NY Giants coaches raving about Penn State football alum Cam Brown

NY Giants coaches praising rookie LB Cam Brown this week ahead of what could be an expanded role for Penn State football alum

Former Penn State football linebacker Cam Brown could be primed for a breakout performance Sunday when the NY Giants host the Washington Football Team, and the Giants’ coaching staff has been gushing about the rookie all week.

“He’s a big, strong, physical kid who has a special skillset,” Giants special teams coach Thomas McGaughey said said of Brown on Thursday.

Brown, 6-foot-5 and 233 pounds, has played almost exclusively on special teams, active in four of the Giants’ first five games, and become an integral part of the team’s coverage units.

“Once it starts to slow down on defense, I think the sky is the limit for the kid,” McGaughey added. “The kid has a big upside. He’s a good kid and he works his tail off. I tell him all the time, I think he has $7 million walking around inside of him. It’s up to him to tap it.”

Sunday could be Brown’s moment to shine, with Giants linebacker Lorenzo Carter out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, Brown will surely be in the mix along with fellow rookie Tae Crowder and veteran pass rusher Markus Golden for those snaps, and to pick up the slack in the pass-rush.

Giants head coach Joe Judge, thanks in part to his background as a former special teams coach, is committed to keeping players who are standing out on special teams on special teams, regardless if their role expands on offense or defense.

“For Cam, he’s a guy who’s really coming into his own in the kicking game,” Judge said Wednesday. “The one thing about special teams for young players is that it allows them to learn and adjust to the speed of the game and the physicality. That transfers to offense and defense as well.”

Playing special teams might be new to Brown, but they typically serve as a proving ground for NFL rookies. A three-year starter at Penn State, Brown produced 198 total tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.

For his part, though, Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is eager to get Brown involved.

“Cam stands out to me in terms of kickoffs,” Graham said. “We talk all the time about kickoffs, punt coverage, that’s really the first play of a defensive possession. The contribution there, and I’ve seen him split double-teams making a tackle.”

Perhaps Sunday will be Brown’s chance to produce his first career tackle in defense.