And though every discussion of Giants cornerbacks begins with Jason Sehorn and includes the Dave Thomas/Will Allen/Will Peterson battle on the left side, Brown is an afterthought - if his name is spoken of at all.

But Brown's story is as inspirational as any in the Giants training camp. And despite the team's current surfeit of talented cornerbacks, he has the talent to compete for some serious playing time. That's quite an achievement for a player who missed virtually his entire rookie season with a serious injury and who wasn't cleared to play until just prior to the draft in April.

Despite those setbacks, Brown has stepped in and impressed the coaches.

"Ralph has been outstanding," coach Jim Fassel said Monday. "Of all the guys that you throw into a new category and kind of jump out at you, I would say he has jumped out at me more than anyone. He has really looked good. That's been a big-time pleasant surprise, not just having him, but the way he's played. It's like having an extra draft pick because we really didn't have him last year."

Brown's 2000 season came to an abrupt conclusion in Chicago on September 17 as he covered a kickoff following the Giants third quarter touchdown. Brown isn't certain who hit him or what happened. He just knew something was wrong.

"I helped make the tackle, got up, talked a little trash and went over to the sideline," Brown said. "When I got there I clutched my side because I couldn't catch my breath. I lay down and was able to breathe again. But five minutes later I got a bad pain in my back. Then after the game there was blood in my urine."

By then, football had become a secondary concern. Brown underwent a CAT scan prior to flying to California. He was told that in most instances, kidney lacerations heal by themselves. But it can get dicey when they don't.

"The doctors told me they might have to remove the kidney," Brown said. "Or I might need surgery to repair it."

For Brown, the news was jarring. In 13 years of football, dating back to his pee-wee days, he had never missed a game because of injury. Now he didn't know if he would ever play again.

"It was a humbling experience. And a scary experience," Brown said. "I learned you can't take anything for granted. In the snap of your fingers, your career can be over."

Fortunately for Brown, his isn't. After his initial CAT can he had one each month. Doctors said he was improving, but wouldn't commit to his eventual return.

"It was touch and go there for a while," Fassel said.

"When I talked to Ralph I reminded him that football is temporary, but your health is the rest of your life," said secondary coach Johnnie Lynn. "That's the most important thing that we dealt with. Let's make sure everything is absolutely, positively clean."

That moment occurred just prior to the draft in late April when doctors told Brown the laceration was completely closed. After seven long months, he was cleared to play football.

"It was a blessing," Brown said. "I just wanted to be involved with the team again. When you're injured you feel excluded."

Brown joined the Giants as a fifth round draft choice in 2000 after a stellar career at Nebraska, where he started 51 consecutive games. At 5-10 and 185 pounds, Brown immediately commanded the coaches' attention with his hustle, talent and football savvy. After he was inactive for the season opener, Brown made his debut on special teams in Week 2 at Philadelphia.

The following week he took the shot in Chicago and saw his season come to an abrupt end.

"Before he got hurt last year this young man really showed me some potential," Fassel said. "I was very disappointed when he got hurt. Then the shock came that this thing may not heal up like we want it to. That put him in jeopardy of coming back. Then when he was cleared to play football again … he was out there in rookie camp (after the draft) and he looked really, really good. He's a great kid with a great attitude."

Brown suffered a minor setback the first day of camp, when he dislocated a finger and missed two days of work. But after what he's been through, that could hardly be classified as a setback.

"I'm really happy to be back," said Brown, who wasn't able to run until he got full clearance in April. "I'm just trying to have fun. It's kind of like I'm an experienced rookie. I know all the plays. I'm just trying to fine-tune things. Now I know what to expect."

Brown said he wasn't surprised when the Giants chose Allen and Peterson with their first two picks in the draft. That created a traffic jam at cornerback, where Sehorn, Thomas, Emmanuel McDaniel, the two rookies, Brown and several free agents are vying for jobs.

With all that high-profile talent, and with the skirmishes for starting jobs underway, Brown often gets overlooked publicly. But the coaches aren't counting him out.

"He looks a whole lot better to me this year than he did last year," Fassel said. "And last year I liked him. We have improved the secondary more than any other phase of our football team, without a doubt."

Thankfully for the Giants and their underrated corner, Brown is part of that improvement.

Copyright New York Giants 2001