Courtesy Boston Globe

Ask someone to name 10 great NFL wide receivers, and New England's Troy Brown won't even be an afterthought. Brown most likely wouldn't make an average fan's top 25.

The thing is, Troy Brown is one of the great unsung players in professional football, and he's returning to the patriots - the only team for whom he's played - for a remarkable 15th season.

His longevity is enough to give Brown recognition for having an uncanny NFL career. The average life of a pro football player is four years. Some very good wide receivers last nine. Unless you're a kicker or linebacker, though, 15 years of constant punishment, without falling completely apart, is truly amazing. In fact, only eight of the top 20 all-time wideouts played longer than Troy Brown.

Brown does have three very distinguished seasons on his lengthy NFL resume. In 2001, he paced New England with 101 catches and 1,199 yards. The next year, Brown countered with 97 grabs in just 14 games. In a prior season, Brown had 83 catches and 944 yards. These are Jerry Rice-type statistics for a very un-Rice-like player.

Brown is like the great Jerry Rice in one clear-cut way. Brown is a terrific competitor and a legitimate winner; he was part of all three of New England's Super Bowl titles. In fact, Brown even jumped to the other side of the line of scrimmage, playing defensive back, when the Patriots were so injury-riddled on one of their championship seasons.

Prior to and after his three best receiving years, Brown has never caught more than 43 passes. He's never been a big touchdown maker, six scores being Brown's highest. He does have 557 catches - certainly not great for all of his seasons, but definitely noteworthy.

Brown needs roughly 60 catches to finish his career in the top 25 for receptions. If he gets there, few will notice.

One thing is for sure, we'll be watching and rooting for one the NFL's all-time great unsung players - Troy Brown.