Tim Brown, Pro Football Hall of Famer

The week continued as the Zach Yelp Show coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio. Let's go out to the guest line right now. I'm welcoming a man that won the Heisman Trophy in 1987 and got inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

And that is the legendary wide receiver in Tim Brown. Tim, always great to hear your voice. Appreciate the time. How you been? Hey, thank you, Zach. Appreciate the time, brother. All is well.

All is well. I always love Super Bowl week, but one of my favorite parts of the week, Tim, is when we find out the new Pro Football Hall of Fame class. I just want to take you back, though, to 2015 because you had to wait a while to get into the hall.

When you finally got that knock on the door and you got informed you're going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, what do you recall these years later? Oh, man, that's the moment you'll never forget, man. You know, I mean, I always thought because it took so long I would be mad, be like, you know, it's about time. It's about time. But, man, that is the farthest thing through your mind, no doubt about it. So it's nothing but tears, man.

So it's an amazing moment and obviously a moment that changes your life in many different ways. Obviously you want to celebrate the guys that get in, like Arunde Barber, Joe Thomas, Darrell Reavis, and the rest of the class, but a lot of times the conversation, as you know, turns into who didn't get in. You look at that wide receiver position specifically, like guys like Tori Holt, Steve Smith, Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne still waiting. There's been a log jam at that spot for whatever the reasons are for a bunch of years.

Just what advice would you give players like that that you know are Hall of Famers but there's really nothing they could do until they get that knock or that call that they're going to the Hall? Yeah, I, you know, as you know, I had the opportunity to be with Tori Holt while I was down here and I just whispered in his ear, man, just hold on, brother. Hold on, keep believing. It's going to happen, no doubt about that.

I mean, these log jams are damnable, brother. You know, it's a tough, tough deal to deal with because, you know, you would think that, okay, pick a guy. We used to say, me, Andre, and Chris, it don't matter, pick a guy.

Just choose one. You know, I mean, you know, they waited three years before they put either one of us in and did, you know, they flooded the thing out. But, yeah, it's a tough deal, man, no doubt about it. You see guys who are, you know, been waiting as long as you or maybe not as long as you going in, it becomes difficult to stay, you know, that nice, kind guy.

But, you know, you want to go to social media and let people know what's happening, but that's the last thing to do right now. It also probably has to get annoying because everyone knew you were going to get in and that's probably all people were talking about to you when you weren't in the Hall of Fame, right? Yeah, it was tough, man, you know, because, you know, when I retired, I was two, three, and three and catches yards and touchdowns, you know. So, it's like, well, if that doesn't deserve to go into, you know, with the all-purpose yardage and all that stuff, you know, it was a tough deal, man. Look, of course, Jerry going in by himself was one thing, but, you know, the only thing that I still have a little concern about or, you know, think about every once in a while is why it took three years for them to start putting Chris Andre and myself in, you know.

It seems like, to me, that should have happened earlier. Why do you think that was? I don't know. I really have no idea, you know. I mean, Chris, you know, never played in the Super Bowl.

Andre played in four, you know, and I played in one, you know, and so I'm sure Andre had probably better numbers in the playoffs than either one of us. So, you know, it's hard to figure out, man. That's the crazy thing about it. You know, you can't put your finger on one thing when you have, you know, guys locked up like this and say this guy's going to go in before that guy because you just never know.

And from what I hear, it depends a lot on the guy who's presenting you and how, you know, how well he does. Pro Football Hall of Famer Tim Brown here with us. So, Derek Carr, we know the Raiders and him have split. How do you look back at Derek Carr's time with the Raiders? Look, man, the young man gave the organization all he could possibly give, you know. I mean, I know some people wanted him to be different, but I think he was right and stand to what he knows that he can do on a football field and not becoming a running quarterback and all that kind of stuff. But, look, I think he can look back on his time there, you know, knowing that he gave it all he had. Didn't win a lot of playoff games and that kind of stuff.

