FOXBORO — Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye wasn’t the only standout in last Sunday’s loss to the Texans.
Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt called starting center Ben Brown “a highlight” in the game. Brown was signed off of the Raiders’ practice squad last Thursday and played three days later.
“He just came in for a few days, took a red-eye and had one hour of sleep before the Thursday practice, picked it up quickly. Credit to the O-line coaches, Coach (Scott) Peters and (Robert) Kugler, they met with him multiple times through the course of Saturday, in the hotel late night for meetings. He really stepped up and did well. We’ll see how it goes moving forward, but really proud of him.”
Get to know the offensive lineman who comes from a long lineage of Ole Miss football players better on and off the field.
BH: What was your first football memory?
BB: Definitely remember when I was probably like fourth grade or however early you start in Mississippi playing football. Being out there with my dad coaching me up. Because my dad (Tim) played college football at Ole Miss. And him coaching me up out there and having my older brother watch. That was definitely fun, for sure.
BH: Top high school football memory?
BB:Probably my sophomore year. My brother was a senior. We were playing together and went to the state championship, first time in school history, small private school in Mississippi. We ended up losing, but just the journey to get there and playing with my older brother one last time was a lot of fun.
BH: Top college football memory?
BB: It was definitely a lot of fun when we beat Tennessee in Tennessee in 2021. Super fun. Obviously the fans weren’t happy when Coach (Lane) Kiffin was there. The last time he was there was when he left. That was super fun. That’s when they were throwing golf balls and mustard all over the field and whatnot. Super fun to leave there with a win.
BH: What made Ole Miss so special?
BB: My family playing there was so huge. It was only three hours from my home, so that was nice, for sure. I just fell in love with not only the football, growing up with my family. Both of my granddad (Allen Brown and Bobby Robinson) played there, dad, uncle (Burkes) and couple other family members (great uncle Jerry and father’s cousin Alton). So, growing up just watching it, being a fan and everything and having the opportunity to do it, living out my dream.
BH: What would you be doing if you weren’t a football player?
BB: Gosh, I don’t know. I thought about doing (physical therapy) school before college football ended up working out. I did exercise science as my major in college and I remember I was like, “oh, cruising through this major is great. I love it.” And then my academic advisor told me, “Oh, if you’re going to do PT school, you’re going to need to take all of these extra classes” like Physics 2 and super hard classes. “Ah, I might put this on hold for now.”
BH: Who was your favorite athlete growing up?
BB:I guess I’d say, growing up, since my granddad (Allen Brown) played at Green Bay — he won the first two Super Bowls there. So I think, like growing up when I was in middle school, watching — because I wasn’t a huge NFL fan growing up just because, you know, Mississippi, there’s not an NFL team. So I would watch some of the Green Bay games with my dad, just my granddad played there and seeing Aaron Rodgers do his thing. That was pretty fun. So I guess Aaron.
BH: Favorite movie?
BB: I’m a Star Wars fan. I don’t like the newest ones as much, but some of the older ones were good.
BH: Favorite musical artist?
BB: I like some older country like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings but also some of the newer country stuff today like Morgan Wallen, CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival) fan, as well. I like a little bit of everything.
BH: Who have you been closest with on the team so far?
BB: I mean, everyone’s just been so welcoming. Everyone’s been very friendly and very helpful. It’s been great.
BH: What’s your favorite thing about the New England region?
BB: Well, I definitely love that it’s not 110 degrees right now. That’s for sure. I understand it’s going to get a lot colder here pretty soon. That’ll feel a lot different. But I like the cold weather. I’m excited to not be burning up. Growing up in Mississippi, you’re wearing shorts on Christmas.
BH: Do you have a hidden talent?
BB: Actually in middle school and first year of high school, I played trombone in our school band. I have a musical side. I was trying to pick up learning the guitar in Vegas. But it’s out in Vegas right now, so I’m going to have to take a break from the guitar. I love music, though.
