Arizona Cardinals’ wide receiver John “Smokey” Brown has had to overcome tragedy and pitfalls to get to where he is today
John Brown is exactly the type of wide receiver that Arizona Cardinals’ head coach Bruce Arians prefers. A speedster on the smallish side, one who has good hands and is fearless. While most NFL teams lean towards pass-catchers with great size, Brown is the exact opposite.
The 5’11”, 179 pounder is no stranger to adversity. Brown, given the nickname “Smokey” at birth, though it could describe his speed as well, experienced a terrible tragedy seven years ago this summer. A horrible event that hurt him deeply, and he’ll carry a memory of it with him forever.
It was at a Miami, Florida nightclub in 2010 that Brown’s half-brother, James Walker, was struck down by two bullets. One entered his brain, another entered his chest, neither killing him instantly. Walker would eventually pass away months later, but not before Brown made a vow to him that he’d land in the NFL.
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The product of tiny Pittsburg State University fulfilled that promise when he was drafted by Arizona in 2014. The third-round draft pick forced his head coach to overcome his phobia of playing rookies. Brown caught 48 passes as a rookie for 696 yards and five touchdowns, opening the eyes of both Arians and the franchise.
The wideout was even better during his sophomore campaign. He bettered his numbers of ’14, tallying 65 receptions, 1,003 yards and seven scores. Not only had he accomplished what he had told his brother he would, he was actually excelling in the league.
Just when things were going well, Brown started experiencing pain and fatigue in his legs last season. A simple blood test revealed that a sickle-cell condition was the cause for the discomfort. Brown’s on-field production suffered (just 39 catches for 517 yards and two touchdowns in 2015), and concern was felt throughout the entire organization.
Fortunately, his prognosis for the upcoming season is good. The ailment is reportedly under control now, due to the fact that the team doctors know what they’re dealing with. Brown returning to his 2015 form would be welcome news to both quarterback Carson Palmer and the whole Cardinals’ offense.
Brown has risen from the ashes before. He has bounced back from a death in his family, got noticed despite playing for a small college, defied the odds by finding his way onto an NFL roster.
Now Brown gets to prove he can rise up once again. It might not be a good idea to bet against him.