FOXBORO -- Tarell Brown played in just 10 defensive snaps during the Patriots preseason win over the Saints on Saturday. But long after he had been removed from the game, the veteran corner wasn't done honing his craft.
In the fourth quarter, Brown made two different pit stops on the New England sideline. At one point he took a seat on the bench next to Tom Brady. At another, he posted up alongside Jimmy Garoppolo. Both times, cameras caught Brown engrossed in conversation with the Patriots top two quarterbacks.
Their discussions didn't appear of the casual variety, with the two parties joking and laughing with one another -- something that isn't all that unusual to see in the waning moments of a game, especially in the preseason. Rather, their talks seemed focused, with Brown running what looked like brief question-and-answer sessions.
As Brown walked through the Patriots locker room on Monday, I asked him what those two back-and-forths with Brady and Garoppolo were all about.
"I like to pick guys' brains," Brown said. "I like to talk to guys at the quarterback position just to see what they look for. How I can get better in my game? Tells, am I giving tells away as far as playing inside and outside? It's always good to get feedback from other guys on the offensive side of the ball and see what they're looking at. It it the same as what I'm seeing from my point of view?"
Brown is in his first year with the team after spending the first eight years of his career in San Francisco (2007-13) and Oakland (2014). Never has he had a quarterback like Brady to use as a sounding board, something he clearly appreciated after their sideline chat over the weekend.
"It was great," Brown said. "Any time you can get feedback from a Hall of Fame quarterback, it's special. Any time you get an opportunity to play against him day in and day out in practice, it definitely makes you better. I like competing with the best. I like working with the best. And also I'm a student of the game so I'm always willing to learn."
Brown suffered a season-ending foot injury at the tail end of last year and missed the first Patriots preseason game against the Packers. The 10 snaps he saw in New Orleans weren't much, but they were a welcome change for a player who was itching to make his return to the field.
"Felt great," he said. "The most important thing is going out here and enjoying the day to day process, enjoying the grind."
Brown is in the running to serve as one of the Patriots primary cornerbacks alongside Malcolm Butler, who appears to have solidified a starting role this summer. As Brown competes with players like Logan Ryan and Bradley Fletcher for the team's second job on the outside, he'll continue to pursue peak form my utilizing all the resources at his disposal in his new surroundings.
After what we saw on Saturday, we know that includes the quarterbacks.