last year. Former coach Gregg Williams held the team leader out of the game after Brown reportedly showed up late for a meeting and, according to another Bills player, went over a table to confront ex-offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride.
Asked about the incident, Brown resisted peering into his personal rear-view mirror.
"The past is done and over with and I'm focused on looking forward," Brown said.
Friends and coaches who know Brown paint a picture of a hard-working, tough-talking veteran so committed to winning that he tends to hold teammates to the lofty standards he holds himself.
"Don't worry, I don't think you'll have any problems with Rube because he's a good leader, deals with things in a clear and honest way and is great to have around," said former Bills quarterback Alex Van Pelt, also Brown's teammate at Pitt. "Trust me, he won't be a problem. The Bears are getting one heck of a football player."
Brown the person comes just as highly recommended. Gretchen Geitter, the Bills' director of community relations, called Brown "Jackpot," because he was such a payoff for Buffalo charities.
He took needy kids on a shopping spree every Christmas. He donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Salvation Army because it steered him straight as a kid growing up in Lynchburg, Va. He also promoted organ transplants and established a foundation to benefit the ailing daughter of a former coach.
"I just do things that come naturally and are dear to my heart," Brown said.
Added Van Pelt: "He's more involved than any athlete I've ever found. The biggest loss will be to the community."
Buffalo's loss, Chicago's gain.
"The Bears [need] experience and guys who have been around the block and can come into the locker room and provide some motivation," Brown said.
"I can do that."