Alex Brown

Alex James Brown (born June 4, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the Florida Gators, and was a two-time All-American. The Chicago Bears picked Brown in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL draft, and he also played for the New Orleans Saints.

Early life

Brown was born in Jasper, Florida in 1979. He attended Hamilton County High School in Jasper, and played high school football for the Hamilton County Trojans. As the Trojans' senior quarterback in 1996, Brown threw for 863 yards and four touchdowns, and rushed for 767 yards and eighteen touchdowns; as a starting linebacker, he also compiled 117 total tackles (with seven tackles for loss), five blocked passes, four fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and two blocked field goals. The Gators coaching staff decided to red-shirt him as a true freshman in 1997. He was also the 2001 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, one of the four finalists for the Lombardi Award, and one of five finalists of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

Professional career

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears selected Brown in the fourth round (104th pick overall) of the 2002 NFL draft, and he played for the Bears from to . As a rookie, he started nine of the fifteen games in which he played at right defensive end and logged 2.5 quarterback sacks. He also totaled 40 tackles (31 unassisted) and three passes broken up, while also contributing on special teams coverage.

New Orleans Saints On April 7, 2010, the New Orleans Saints signed Brown to a two-year contract. He played his final NFL season for the Saints, starting in all sixteen games at left defensive end.

In his nine-season NFL career, Brown played in 143 regular season games, started 123 of them, and compiled 421 tackles, 43.5 quarterback sacks, forty-two deflected passes, seventeen forced fumbles with twelve recovered, and five interceptions. Following Bears games, Brown, David Kaplan, former teammate Lance Briggs, and former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt serve as analysts for NBC Sports Chicago's Football Aftershow.

He is a Republican precinct committeeman in Vernon Hills, Illinois where he resides with his wife, Kari, who serves as a village trustee.