Tim Brown was once one of the fastest players in the NFL. His Hall of Fame speech was anything but. Inductees are allotted 8 minutes for their speeches. Brown was clocked at 31 minutes, 27 seconds.
Of course if you look at his career numbers and think back to the QBs that were throwing to him it really does show how amazing he was.
It was also the beginning of a remarkable streak of both durability and productivity. For nine straight years from 1993-2001, Brown hauled in at least 75 receptions, topped 1,000 yards and scored at least five touchdowns. Over that nine-season span, he averaged over eight receiving scores a season, in an era when passing wasn't as prevalent as today.
No, it wasn't the Wing-T days, but it wasn't today (when 4,000 passing yards is considered "OK") either.
And over that 144-game stretch, Brown suited up each and every week.
What made the streak all the more remarkable was the Raiders' bevy of, how shall I put this, uninspiring quarterbacks at the time. Jeff Hostetler. Billy Joe Hobert. Jeff George. Donald Hollas.
As a Raiders fan I will now go back to living in the past.