Alex Brown ( American football ) Alex James Brown ( born June 4 , 1979 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League ( NFL ) for nine seasons . He played college football for the University of Florida , and was a two - time All - American . The Chicago Bears picked Brown in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft , and he played professionally for the Bears and New Orleans Saints of the NFL . Early years . Brown was born in Jasper , Florida in 1979 . He attended Hamilton County High School in Jasper , and played high school football for the Hamilton County Trojans . As the Trojans ' senior quarterback in 1996 , Brown threw for 863 yards and four touchdowns , and rushed for 767 yards and eighteen touchdowns ; as a starting linebacker , he also compiled 117 total tackles ( with seven tackles for loss ) , five blocked passes , four fumble recoveries , two forced fumbles and two blocked field goals . He was honored as a Florida Class 3A all - state selection and a National Recruiting Adviser and SuperPrep high school All - American . Brown was also a standout basketball player and track and field athlete , and was the state champion discus thrower in 1996 . College career . Brown accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville , Florida , where he played for coach Steve Spurrier ' s Florida Gators football team from 1998 to 2001 . The Gators coaching staff decided to red - shirt him as a true freshman in 1997 . He saw action at outside linebacker in 1998 , recording ten tackles with two sacks and three tackles for a loss as the backup to All - American starter Jevon Kearse . As a sophomore starter in 1999 , Brown recorded fifty - six tackles with 7 . 5 sacks and twelve tackles for a loss . Arguably , he played his best college game on September 18 , 1999 , when he sacked quarterback Tee Martin five times in the Gators ' 23 – 21 upset of the second - ranked Tennessee Volunteers . He was honored as first - team All - Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) selection and first - team All - American by the Walter Camp Foundation and " Football News " , and was one of the twelve semi - finalists for the Lombardi Award . During the Gators ' 2000 SEC championship season , Brown was a team captain and started every game at right defensive end , recording fifty tackles with 10 . 5 sacks , fourteen tackles for a loss and four blocked passes , while forcing a fumble and blocking three kicks . Brown was a first - team All - SEC selection , a second - team All - American , and was once again one of the twelve semi - finalists for the Lombardi Award . As a senior in 2001 , Brown recorded forty - five tackles and a career - best thirteen sacks . He was a first - team All - SEC selection , and was recognized as a consensus first - team All - American , after receiving first - team honors from a majority of All - American selector organizations . He was also the 2001 SEC Defensive Player of the Year , one of the four finalists for the Lombardi Award , and one of five finalists of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy . During his four - year college career , Brown totaled 161 tackles with forty - seven tackles for a loss ( sixth - best career total in Gators history ) , and set the Gators ' current career record of thirty - three quarterback sacks . He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a " Gator Great " on April 6 , 2012 . Professional career . Chicago Bears . The Chicago Bears selected Brown in the fourth round ( 104th pick overall ) of the 2002 NFL Draft , and he played for the Bears from to . As a rookie , he started nine of the fifteen games in which he played at right defensive end and logged 2 . 5 quarterback sacks . He also totaled 40 tackles ( 31 unassisted ) and three passes broken up , while also contributing on special teams coverage . During the season , his first as a full - time starter , he led the Bears with 5 . 5 sacks , with a career - high fifty - eight tackles ( forty - nine solos ) , and six tackles for losses while forcing two fumbles and recovering a fumble . He started at right defensive end for all sixteen regular season games in , and compiling six sacks and fifty tackles , with eleven tackles for a loss and nine passes defensed . In a game against the New York Giants on November 7 , 2004 , Brown recorded a career - high four sacks to go along with eight tackles , including six solos stops . He also forced a fumble and batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage . For his efforts , Brown was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Week by " Pro Football Weekly " . Brown was a first - alternate for the Pro Bowl after recording 75 tackles ( nine for a loss ) and six sacks , eight broken up passes and three forced fumbles during the season . " Sports Illustrated " selected him for its All - Pro Team . He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week following the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 27 , 2005 . In 2006 , he was selected as a second - alternate for the Pro Bowl after recording a career - high seven sacks and two interceptions while making forty - six tackles , three forced fumbles , two fumble recoveries and two passes broken up while starting all sixteen games at right defensive end . In Brown tied for the team lead with five passes broken up , tied for second with five tackles for a loss and two fumble recoveries and tied for third with two forced fumbles , after playing in all sixteen games ( two starts ) for the fifth straight year , extending his consecutive games played streak to a team - high ninety - five contests . He ranked second on the defensive line with fifty - eight tackles and added five quarterback hits , 4 . 5 sacks , one interception , two forced fumbles and a blocked kick . On December 22 , 2008 Brown deflected a field goal attempt by Packers kicker Mason Crosby in the final twenty - five seconds of the fourth quarter to set up the game - winning field goal for the Bears in a 20 – 17 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers . In the second game of the season , the Bears upset the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers 17 – 14 , and Brown recorded two key sacks of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger . Brown was later carted off the field with four minutes left in the game with a sprained ankle . After the 2009 season , the Bears released Brown on April 1 , 2010 , after failing to trade him to another team . New Orleans Saints . On April 7 , 2010 , the New Orleans Saints signed Brown to a two - year contract . He played his final NFL season for the Saints in , starting in all sixteen games at left defensive end . The Saints released him on August 30 , 2011 , after one season with the team . Retirement . On August 9 , 2012 , Brown signed a one - day contract with the Bears to officially retire with the team . With the Bears , his 43½ sacks rank fourth in team history , and his five interceptions rank second behind Richard Dent among Bears defensive ends . In his nine - season NFL career , Brown played in 143 regular season games , started 123 of them , and compiled 411 tackles , 43 . 5 quarterback sacks , forty - three deflected passes , seventeen forced fumbles with twelve recovered , and five interceptions . Life after football . Brown currently works in the business development for Coyote Logistics . Brown , former Chicago Bears teammate Desmond Clark , and " non - descript white guy " Ryan Steele currently host the " Dez Clark & Alex Brown Show " sports radio talk show in Chicago .