He got game and name
Defensive lineman Browner making most of chance
Living up to the family name used to be a burden for Bears defensive lineman Keith Browner, whose father, Keith Sr., and uncles Joey, Ross and Jim all played in the NFL.
“In the beginning, it was an issue because I looked at my dad and all my uncles and saw what they achieved in the NFL,” said Browner, who played in three games over three seasons with the Texans from 2012 to 2014 and was out of the league last year. “But now as I talk to them, they tell me to just be myself; this is my time to shine. I take that into consideration and just do my job.”
For him, playing in the NFL is as much about being in the right place at the right time as it is about being a Browner. And he thinks he finally has both factors on his side with the Bears.
Browner made three big plays in the Bears’ 23- 22 preseason loss Thursday against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium — teaming with Jonathan Anderson to stop Tyler Gaffney for no gain on the goal line, beating starting center Bryan Stork to tackle Brandon Bolden in the backfield to snuff a twopoint conversion and tackling Gaffney for a two- yard loss in the second half.
That’s how the Browners do it. Joey was a six- time Pro Bowl safety with the Vikings ( 1983- 91). Ross was a nine- year starter at defensive end for the Bengals ( 1978- 86). Keith Sr., an outside linebacker, started 44 games in five seasons with the Buccaneers, Raiders, 49ers and Chargers ( 1984- 88). Jim, a defensive back, started six games over two years with the Bengals ( 1979- 80).
“It definitely takes the right situation,” Browner said. “Whenever I think about my lineage, it motivates me. It makes me want to do more. It makes me want to do better and prove to everybody that I am a Browner, and this lineage is strong, and it’s in my DNA.”
Browner is on the fringe of the roster behind backups Will Sutton and Ego Ferguson with no practice- squad eligibility left. But he’s making it a tough decision by making plays in limited reps, especially in short- yardage/ goal- line situations. Browner had another batted pass in practice Tuesday to keep up his growing momentum.
“I feel more determined than ever,” Browner said, “because I’ve finally gotten an opportunity to prove myself and not be behind somebody great like J. J. Watt [ with the Texans], and I’m able to show the whole world my talents.”