BROWN HAS BEEN NFL'S SILVER LINING.

Byline: Bob Keisser Staff Writer

OAKLAND - There is no cheering allowed in the press box, but sarcasm, outrage and disbelief are encouraged. An occasional ``wow'' after a great play can be heard from time to time, but the most prevalent form of astonishment is ``I can't believe how stupid (fill in name here) is.''

But there occasionally are athletes and coaches who push the cheering edict, fellows who simply are such nice, dignified people that even the most jaded reporter wants to see them succeed, and even if the teams they plays for has often been sport's answer to the antichrist.

Tim Brown is one of those athletes.

The wide receiver in his 13th season with the Raiders has always managed to rise above the squalor that has surrounded the team like a moat for two decades. During his days in Los Angeles, I never heard him rip the head coach or the quarterback.

That doesn't mean he bit his lip. Tim Brown would tell you if he felt one quarterback was better than another, or if he felt the head coach was missing a beat. He could fill your notebook, too, with comments about Al Davis' style of management.

But he always did it with nobility, an honest opinion from an athlete without a personal agenda. Whatever Tim Brown said to reporters was pretty much what he would say to any of his teammates, coaches and owner.

One has to respect a man like that, especially at a time in sports when smack is king, nobody gets along, and 90 percent of athletes have I problems.

So when the Raiders take the field today against the Ravens in the AFC title game, I will quietly hope Tim Brown gets to the Super Bowl. He deserves it and I'll overlook the fact that another team that once called L.A. home has cashed its ticket.

Besides that, he's also due. He's one of a handful of position players who have played at least 13 years in the NFL without a Super Bowl appearance. Giants lineman Lomas Brown, Vikings receiver Cris Carter, quarterbacks Warren Moon and Randall Cunningham are some of the others.

He's also one of the best receivers in NFL history. He has more catches in the past five years than any other receiver. With 76 receptions this season, he's now one of eight in NFL history with 800 or more (846). This was his eighth season with 1,000 yards and he's one of 17 players with 10,000-plus career receiving yards.

``Obviously, this is very, very important to me,'' Brown said this week while preparing for the Ravens. ``It's paramount that we take advantage of this opportunity.

``I got a call from a college friend and he was screaming at me. `You remember that Buffalo game, don't you?' He was reminding me to keep focus and don't worry about next week.''

That Buffalo game was the 1990 season AFC title game. The Raiders went 12-4 and advanced to play at Buffalo, where they were rudely sacked 51-3. That's as close as Brown has ever gotten to the Super Bowl.

This is only the fifth playoff appearance by the Raiders since Brown joined the team in 1988, another reason why Brown often doesn't get as much media play as other receivers.

``I've tried to keep the same attitude from year to year, and that's work hard,'' he said. ``I think my numbers show that. I've always tried to be consistent. I don't worry about notoriety, I just do what I'm supposed to do.

``I'm just not a flamboyant guy. Marketing people say I'm too clean cut, but I can only be who I am. Surely, a big part of any recognition is only being in this game (AFC title) two times. If I finish my career with a couple of games like this, it will be fantastic.''

Brown has surely had his share of adversity. In 1989, he suffered a massive knee injury that turned his ligaments into spaghetti. But he recovered in time to play part-time in 1990 and resume a career that has featured seven years with a minimum of 80 receptions.

In the midst of the Marcus Allen vs. Al Davis war and a swoon of sub- playoff seasons, Brown looked for a way out of the organization and thought he had found it via free agency after the 1993 season. But a contractual technicality allowed the Raiders to match a free-agent bid from Denver.

Brown felt like Al Pacino in ``The Godfather'': Every time I think I'm out, they suck me back in.

``I don't know what to think,'' Brown said when asked about overcoming that adversity. ``No matter what my stance has been against the organization, I've always tried to go out and play football and not get so involved that it (affected his play).

``I feel this is the way it should have been every year. So many times, we weren't beaten by better teams, we just beat ourselves. I never used to worry about the team we were playing, because I was always worried if we were going to be ready to play.

``It's like with anything in life. Sometimes you've got to hit rock bottom before you realize it's time for change.''

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Photo: - Tim Brown

Oakland Raiders wide receiver