The New York Giants wanted Duke quarterback Dave Brown so badly in the NFL supplemental draft that they didn't want anyone to know.
When Brown worked out for NFL teams at Duke, most of the teams didn't bother hiding the fact they were there. Scouts wore team jackets and hats, and those who didn't identified themselves.Not the Giants, though.
"We had somebody there, but nobody knew who he was," general manager George Young said Friday, a day after the Giants made Brown their quarterback of the future by grabbing him in the opening round of the supplemental draft.
Brown worked out privately for Giants officials at Giants Stadium last week, and the team decided to use its first-round draft selection next year to take him.
Two days before the draft, Young called the NFL headquarters in New York City just to let the league know the Giants planned to use a first-round choice to take Brown on Thursday.
"He's 6-foot-5 and 225. He's smart, mobile and he wants to play for the Giants," Young said. "He fills a need, what we were looking for. The potential is there. Now it's up to him and us."
Unlike many young quarterbacks, the Giants don't need Brown to step in right away and play. They already have proven veterans in Simms, 36, and Jeff Hostetler, 31. Jeff Carlson, a Plan B acquisition, and Kent Graham, an eighth-round draft pick from Ohio State, also are waiting in the wings.
Taking Brown will cost the Giants their first-round draft choice in 1993, a year when there may not be an NFL draft. The league's 10-year agreement with its players' union expired last season and the status of the draft is uncertain.
Giants offensive coordinator Jim Fassel said he has been impressed by Brown's poise, his arm strength and his ability to move in the pocket. He added that the coaching staff was unanimous in wanting Brown.
"With a quarterback, you have to reach for them," Fassel said. "You have to take the bold step and say he can do it. We really didn't think he'd be around when it came our turn. I was really surprised."