Kremer: Joliet West Football Calls on Brown for Special Deliveries

He hides behind the big guys paving a path for him up ahead on the football field.

When he spots a hole in the defense, he hits it hard.

He is not the biggest back in the world. Nor is he the fastest.

Joliet West junior tailback Jordan Brown makes up for a short list of physical limitations with a longer tale involving his intangible parts, chief among them courage and heart. He is small. He also is capable of delivering the big play.

Brown scored two touchdowns in the Tigers’ 21-3 victory over cross-town rival Joliet Central. He totaled 135 yards on 10 carries. His TD runs covered 21 and 48 yards.

His biggest play came when he turned into a defender, though, in a moment of stress.

Brown, generously listed at 5-8 and 175 pounds, chased down Joliet Central’s Seneca Roper near the Tigers’ 30 after Roper intercepted a pass and looked to take the ball to the house for the Steelmen.

“That was a very big play for us,” Joliet West coach Jason Aubry said. “He ran a kid down from behind. He’s a testament to a lot of the kids on our team. They won’t give up. They go after everything—every play, they’re going to go all-out.  And they’re going to get the job done.

“And that’s what Jordan did for us.”

Brown models his running style after his idol, Hall of Famer Walter Payton. Payton was called “Sweetness” in his heyday with the Bears. Brown’s numbers on the JT West offensive charts are sweet, too.

Through five weeks, he has rushed for 191 yards on 31 carries—a 6.2 average. And he has caught seven passes for 208 yards—a 29.7 average. He has scored five touchdowns for the Tigers (2-3, 1-2), who look to get back to the .500 mark in Friday’s Southwest Suburban Blue Conference game at Lincoln-Way Central.

Likewise, the Knights (2-3, 1-2) are looking to win their second game in a row and to keep their playoff hopes alive. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. in New Lenox.

Brown wears No. 34 for the Tigers—the same number Payton wore as Bear.

“I’ve got a couple things at my house about Walter Payton,” Brown said. “He’s my inspiration. I have plaques hanging in my room where I play Xbox. When turn around, I see them all.

“He was about 5-10. He ran a five-second 40. And I’m like one of those running backs that is not as fast. So, I compare myself to him a little bit. I’ve got to run through tackles. Most people like to arm-tackle. I try to make a move and then break the arm-tackle.”

Brown also relies on deception to gain yardage. He has developed a knack for riding on the collective hip of his personal escort service, then bursting through whatever hole he can find, some holes big enough to drive a truck through, others small slices of daylight.

“You’ve got to have good vision as a running back,” he said.

Brown has long-gainers of 48 yards on the ground and 86 yards through the airwaves for Joliet West. When he is not dotting the “I” in the Tigers’ offensive set, he lines up in the slot and presents matchup problems for the linebackers trying to cover him.

“He’s a very talented kid,” Aubry said. “He’s a short kid. But he’s quick, he’s strong, he can catch the ball out of the backfield and he hits the holes hard. He can do a lot of good things for us.”

To stop him, opponents must find him, no small trick. Pun intended.

“Absolutely,” Aubry said. “That’s one of the reasons why he scored two times against Central. Well, the one time, for sure. He hit that hole so hard. And that’s what we needed to do against Central.

“We had a specific play called that if those backs hit that hole hard, there’s nobody there. And Jordan was able to do that on his second touchdown. He smoked right through that hole and there was nobody there. He wasn’t even touched on that play.”

Stand across from him. Look down into his eyes before the start of practice. Go ahead, ask the question: “What can Brown do for you?”

Big things.