Background:  Given the nickname “Pudgy” as a child by family members, Christopher Rejean Brown went on to be named Player of the Year by the Naperville Sun after gaining 1,250 yards and 15 touchdowns during his senior year at Naperville North (IL) High School, where he called current New York Jets receiver Justin McCareins a teammate, capping a schoolboy career of 2,300 yards and 30 touchdowns.

After recruiters tried convincing Brown to switch from running back to wide receiver, Brown attended Ft. Scott Junior College (KS), where he showcased his ball-carrying prowess for then-Northwestern Head Coach Gary Barnett, who, in turn, offered Brown a chance to play running back in his program.  Soon thereafter, Barnett left for the University of Colorado and the new coaching staff at Northwestern tried to convince Brown to move to receiver.  Only Brown’s father, Levelle, could sway him to not quit football altogether, which led to the troubled tailback following Barnett to the University of Colorado and becoming one of the school’s all-time leading rushers.

As a sophomore, Brown set a Colorado record by scoring 36 points against Nebraska (24 carries for 198 yards and six touchdowns), smashing one of the university’s oldest single game records, set by former Supreme Court Justice Byron “Whizzer” White who scored 27 points (four touchdowns, three extra points) against Colorado School of Mines in 1937.  Despite playing just two seasons in Boulder, the first-team All American and National Offensive Player of the Year (The NFL Draft Report) gained 2,787 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns on 493 carries, trailing only Eric Bieniemy (3,490 yards and 35 touchdowns from 1987-90) on the Buffaloes all-time career list for rushing yards and touchdowns.

With Eddie George starting to show mileage on his overused wheels, the Tennessee Titans chose Brown in the third round (93rd overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft.  The 6-3, 220 pound upright runner spent his rookie year playing a small part in a rotation of running backs with veterans Eddie George and Robert Holcombe.  The venerable George became a victim of his diminishing yards per carry meeting an over-taxed Titans salary cap in 2004, clearing the way for the explosive Brown to burst onto the fantasy football scene in grand fashion.  The second year back proved as advertised, storming out of the gate, showing a blend of speed, power and explosiveness, only to succumb to a turf toe in the second half of the season, curtailing what appeared to be a notable single season statistical campaign, gaining 1,067 yards and six touchdowns on 220 carries (4.9 avg.) while starting only 11 games. 

The Titans added veteran back Travis Henry as insurance for the injury-riddled Brown before the  2005 season, further sapping his opportunities, which resulted in 851 yards and five touchdowns on 224 carries, downgrading Brown’s once promising fantasy prospects from future star to depth chart filler.

What’s new for 2006:  If Brown’s fantasy football status was categorized in business flow chart terms, the red line would show a down-and-to-the-right trajectory, with a pronounced drop off from 2005 to 2006, primarily due to the Titans drafting of USC power back Lendale White in the second round with the 45th pick overall in the 2006 Draft.  Tennessee head coach Jeff Fisher has longed to return a power running game to the Titans offense since the departure of Eddie George and has declared White along with new quarterback Vince Young, the centerpieces of the Titans offensive future.  Glass-half-full prognosticator’s might see White’s presence as an aid to keep the veteran Brown on the field for a full 16 games, but with Travis Henry also in the RB mix, there will be little chance for Brown to make a difference in 2006 fantasy lineups.

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