Brandon Browner Itching To Go For Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) -- Cornerback Brandon Browner has had to watch the first six games of the season from afar, so he is getting antsy to play his first game in a Patriots uniform.
But the corner could soon be delivering those hard hits he became known for as a member of the Seattle Seahawks the last three seasons. He sounded very confident that his debut could come Thursday night when the Patriots host the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium.
"Yeah, I'm itching," Browner said from the Patriots locker room on Tuesday, the first time he has addressed the media since serving a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. "Just like anybody else who has been held out or is hurt. I'm itching to get out there but I'm taking it a day at a time trying to get better as best as I can."
Browner, who was around the team but couldn't practice during his suspension, was activated on October 6 but sat out the next two games with an ankle injury.
"It's a lot better," he said after being limited at practice for the second straight day. "I feel like I am good to go."
Browner used the extra two weeks to study up on the Patriots defense, hoping to be as prepared as possible for his New England debut.
"That's kind of what I tried to do," he said. "It's hard to get ready for a game other than being out there. But I watch it as much as I can and try to take as much information as I can, that way when I get out there I can play faster.
"You never can prepare for those live bullets until you are out there," said Browner. "Playbook and film, you can do that all you want until you get out there, and conditioning and you get hit and all those things that are added into the game once you get out there."
It's unclear how much Browner would play in his debut, if he plays at all in the rainy conditions expected for Thursday night. When he does suit up and take the field, he'll likely line up across the field from Darrelle Revis, which makes life easier for any corner out there. Browner said he won't try to do too much when he takes the field for the first time this season, and will just focus on what each play dictates.
"You just play the defense and let the chips fall where they may, and I think we have a good enough team that if we just play the defense, things should play out how you want them to," he said confidently.
And about those hits he likes to lay on the opposition: That first one would be even sweeter if it comes against a division rival.
"I'm excited to get back out there. I'm fortunate to be able to go play against a divisional opponent," he said.
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