Brown destined for Irish

By RICK STROUD and GREG AUMAN
Published January 15, 2005

Bucs receiver Tim Brown is committed to taking a job with Notre Dame and his role could expand if he decides to retire after 17 NFL seasons.

Brown met with Notre Dame officials Thursday to discuss a role as a recruiter or player liaison under new coach Charlie Weis.

Brown said he has not decided whether to retire. If he does, he also could pursue a career in broadcasting.

But one thing is certain: He doesn't want to spend another season on the sideline.

"You know, I don't want to end up in a situation like I did in Tampa this year," Brown said. "It was a treat to help Mike ( Clayton), but I had lot of people looking at me like, "What are you doing for a living this year?' And to some degree I felt Jon Gruden was uncomfortable with me being there on the sidelines and he knew I could still play the game if I was on the field.

"I don't want to be in that situation again. And at 39 going into next season, who can make promises to a 39-year-old receiver?

"If I'm not playing ball, I'll be up there (at Notre Dame) during the week and have a lot more impact. If I decide to play ball, that's going to depend on what Charlie wants me to do."

SIGNINGS: The Bucs signed five free agents: defensive tackle Delbert Cowsette, who was with the Bucs last spring and played 2001-02 with the Redskins; receiver Derrick Lewis, who spent one week with the Bucs last season after playing sparingly with the Saints; safety Kalvin Pearson, who played for the Bucs' Doug Williams at Grambling and was cut by Tampa Bay in August; defensive tackle Bryan Save, a Colorado State graduate who was with the Colts, 49ers and Ravens during the 2004 preseason; long-snapper Bryan Sawyer, who handled all of Florida State's snaps for four years and was cut by the Patriots in August. They are "reserve/future" signings, meaning they are under contract but will not officially join the team until after the Super Bowl.

[Last modified January 15, 2005, 02:35:15]