I get it. But, you know, I think what he did on the field and certainly what he did off the field representing the team, I think it's something he can be proud of for a long time. I remember reading an article in the Athletic years ago that one offensive coach anonymously said that Derek Carr is sensitive and needs encouragement and that is not the style he's going to get. That's what one offensive coach said. There's been rumors that maybe he's going to go to New York, you know, the media monster that is the New York Jets. Do you think Derek Carr can handle New York? Look, Derek Carr is a spiritual-minded guy.

I think he can handle anything that comes his way, no doubt about it. So, look, we're all sensitive, man. Gruden said that about me. Hey, I told him, I'm only sensitive when you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing.

You treat me right. But, you know, look, I mean, that's just a part of it, man. You know, I think you have to wear your emotions on your sleeves every once in a while to let people know that you really care about what's going on.

The sensitive tag is always an interesting one because if you overreact to being called sensitive, then people go, hey, Tim, you're sensitive, look. Right, right. So, thankfully, he kept that between me and him.

It didn't make it to the media. Well, that's good. Pro Football Hall of Famer Tim Brown here with us. Do you know the sexy rumor for the next Raiders quarterback?

It's a Rogers reunion with Devontae Adams. Do you believe that will end up going down? I have no idea how they could possibly work at this particular point. The Raiders don't have draft picks to give them unless they give up the future, you know. So, I don't know if that's a deal that can even happen, you know, but certainly I hadn't heard anything. I know Devontae and Josh Jacobs, they're certainly hoping it happens, but we'll see, man. You know, I don't think they're going to give Aaron away even though, you know, he's up there in age a little bit. But if the Raiders can make it happen, I think it would be awesome.

They right now have the seventh overall pick in the draft, the Raiders. Would you give that up for Rogers? I'm trying to run through these quarterbacks I see coming up, you know, I think are going to be coming up in the draft and trying to see if, you know, okay, if you maybe suffer a year, year and a half and build with one of these guys, would that be worth it? And I don't know.

I don't know, man. I think it's a tough, tough, you know, this is friggin' Aaron Rodgers, right? He could play through.

He's 45 years old, Paul, we know, and play at a very high level, you know, with the style of ball that he plays. So I don't think you pass an opportunity like that. I think if you got a chance to go with Aaron, you got to make that happen. And I don't think Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud are going to be available at seven, so they'd have to move up to get either one of those top two quarterbacks. So it seems like to me that it's either going to be Rodgers or then McDaniels, if they don't get Rodgers, will go out and sign Jimmy Garoppolo.

Would you be on board with Jimmy G or would that be viewed as a little bit of disappointment? Yeah, I mean, look, I just think today's quarterback, you know, Tom Brady's retiring, Aaron Rodgers is probably the last of a dying breed of guys who are basically dropback quarterbacks. You know, where you don't run running plays for him and things of that nature. Now, you know, Rodgers will get out the pocket and run if he has to, but he wants to get rid of the ball, you know, but like I said, he will run, so that makes the defense have to think about him. You know, a guy like Garoppolo is not that guy, I don't believe.

I don't believe he's the guy that is going to want to run. But look, I know that McDaniels has that dropback system because that's what he did, right, with Brady. And so that may be the quarterback he's looking for, man.

Look, if they like it, I love it, brother. You know what I mean? I just want to see some W's on the board, man.

That's all I'm looking for. If you were in Devante Adams' shoes, pro football-famer Tim Brown, and I'm sure he's doing this already behind the scenes per some of the reporting, would you be constantly like on the phone with Josh and the new general manager saying, we got to go get Aaron Rodgers? Well, I don't know about constantly, but they would certainly know where I am with this whole deal, you know what I mean? And didn't come here to play with the start-up offense, with the start-up quarterback. I came here thinking I played eight, nine, seven, eight, nine more years at a very high level with a great quarterback. So I certainly would have made my opinion known to everybody, and hopefully they're listening to him.

And I'm sure that his opinion is going to play a big part in what they do. Well, we appreciate the time, Tim. Always great to catch up with you. Thanks so much for doing this. I appreciate it, your brother.