FOXBORO -- Troy Brown is an obvious choice as finalist among this year's Patriots Hall of Fame nominees. He spoke about the honor on Tuesday.
"Im honored to be even nominated; between Bill Parcells and Fred Marion, theres great competition there," Brown said on a conference call. "It means a lot to me that they would think that my career was that successful here in New England to be considered to be one of those members."
It is Brown's first-year of eligibility and he's a favorite to win, even in the company of Bill Parcells and Fred Marion. The voting will be open to the public, after all, and Brown's favor among the fans matches the legacy of his multifaceted career.
"I think Ive said this before: maybe not the tallest or biggest or fastest or strongest or whatever, but just the best football player. Not the outstanding wide receiver or most outstanding punt returner, but I think overall pound-for-pound and everything else, best football player. I feel like I could do everything pretty well."
Brown's open mindedness made him a model soldier under the "Do Your Job" flag that flies in Foxborough.
"As long as I was able to get on the field and participate and if I could throw the block to spring somebody, if I could take a snap or two at quarterback or go out and defend somebody or be the guy holding up the gunner on the punt return team, I just enjoyed being out on the field and helping my team win games."
He was in New England for the 15 years he played. Looking back, Brown said he has no regrets about staying with one franchise during his NFL tenure. The loyalty, in fact, is unique because of everything the Patriots embody.
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"Once I reached a certain point in my career, I didnt want to play anyplace else. I look at Foxborough itself; Im a small town guy and Foxborough is probably 10 times bigger than my hometown. I like the peace and quiet of Foxborough. I loved played for this organization, this team, this atmosphere. I loved the accountability they put on the players to go and out and do your job.
"From ownership on down to the coaches and to the players I played with, for whatever reason I always seemed to get lucky to play with a great bunch guys that may not be the most recognized guys, but guys who know how to play the game and are real professional about what theyre doing. Ive been blessed from high school to college and in the pros too to play with some tremendous players in my day."
Fans can vote for their future Hall of Famer until May 31. Announcement of the final selection will be made in early June.