In their continuing preparations for the 2012 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts have signed defensive lineman Jerry J. Brown from the San Antonio Talons of the Arena Football League.
"I'm a COLT!! Just signed a contract with the Indianapolis Colts!!" Brown excitedly posted on his Facebook page on May 22.
The transaction was confirmed on the Colts' website on May 23. The team has Brown listed as an outside linebacker.
As a fan of both the Colts and the Arena Football League, I've seen Brown play on multiple occasions, and he is one of the premier defensive linemen in the indoor league. He is unable, by league rule, to stunt or twist, so he has to get past offensive linemen using sheer brute strength. And he's good at getting past offensive linemen. He could develop into a force to be reckoned with in the NFL.
Brown is 6-foot-5 and 259 pounds and played his college football at Illinois. He signed with the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League in 2011 and immediately became a menace to opposing offenses.
In 13 regular season games with the Sharks, Brown piled up 19.5 total tackles, including 7.5 for a loss. He also posted six sacks, three fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, a blocked kick, and a safety. In a game against the Dallas Vigilantes, Brown scooped up a blocked extra point attempt and returned it the other way for a two-point conversion for the Sharks.
Brown kept his motor running in the 2011 AFL playoffs, adding two more tackles in three games as Jacksonville won ArenaBowl XXIV. In that championship game, he forced and recovered a fumble on kickoff coverage, and the Sharks cashed in the turnover for an important touchdown in a game that was decided by three points as time expired.
Brown has shown no signs of a sophomore slump in 2012. In 10 games with the Talons this season, he has registered 21 solo tackles, 13 assists, and five sacks. He also has two quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries, and a blocked kick.
That blocked kick came late in the fourth quarter of an April game against the Chicago Rush. After a Chicago touchdown, Brown got his hands up in the air and knocked the extra point attempt down. San Antonio won the game, 56-55.
Brown's invitation to Colts camp continues a long line of Arena Football League players making the jump to the NFL. While the AFL is dominated by offense, defenders get noticed, too. Former Rush DL Martin Parker was signed by the New York Giants last season. He recently received his Super Bowl ring.
While Brown is understandably excited, he knows his work isn't done.
"I still gotta work to make the team," Brown posted on his Facebook page later in the evening on May 22. "But my name is on the dotted line."
At this point, that's all that matters.
The author is a Featured Contributor in Sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and frequently contributes to Yahoo! Sports' coverage of the Arena Football League. He's also a resident of central Indiana and a longtime fan of the Colts. You can follow him on Twitter at @RedZoneWriting and on Facebook.
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