Brown's emotions take him on 'trip'

Longtime Raider WR finally reaches a Super Bowl. "I'm tripping a little bit," he says.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times
published January 22, 2003

SAN DIEGO -- When it hit him late in Sunday's game, when Tim Brown knew he was finally going to the Super Bowl, he sat on the Oakland bench, covered his head with a towel and cried.

Monday, he woke and cautiously opened one eye, "to make sure that everything was what it was." Tuesday, when he got there, he spent his first full Super Bowl day wide-eyed and wistful.

"When we drove up and I saw the Raider emblem on the Super Bowl banner, I told someone, "I'm tripping a little bit,' " Brown said. "I shook my head and smiled. I don't know how to explain it. I come to the Super Bowl every year and see the Ravens banner, the Patriots banner, the Broncos banner. All of a sudden to see the Raiders banner up there, it was very special."

For so long, for what amazingly is now 15 years in silver and black, Brown has been the Raiders, the one constant in Al Davis' controversial world. But always there has been a question: Would he get to a Super Bowl?

And now that he's here, there's a new debate: Does someone who played great have to win a championship to be considered a great player?

Ernie Banks didn't win one. Dan Marino didn't. Charles Barkley didn't. Nor did Ted Williams, O.J. Simpson, Patrick Ewing.

So what does one make of Brown's 15 seasons, nine Pro Bowl appearances, 1,018 catches (third most), 14,167 yards (second), his 97 touchdown receptions (fifth), his 157 consecutive games with a catch (second among active players)?

Is his career now complete? Is it enough just to get to the Super Bowl, or does he have to be on a winning team?

As far as Brown is concerned, that is for you to judge.

"As much as I want to say, "Hey, look, if I never won a Super Bowl I would be happy with my career,' and that's a fact and that's the truth, I know that there are going to be some people out there who are going to say, "Yeah, but he never won the big game,' " Brown said.

Bucs reserves Reggie Barlow and Rickey Dudley, former Raiders both, say Brown has nothing to apologize for. They called Monday to congratulate him.

"You can't knock guys who are great players that played and had great careers and never won a ring," Barlow said. "Charles Barkley and those guys, you can't knock their careers. Unfortunately, they didn't get the experience of sharing the biggest stage. But (Brown) is here now, and they won't be able to say that about him."

True. But there is more to be accomplished.

"I don't think you can say Tim Brown's career wasn't a great one if he doesn't win it, but I think you can call him a champion if he does," Bucs safety John Lynch said.

"And I think that's something special. That's the ultimate goal in this game. Sure you have personal goals, you want to be the best player, and Tim has done that. He's a Hall of Fame player. But to be called a champion you have to win on this stage."

This has been an interesting season and an emotional time for Brown, who will be 37 by next season.

For the first time in a decade he didn't lead the Raiders in receptions (ranking behind Jerry Rice and Charlie Garner), and caught only two touchdowns, his fewest for a full season, and none since Sept. 29. And that in an offense that led the league in passing.

He was thrust into the spotlight last week when Titans safety Lance Schulters called him out, labeling him a crybaby. His wife, Sherice, is on the verge of delivering twins and might not be able to travel for the game. And Sunday's win meant so much that he said when he walked off the field, "My whole career flashed before my eyes."

Later that night, as veteran teammates went by his locker to congratulate him, he started crying again. "Definitely tears of joy," tackle Lincoln Kennedy said. "His response to me was, "I guess I am a crybaby.' "

So how important would it be for Brown to win a title?

"When you're going to play this game, especially as long as I've played it, and the sacrifices you make being away from your family and everything else you have to do, you want to be the best you can be," Brown said.

"That just doesn't mean going to the Pro Bowl, it means being the absolute best, the one that's holding the trophy up at the end of the year. Obviously I've never done that on any level, high school, college or pro. So for once I would like to be able to say I played on a team that was the best in the world."