Now that The Spring League has ended and crowned the Linemen champion, I got an opportunity to sit down with Sean Brown, Center for the Generals.
How do you feel you have improved? "I feel like I’ve improved tremendously, especially on the mental aspect of the game. Basically, I didn’t play Center that much growing up playing football, I played Guard and Tackle. So, when I got converted to Center this past Spring League, I developed tremendously from learning how to call calls and also play recognition, defense recognition, and just being a leader. Honestly when you're a center, you’re the next in line to lead after the Quarterback, and damn near the most important player on the field on offense you gotta get the ball to the Quarterback to make a play. Just understanding my position, understanding who I am and my capabilities involved in all aspects of the game. " Do you have a preference of positions you played? Which one you are most comfortable with? "I love playing Guard, but I fell in love playing Center to be honest. It’s a true leader position, you really gotta lead, cause without you they can’t do anything. That’s how I look at it, and I kinda feel like I needed that. " There’s always a close knit relationship between Centers and Quarterbacks, and you played with a NFL vet in Ryan Mallett and a young hungry guy in Deondre Francois. What have you taken from working with these guys that has helped improve your game? "Just being confident in what I am doing at all times, especially when we’re playing. There’s times when I may see something and he might not, so I have to relay that to him. Also just being positive at all times. Football is a game where things don’t always go your way, so there are times when you’ll have your ups and your downs. Especially at that center position you always gotta stay positive, cause you’re in control of the game every time. If I can’t get snaps back there we can’t score at all. So basically just learned from those guys, those guys honestly told me just be you and keep it calm and collected, and let’s make sure we communicate at all times." Due to Covid, the XFL had to cancel its season. Do you still keep in touch with your Wildcat teammates, and if so, what has their constant communication meant to you as a person and a player? "Not much as I used to, no bad blood or anything. You know players move on to focus on other things, some players stop playing and others continue playing. So not as much as I used to, we’re all on the up and up. Meaning we’re all coming up and going to get it. I’ve actually played against a few of my teammates on other teams, and we talk and stuff like that." From the public’s point of view, the offensive line is the most important part of the offense yet the least known. What steps have you taken to help your game stand out from the other lineman? "Honestly, just making sure that one, I don’t give up any sacks that’s very big for me and also there's always duration of the plays. Where a play gets extended and I want to continue to keep blocking. When you’re blocking sometimes we as lineman, I don’t want to say lazy, but we only block for four or five seconds. I made it a thing where for most of my plays if I had the opportunity to stretch it out, like if the running back or receiver got the ball, to continue to keep doing my job at all times. So I just made that extra effort and when other teams see that, they hate it. It makes them think, dang I’m gonna have to bring it every play, cause with me they know they’ll have to bring it every play. I’m always looking to win every breath every time, I look forward to that. Like Coach Barkley says all the time, every play is a different play so you better have the best 3 to 5 seconds of your life every time. That’s all it really is and it really simplifies the game when he says stuff like that, cause you're like dang we’re really only doing this for 3 to 5 seconds and then a whole other play comes." According to a 2015 article with draftdiamonds, you said your biggest strength was your mindset. Has that changed at all in 6 years? "No, never. Definitely the same because this game is an up and down game, you need to have a strong mindset. In sports, you’re gonna have times where you think damn, this is not going the way I want it to. So you always gotta keep that positive on and you have to stay strong. I coach the warrior mindset, because I got to be a warrior. It’s like you’re going out there to hunt and you got to go feed your family. So every play is a gift, even if you’re up by 30 or even if you’re down by 30, you still gotta push through. Anything is possible. Nothing is impossible, anything is possible, that’s something I live by very strongly." You also said your biggest weakness was occasionally over aggression on the field. Has that changed at all? "Yeah I calmed down a lot. Like I said, just trying to get into those plays. I’ve definitely calmed down a lot. Just keeping myself composed during moments of tough times. So I’ve definitely improved on that tremendously. There have been times where I’ve gotten flags, could’ve extended the game more where we could’ve won if I could’ve done a little extra. It’s just maturing over the years, getting older, getting smarter and understanding who you