Ronnie Brown Talks About His Knee, His Coach, His Coach's Boss and His Teammates

Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown was on pace to have a great season (admittedly for a bad team) when he blew out his knee in an October loss to the Patriots.

In the nine months he's been rehabbing that knee injury, Brown has gotten a new head coach (Tony Sparano), a new general manager (Jeff Ireland), a new front office boss (Bill Parcells) and a new high-priced rookie teammate (Jake Long). Meanwhile, there's speculation that an old teammate (Jason Taylor) could be leaving, and even talk that an old quarterback (Brett Favre) could become a Dolphin.

I asked Brown about all of those things in an interview today, starting with the knee.

How's your knee?
It's pretty good. I was able to participate in our last few [organized team activities] and go through those things without any limitations. I think that's a big plus, and I think I'll get some activity in training camp, and that's a big step in rehab.

Will you play in the preseason?
I'm not sure. Right now I'm just planning on starting when we start training camp. I'm not too sure about the preseason. It's something we're going to have to talk about and see how camp goes.

You're a pretty young guy and you're going to make a full recovery from this injury, but do you ever look at the ex-NFL players who are 45 years old and limping around and worry that some day you'll be one of them?
Not really. I'm just enjoying the moment. As a child growing up the goal is to play in the NFL, and to have this opportunity, I'm just trying to enjoy that. You never know. The way technology is going, you never know what they'll come out with next and how your body will be able to feel in a few years.


Your college teammate Cadillac Williams is also coming off a serious knee injury. Have you guys talked about that?
We did. We talk from time to time, I saw him a week ago and we talked about how things are going and how he's progressing. He's looking forward to coming back this season. We try to check on one another.

The knee injury happened when you were making a tackle after Cleo Lemon threw an interception. Were you mad at Cleo for that?
Not really. It's a part of the game. Unfortunately, that's something that you have to deal with. You could look at it as I'm trying to make a tackle and I was probably technically unsound myself. It's just one of those things that happens.

Roger Goodell recently said highly drafted rookies like your new teammate Jake Long are paid too much. Do you agree?
It's hard to say. From the standpoint of myself being one of those guys, it's understandable that people would say that, the fact that you haven't played and made a name for yourself at this level and the only thing you can be judged on is what you did in college, and then you have guys that are around here who were lower draft picks and have proven themselves and had excellent careers and been Pro Bowlers, and I can understand from their standpoint why they'd want to be among the highest-paid guys. They have a good argument.

What's your feel for how the new front office is coming together with the Dolphins, with coach Tony Sparano, general manager Jeff Ireland and their boss, Bill Parcells?
It's going real well. When they came in we were all looking forward to a change and to winning football games. That's our main goal, and it's exciting to have coach Parcells in, just knowing his track record and the things he's done with other organizations.

Coach Sparano -- coach Parcells picked him, so he's chosen him for a reason. We're just looking forward to having a good working relationship and winning football games.

Do you have regular contact with Bill Parcells?
Not so much regular. When we're at the facility he comes around and wants to see where things are going, and you get an opportunity to talk to him, and he'll say some things and give you some pointers that you may need to work on, or something that can help you, and I think it's good to have him around. To get advice from him is great.

Do you think Jason Taylor will be your teammate this year?
I really don't know. I hope so. I look forward to him coming back, but you really don't know. That's the business side of this thing that has to get worked out, and that's one of the things on this level that you have to deal with. But I'm hoping he'll be putting on a Miami Dolphins uniform.

Did you watch him on Dancing With the Stars?
I did.

What did you think?
He surprised me. He did a whole lot better than we thought he would do. I was just hoping he wouldn't get the boot in the first round, and he made it all the way to the final, so that was exciting.

Do you expect to share carries with Ricky Williams this season?
At this point it's kind of early and I don't really know how it's going to work, as far as how we're going to break it up, but we were able to work together a little bit in my rookie season,and that worked pretty well. Whatever can help the team is our main goal, I think I can say that for myself and for Ricky.

There's some speculation that Brett Favre could play in 2008. What do you think of that?
I think everybody kind of had it in the back of their minds when they heard him say he could still play and he still has it. The guy has played 17 seasons or so and never missed a game. That's big.

Would you want Brett Favre on the Dolphins?
To have the opportunity to play with a guy like that, he's tough and he's a competitor and he wants to win, it would be great to play with him.

The Seattle Mariners drafted you in the 42nd round of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft. Do you ever wonder if you could have made it in baseball?
I've thought about it a few times. Fortunately for myself, this football thing has worked out real well and hopefully I can continue to just get better, but, you know, I've thought about it in the past.

We talked about Cadillac Williams before but there was actually another teammate of yours at Auburn, Brandon Jacobs, who couldn't get on the field ahead of you guys at Auburn but is now with the Giants. Did you see the potential he had while he was at Auburn, before he transferred to Southern Illinois?
I did. A guy like Brandon, it's something that you rarely see, a guy with his size and his speed, obviously that was good at Auburn, to be 255, 265 and be able to move all that weight around and be as agile as he was. Unfortunately we had a lot of guys there, but it worked out for him, he had a lot of success and with the Giants he won the Super Bowl.

What's your opinion of the way Roger Goodell has started to crack down on guys like Pacman Jones and Chris Henry who have gotten into trouble off the field?
I think in any profession we're adults now, and you shouldn't have to have someone watch over you, but at the same time, you do have to have a disciplinary system, and for some reason, some guys get into trouble. For him to start cracking down, I think it makes guys a little more conscious and they think a little bit more before they do something.

Do you think there's resentment among players that Roger Goodell has focused too much on the negative aspects of what players do?
I don't know if it's resentment. I'm pretty familiar with Pacman -- we've crossed paths a few times in Atlanta. He's a good guy, but unfortunately, we all go through things where we make bad decisions, and at this level when you make those bad decisions you're under the microscope. But I hope things work out for him because I think he's going in the right direction and I think he's around some good people like Deion Sanders in Dallas.

You mentioned crossing paths with Pacman. How is it that a guy like you manages to stay out of trouble and a guy like him keeps finding it?
Sometimes you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Other times you just make bad decisions. Fortunately for myself, I haven't been in any of those situations. But I have to say, you could be anywhere and something happens, when you're a recognizable face. I just hope guys don't get into those situations.

I understand you're playing some Wii bowling today?
Yeah, I'm down here at the G2 lounge, the low-calorie hydrater from Gatorade, and I got an opportunity to play some Wii bowling in an event for Alonzo Mourning's and Dwyane Wade's charities, and it's exciting because it's the first time I've had an opportunity to play the Wii, and I'm enjoying myself.

You make a good corporate pitchman.
Thank you.

The endorsement income is a big part of being in the NFL.
It is.

What do you think you'll be doing when your NFL career is over?
I'm not sure. Hopefully I still have a while to think about that. I still have plenty of time. Right now it's just football.