Brown’s Devlin Joins The Patriots
Monday, September 03, 2012
Bill Belichick has been seen in the stands at Brown Stadium for a Bears football game. He obviously has liked what he has seen.
Sunday, Belichick and the Patriots signed another former Brown Bear to the roster when they added former Cincinnati Bengals fullback Jimmy Devlin to the team's practice squad.
Devlin (6'-3" 250 lbs) converted to fullback in the NFL after a standout career as a defensive end at Brown from 2006-2009.
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He spent the last two seasons on the Bengals' practice squad.
Devlin becomes at least the fourth former Brown University football player to sign with the Patriots since Belichick took over as head coach back in 2000. Wide receiver and special teams standout Sean Morey was a member of the team's practice squad in 2000. Offensive lineman Drew Inzer spent the 2001 on New England's practice squad earning a Super Bowl ring with the team. Wide receiver Chas Gessner won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2003 as a member of the team's practice squad before being relegated to the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe by the Pats in 2004 where he won the World Bowl in 2004 and was named to the All-NFL Europe team.
Former Brown football player and assistant coach Bill O'Brien coached with Belichick in New England from 2007-2011 before accepting the head coaching position at Penn State.
Since the turn of the century, Brown University has been as well-represented in the National Football League as any other Ivy League program with former players winning multiple Super Bowl rings and Pro Bowl honors.
Morey won a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers following the 2005 season as did former Brown quarterback Mark Whipple who served as Ben Roethlisberger's position coach on that Steelers' team.
Morey was also selected to the Pro Bowl in 2008. Fellow Bear Zak DeOssie was also selected to the Pro Bowl in 2008 and in 2010. The NY Giants linebacker / long-snapper has also won two Super Bowl rings, both at the expense of the Patriots following the 2007 and 2011 seasons.
Given the success of the Brown football program under current head coach Phil Estes, it should come as no surprise that many Bears have made it into the National Football League.
