The NFL's grand old man: as Redskins lineman Ray Brown enters his 20th and perhaps final training camp, his career path reveals what it takes for an ordinary player to enjoy extraordinary longevity

"Being versatile is an asset for me," says Brown. "I can come in and hold a spot until an injured starter is ready to come back in. Or I can start if you want me to."

That's what happens in 2004, several months after Brown becomes a salary cap casualty in Detroit. Right tackle Jon Jansen suffers a ruptured Achilles' tendon in the Redskins' opening exhibition game and is lost for the season. That night, the Browns receive a phone call from Monica Mitchell, the wife of Brian Mitchell, a former teammate and longtime friend of Brown.

"That looks like a job for you guys," Monica says.

"That's not going to happen," says Brown, an unemployed free agent sitting in San Jose. "He's a tackle; I'm a guard."

The next morning, the phone rings again. This time, it's Redskins vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato, asking Brown if he's interested in coming to camp for a tryout. Brown is signed as a depth-fortifying addition but ends up starting 14 games, including 13 at right tackle. It is an adjustment.

"I had to watch my weight. Whereas I could play guard at 315, 320, I had to get lighter. I had to make sure I could move my feet out there," says Brown, who admits he suffered "competition anxiety" moving to a position he hadn't played in 11 years, since starting three games at right tackle for the Redskins in '93.

To ease that anxiety, Brown spends extra time in the film room. He studies tape of his upcoming individual opponent and the offensive tackle who most recently faced that man. He also watches different right tackles around the league. "I tried to see what other guys were doing and tried to copy them," he says. Even into his 40s, he remains a student of the game.

Now, Brown will try to hold off Father Time one more year. He will go into the Redskins' training camp as a backup at both guard and tackle and will compete with Lennie Friedman for the role of sixth man on the line. It seems appropriate Brown's career is ending where it blossomed.

"I've seen him grow in leaps and bounds," says Bugel, now the Redskins' assistant head coach/offense, who remembers when Brown was a raw prospect in 1989. "He's the epitome of a pro offensive lineman. He can knock you from here to yesterday."

Brown may have been a late bloomer, but he has had remarkable staying power.

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