Pro Bowl well worth wait for pair

By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer

James "Big Cat" Williams (71) and Ray Brown are in their first Pro Bowl after 11 and 16 seasons, respectively. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

And get this: The Chicago Bears were the reigning NFL champions.

That was 1986.

Brown, an All-Southland Conference selection from Arkansas State, had just been selected by the Cardinals in the eight round (201st overall) of the NFL draft. At 6 foot 5 and 237 pounds, his claim to fame was being the first player in conference history to be named first-team all-conference at two positions (outside linebacker and tight end) in the same season.

Sixteen years, three teams and 81 pounds later, Brown has finally made it to the Pro Bowl today at Aloha Stadium.

"Hey, it came in its own time," said the 39-year-old left guard for San Francisco. "So I just take it as it comes. I'm just very appreciative."

Brown is the oldest Pro Bowl rookie in today's lineup, a fact he doesn't mind admitting. Because after 16 years in the NFL, he's heard it all. About his age, about his size, about his speed.

But what he does have is respect, something that comes with age and experience in the league.

"Once you slap on the pads and put on the helmets, you're just competing against another guy," Brown said. "I don't take into consideration that I'm an older guy. They may joke with me a little bit, but they definitely don't take it easy on me."

And even though he's 17 years older than the youngest Pro Bowler, he's obviously at the top of his game.

Plagued by injuries early in his career, Brown proved himself to be a menace on the offensive line, establishing himself as a powerful run blocker and pass protector. He started all but one game for the 49ers since the team signed him as a free agent in 1996. In 2000 he didn't allow a single sack.

This season he anchored one of the league's best offensive lines, ranked second in rushing offense. The 49ers' front five paved the way for a 1,000-yard rusher for five consecutive years.

"I think I'm playing at a good level right now," he said. "There are some things I can't do now that I used to do. If you're a veteran player, you have to work on flexibility and maintain a certain eating habit, and that's what I do. I can't get too far out of shape."

During practice Tuesday at Aloha Stadium, Brown took it all in. He was in Hawai'i, among the league's best players, in a stadium dressed in its best aloha attire awaiting his arrival.

"I'm just so humbled, I'm still taking it all in," he said. "I'm just so grateful to be here."

Brown joked around with another veteran Pro Bowl rookie, fellow lineman James "Big Cat" Williams, Chicago's right tackle, who has been with the Bears for 11 seasons.

Williams made the Bears' roster in 1991 as an undrafted rookie out of Cheyney (Pa.) State, where he was a four-year all-Penn State Athletic Conference lineman with 342 tackles and 37.5 sacks. He started as a defensive linemen before moving to offense in 1992. Over the years he proved to be a reliable player, starting every game for the past four years.

At 33, Williams is feeling his age. He gets massages twice a week as part of his recovery from Sundays.

"I'm getting older so it takes a little longer to get in shape then when it did when I was a kid," Williams said. "But, you know, you just have to work a little harder in the offseason in order to make it through the regular season."

Though he's not the flashy wide out or the well-respected quarterback, the 6-7 331-pound Williams enjoys his unglorified role in the front five who, he says, make the plays happen.

"We get the respect we deserve, but we're the quiet unsung heroes," he said.

But as he made his way to the locker rooms on Tuesday after practice, he couldn't help but notice the fans in the stands, waving baseball hats and footballs, screaming "Big Cat! Big Cat!"

Williams just smiled.

Even veterans like the attention.

"It's a great opportunity," he said. "It took 11 years, but it makes it all the more sweeter."

MVP award: This year, the game's Most Valuable Player will win a Cadillac Escalade, the same vehicle that New England quarterback Tom Brady won for being named Super Bowl MVP. Fans can go online at www.nfl.com to vote for the Pro Bowl MVP award and their vote will count for 20 percent of the overall voting.

Charity swing: Mallory Code, a 17-year-old nationally ranked junior golfer from Tampa Bay, Fla., missed a chance to make a hole-in-one Tuesday at the Ace Hardware Golf Shootout at the Ko Olina Golf Club. That would have meant $1 million to the Children's Miracle Network on behalf of Code, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, asthma and diabetes. Despite her miss, Duracell Coppertop has donated $500,000 to Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children.