FOXBORO, Mass. — Ben Brown took a red-eye flight from Las Vegas to Boston and landed before the sun came up Thursday morning. He had medical tests at Gillette Stadium before he joined his new Patriots teammates in meetings and then ventured out to the practice field.
“Crazy, for sure,” Brown told NESN.com after he started at center in New England’s 41-21 loss to the Houston Texans.
Brown blended in with the first-team offense in practice Thursday and Friday before Saturday’s walk-through. He found out Sunday morning he would be snapping the ball to Drake Maye, the rookie quarterback set to start his first game for the Patriots.
“It was exciting, for sure. Hate that we didn’t get the win today. Winning is the most important, but it was cool being out there today,” Brown said. “I felt good out there. I felt calm, playing with a lot of great players on the offensive line and the quarterback, as well.”
Brown played 100% of offensive snaps and did not allow a pressure on Maye, per Pro Football Focus. His Patriots teammates combined to allow 13 pressures and three sacks with right tackle Demontrey Jacobs (four pressures, two sacks), right guard Mike Onwenu (three pressures) and left tackle Zach Thomas (three pressures, sack) all faring worse than the center who spent the first five weeks on the Raiders’ practice squad.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo labeled Brown as the team’s best lineman against Houston.
“This is one of those things, I’ve never seen it before,” Mayo told reporters during a video conference Monday, per a team-provided video. “A guy being able to come in here after four or five days and become the starting center. So, he did a great job. I would say he probably was our best lineman yesterday, and he did a good job for us. He did a good job all through the week during practice, and then went out there and performed pretty well.”
The good news: The Patriots might have stumbled upon a new starting center after captain David Andrews suffered what’s likely to be a season-ending shoulder injury. Nick Leverett, who started Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins, did not play against the Texans due to an ankle injury. Leverett reportedly was released by the Patriots on Monday.
The bad news: the Patriots’ best lineman Sunday didn’t make his way to New England until late Wednesday night. That’s not to throw shade at Brown, but it’s an indictment on the Patriots. New England has faced a plethora of injuries — it has not started the same five offensive linemen in consecutive games this season. But those who have been in the building couldn’t fare as well as the new third-stringer?
“At the end of the day, football is football. It’s not like this is my first game I’ve ever played,” said Brown, a third-year pro who went undrafted out of Ole Miss. “Being able to be in a bunch of different O-line rooms and different offenses, you’re kind of able to pick up on stuff quicker as time goes on.”
Brown said Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and Mayo told him they were impressed by his versatility and physicality. He described himself as a smart and tough player who ultimately just wants to win.
Based on Brown’s performance against the Texans, Mayo’s remarks and New England’s reported release of Leverett, it’s fair to assume the 26-year-old will have that chance in front of Maye going forward.
“It’s pretty cool. Not going to lie, it’s pretty cool,” Brown said about playing in front of Maye, who congratulated him on a good game before leaving the locker room. “I’m just blessed for this opportunity. You don’t always get an opportunity like this so I just want to do whatever it takes to help us win. Because that’s my job.”
Brown should maintain that job when the Patriots travel to London and face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
