RB Brown can't help but smile to be an Eagle

BETHLEHEM, Pa.Ronnie Brown's face pretty much told the whole story. The 29-year-old running back showed up to Lehigh University for the first time on Wednesday after being signed by the Eagles as an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday evening. He wore a green Eagles visor and an ear-to-ear grin. The visor was handed to him before he faced the media. The smile hes worn since he found out hed be coming to Philadelphia. Just at this point in my career, Im looking back and Im looking at the opportunity and its not so much the financial standpoint, Brown said. Its more about winning and putting myself in a good situation where I feel comfortable with a team.Winning is something Brown didnt do much of in Miami. He spent six years with the Dolphins with only one winning season and one playoff appearance. His 4,815 yards rank him third on the Dolphins all-time list, but now pressed against that running back doomsday age of 30, he wants to win. And he wants to do it now. That was tough, he said. At the end of the day, you want to win games. Not being able to get past the regular season was tough. After Jason Babin, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Nnamdi Asomugha and Vince Young, Brown is the fifth Pro Bowl player the Eagles have added in the past week. You can tell by some of the moves theyve made this off-season that they put winning first, Brown said. I sat back and weighed all of my options and thought this would be a good fit for myself.Just when it seemed Browns plastered-on smile couldnt get any wider, someone mentioned the name Michael Vick. Brown said Vick was one of the reasons he signed with the Eagles.Im very excited. You can see the way I smile when you ask me a question about Mike, Brown said. The things that he brings as a football player, talent-wise. I think a lot of people talk about this running ability, but his arm, as well, is dangerous.The quarterbacks here and everybody knows who it is. Not a knock on Miami, but since Ive been there Ive played with maybe 12 or 13 different guys at that position. Just to have a little bit of stability, its gonna make a lot of difference. Brown has spent much of his career splitting carries with Ricky Williams. Its a role he became familiar with while playing at Auburn University, where he split carries with Cadillac Williams.He enjoyed being one of two running backs at Auburn and with Miami. The backup running back position with the Eagles, however, is a peculiar one. Last season, the combination of Jerome Harrison and Mike Bell had only 56 attempts, while starter LeSean McCoy had 207 attempts for 1,080 yards and seven rushing touchdowns, but certainly Brown is an upgrade. LeSean and myself, were a little bit different as far as size and he has a lot of catches, Brown said. For myself, I like to get downhill a little bit more and present that option. So I felt that would be a good fit. McCoy caught 78 passes last year for nearly 600 yards and two touchdowns and caught 40 passes two years ago. Im happy Ronnies here, McCoy said. Hes a great player, as much as I know of him. The more talents the better. Im extremely excited.Just like McCoy, Brown can catch the ball out of the backfield too. He has caught 30 or more passes all but one year in his career. But besides just rushing and catching the football, Brown can throw a little bit too. He has four career completions, two of which went for touchdowns.
So will he be tossing a few this season too?I dont know, Brown said. It might have been a possibility. We didnt get in depth about what I was gonna do. I think we just scratched the surface a little bit.The reason the Eagles may have just scratched the surface with Brown is that he can run the Wildcat. In fact, it was Browns success with the Wildcat in Miami that it so popular in the NFL.I dont know. The Wildcat would be exciting. Im trying to figure who would or wouldnt be in the game, Brown said as his smile widened again. Theres so much talent here, you dont even know what anybody would be doing.McCoy, on Wednesday, seemed just as excited about the possibilities his newest running back teammate brings to the table. Thats the best thing about it, he said, to get an extra back here that can play like him. Kind of mix it up a little bit. In two of the past four years, Browns season has been shortened by surgery, but he said hes now healthy and ready to go. Hes also ready to form a bond with his new teammate and the No. 1 running back on the Eagles depth chart. McCoy is an excited guy, Brown said. Hes excited about playing football, which is always good and I look forward to creating a relationship with him and going out the win some games together.E-mail Dave Zangaro at dzangaro@comcastsportsnet.com