In the immediate aftermath of the New York Giants' 36-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night, life was unlike anything that Andre Brown had seen before. The Giants' substitute back had a career night against the Panthers, rushing for 113 yards on 20 and scoring two touchdowns.
Friday, it seemed like everyone wanted a piece of the 25-year-old from North Carolina State.
"Doing SportsCenter this morning, just being on NFL Network and doing the Fan Cam. I just think, as far as the media-wise, I've never seen anything like it - the tabloids and everybody calling me," Brown said Friday during an interview on 790 The Ticket in Miami with The Dan LeBatard Show. "I have so many text messages and missed phone calls. My mailbox is full. I had 132 voice messages. It's crazy. I just still remain humble about it. ... My journey has been so crazy."
That journey has included being drafted by the Giants in 2009, missing his rookie season because of injury, then being cut by the Giants, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Panthers and Washington Redskins before re-surfacing with the Giants. He spent last season on the practice squad, then made the 53-man roster as a reserve entering this season.
"I think the low point would probably be me getting injured coming out of college my rookie year. I ruptured my Achilles; that set me back. You really can't think that you can come back from an Achilles in six to eight months, but it took me almost like a year and a half to get back feeling like myself," Brown said. "I had a couple low points, getting cut, then getting cut a second time, a third time, a fourth time."
The first cut is the deepest goes the saying, and Brown admitted the first cut by the Giants was the most difficult for him.
"They were the team that drafted me and that kind of hit home, but I'd really say it was a very humbling experience. But, to keep getting picked up by somebody else, a different team, it goes to say you have talent, but you just have to focus on it," Brown said. "Some of that stuff is overlooked and you can have all the talent in the world, but if you're not putting in hard work ... you can be right out of it."