<IMG SRC="
http://fof2forever.com/CFL/News/brown1.gif" hspace=5 border=1 ALIGN=RIGHT>Portland, OR (AP) - When Oregon Ice QB <b>Maurice Brown</b> was allowed to leave New Orleans last season as a free agent, he stayed awake at night praying for one more chance to start in the CFL. "I knew I had it in me," says Brown. "I just needed the opportunity to get back on the field."
That chance came when Oregon GM <b>Grid Iron</b> called offering him a job. "We didn't promise him the starting spot. We wanted a competition," remembers Iron, who was trying to fill the spot created when he traded former CFL Bowl MVP quarterback <b>Landon Hurst</b> to Charleston just weeks before in a salary-cap related move.
After a brief negotiation, Brown signed a five-year $20 million contract that included a $1.5 million signing bonus and a cap-friendly $1.15 million salary in 2006. "He's gonna have to really earn the rest of that money," said Grid Iron, who can release Brown next season at a cap cost of just $1.3 million. "Hopefully, he'll be here for a long time."
Brown, whose expertise is in throwing short passes, is considered a team leader on, and off, the field. In 2003, he threw for 3,522 yards, 23 TD and 12 INT for Anchorage. Unfortunately, the Renegades ownership soured on Brown after he threw only 13 TD against 13 INT in 2004, and he eventually found his way to New Orleans where he was a backup.
"I had a lot of time to think," said Brown of his time carrying the clipboard. "I decided that my talent wasn't going to get me a starting job. I needed to work my tail off."
All of Brown's work since the end of the 2005 season paid off in Oregon's 34-28 victory at Boise on Opening Day. in the game, Brown was 23 of 38 for 303 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT and earned player of the game honors.
"He tore it up out there," said Oregon wide receiver <b>Matt Brunner</b> who had 9 catches for 177 yards. "Every time I got open, the ball was right there."
Like any good GM, however, Grid Iron is taking a more skeptical approach. "It's just one game. Next week will be against a very tough Shreveport team," Iron said. "Talk to me next week and ask me how I feel then," Iron said with a chuckle.
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