I have the highest respect for Ronnie Brown. He works hard. Practices hard. Plays hard. He's always smiling and rarely, if ever, complains.
So when Brown's sixth NFL training camp opened Friday, it was not surprising to see him at pretty much full health, running with the first-team and triggering the Wildcat Package. Yes, the Dolphins showed the folks in the stands a couple of Wildcat plays with Brown taking the snap and one of them was, mark this down NFL, a pass.
Brown, who missed the end of last season with a foot fracture, seems fine.
"I didn't think about the foot at all," he said after practice. "I was thinking more about the sun."
Despite all Brown's desirable traits, the Dolphins are not exactly rushing to make sure their running back is on the team long-term. Understandably so.
Brown, you see, has been injured four of his previous five seasons. That is bad news for any running back. So the Dolphins have been reluctant to give him a new big-money contract because they are simply protecting their interests.
So Brown will play the 2010 season under a one-year restricted tender offer he has signed.
Some players elsewhere are angry about such treatment. Shawne Merriman comes to mind in San Diego. Brown?
“I think all that stuff will take care of itself," Brown said after practice, that perpetual smile on his face.
Is it a distraction to you, Brown is asked?
"Not at all," he responded quickly.
The beauty of Brown is he understands business and differentiates between the Dolphins making a correct business decision and making this a personal matter. Moreover, even if Brown were somehow upset by the fact he's basically being rented this season, he probably wouldn't share that displeasure because it doesn't serve the team.
I told you there's reasons I respect this guy.
The Brown situation bears watching because the Dolphins are taking a calculated risk. If Brown has a mega-season -- say 1,400 yards -- the team is either going to have to pay Brown through the nose for a new deal or watch somebody else do it.
If Brown somehow gets injured again or doesn't blow up with a great season, the team's calculations will have proven correct.
Ironic, isn't it? The Dolphins would lose financially if Brown stays healthy and plays great while they would look like excellent stewards of the payroll if he doesn't