are. Then once you understand who you are and what you can be, it's great after that." You famously said in an article on XFLboard that you have something to prove. Do you still carry that attitude with you as you go into each game? "Yeah, not just every game, it's every day of life I feel I have something to prove. It’s not that I gotta prove to other people, you always gotta prove something to yourself and your family first and I’m big on that. Every day proves anything, you gotta get 1% better everyday. I feel like the moment you wake up, you gotta get better and something. So yeah, everyday I feel like I got something to prove and I live by that." In that same interview you mentioned watching a lot of Quinton Nelson film. Have you been watching a lot of other players since then? "I mean yeah but not as much as Quinton Nelson. I love Quinton Nelson honestly because he plays that old school football. He’s very athletic and that’s kinda like me, lotta people have asked how athletic I am. I would love to play with Quinton, so hopefully if things work out it can happen." You have been regarded before as a leader in the locker room. What do you do to inspire your teammates? "I mean honestly it starts in practice, I set the tone, more so physically than verbally. I’ll speak a lot but you gotta accept the challenge. There are times in practice where we’re up and down and I might curse somebody out and take it above and beyond in that scene of practice. They’ll feel my energy and that feeling is contagious, once they feel you and see. It’s one thing to talk, nobody wants a leader who talks, you got to show people. Most of the time I show them and they follow. We push each other everyday, and I have my days where I push myself." Also how do you take that pressure of being recognized as a leader? "Honestly it’s not pressure, to me it’s not. I accept the challenge of being a leader. At the end of the day when stuff goes wrong you’re gonna be looked at like a villain or when stuff goes right you’ll be looked at as a hero. It’s tough in the game, I understand really, but it doesn’t bother me, I embrace it and accept it." What motivates you to do your absolute best and work as hard as you can toward your football career? "My dad, he passed away about 4 or 5 years ago. My dad is a big motivation, he was on dialysis for damn near 20 years and raised me. I had my mom in my life but I lived with my dad. Which is kinda the society we live in, especially in the African American community that’s very rare, not a lot of kids raised by their dad. My dad was very huge in the community, they got a park left to my dad, my dad’s a legend. That’s what is huge to me, the way he took care of me everyday when he didn’t have all the necessary stuff to take care of me. He didn’t make any excuses so I can’t make any excuses, that’s how I look at it." Do you mind being compared to other professionals or do you feel that could potentially hurt or limit what scouts think of your game? "I’m not agree or disagree, because at the end of the day the NFL is a league where you’re always gonna get compared so it doesn’t matter what you do. There’s never going to be a time where you’re not being compared, until you get to that level where people are being compared to you. So always at the beginning you’re going to be compared to someone, doesn’t matter who it is or what it is. Doesn’t really matter to me, they’re gonna compare me to players whether I like it or not. " From college to the XFL to the TSL, how has each league shaped your game? "Believe or not, after college I played arena first and arena really helped my game. I used to have problems with my 1 on 1 blocks a lot, like the physical aspects of it and understanding the technique. The arena game is so fast, it’s faster than outside football because it’s smaller and quicker and much more physical. That taught me a whole lot and I was blessed to be coached by Marvin Jones (Linebacker for the Jets), Damen Ware who coached for the Saints years ago, he was my OC. They really instilled a lot of stuff that helped me out. My problem coming out was my technique, I had horrible technique coming out. I was athletic, I was always athletic but the older you get the more you grow and people are just as athletic as you. So that helped me a lot and taught me a lot. Arena really helped me out and once I got out it was just easier for me. Literally stuff was way slower, it may be hard to believe, but that stuff is really slow for me." Finally, as you take your next step in your football career, what is the biggest lesson (doesn’t have to be football related) you’ve learned that you would share with young aspiring football players? "Enjoy and accept every moment that comes to you. Basically learn to accept challenges, there’s always gonna be challenges, there’s always gonna be adversity to go through. So don’t dwell on it, there’s always gonna be injuries, there’s always gonna be setbacks but it’s not about how it starts it’s about how you finish. So just learn how to push through and grind through everything and you’ll be fine." Sean Brown is currently a NFL free agent looking for an opportunity on making an NFL roster. You can follow him on twitter here.
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