By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

Fakhir Brown is in his eighth season in the NFL and he’s the first to admit it’s been a long, strange trip with many ups and downs.

But perhaps nothing has been more odd than the events that occurred from Sept. 24 when he was surprisingly released to Monday afternoon when he wasn’t so surprisingly re-signed.

The Rams and coach Jim Haslett finally got Brown back into the fold Monday afternoon after a couple of weeks of wondering and waiting from both sides.

“It’s good to have him back,” Haslett said. “I thought he was one of our better defensive backs and when he’s healthy he’s a pretty good corner. I know he’s excited about coming back.”

To make room for Brown on the roster, the Rams placed Ricky Manning Jr.,  on injured reserve because of a broken right foot.

The wait to get Brown back lasted longer than the Rams expected but the circumstances of Brown’s release and subsequent return are still a bit cloudy.

In the final week of his tenure as head coach, Scott Linehan made the decision to release Brown, who had been hampered by a shoulder injury that kept him out for most of the preseason and training camp.

Unlike usual protocol, Brown didn’t get word from anyone at the Russell Training Center, instead learning of his release from agent Ted Marchibroda.

When Marchibroda called with the news, Brown was left bewildered.

“This probably is one of the strangest (things that’s happened),” Brown said. “This is my (eighth) year in the NFL and there have been a lot of ups and downs but this right here was a shock. I was very shocked and surprised. Due to the fact that I was just getting back out there and getting comfortable because I missed training camp and the preseason. All of a sudden they told me they would release me. There was nothing I could do about it except to move forward so that’s what I did.”

While Marchibroda took the temperature of teams around the league, Brown pondered the potential reasons for his release.

Brown says he had a good relationship with Linehan and hoped that there was nothing personal behind his release.

“I hope that he did like me because I liked him,” Brown said. “I was hoping it was just a business move by him trying to win and by me with my shoulder hurt and him thinking my shoulder wasn’t going to get well enough to play up to my ability. That’s what I am hoping.”

For the next couple of weeks, Brown weighed offers from other teams but only after informing Marchibroda that he didn’t want to jump right back into the mix and spend a week or two resting.

Instead, Brown has been at his home in St. Peters, working out twice a day, spending time with his kids and giving his injured shoulder more time to heal.  He also discussed moving to San Diego with his girlfriend and three children, all of whom will move back to St. Louis now.

Brown said he would lift weights at home regularly and when he needed a change of scenery, he would cross the street to work out at Lutheran St. Charles High School where coach Doug Kuhlmann made him feel welcome.

While Brown was taking care of his personal interests, Marchibroda was searching for a destination for his client.

On the day Haslett was hired to replace Linehan, he called Brown to gauge his interest in returning to St. Louis. By then, Brown had received interest from other teams including Houston, Washington and Tampa Bay.

Brown says the closest he came to leaving for another team was a near deal with Baltimore. Brown didn’t necessarily want to leave St. Louis but wanted some re-assurances before making a decision, a choice he conveyed to Haslett in their conversation.

“I told him I would love to come back and play for him but I would have to talk to some people and make sure I was making the right move because it wasn’t Haslett’s fault I was gone,” Brown said. “I didn’t know who was in charge of personnel and I could easily come back here and get released again. I didn’t know. I was just trying to find out what was really going on.”

Brown got the call from his agent Monday morning and was at the Russell Training Center on Monday afternoon to sign a one-year deal that will make him a free agent at the season’s conclusion.

Ultimately, the choice for Brown came down to his close relationship with Haslett.

“Me and Jim Haslett have been real close for a long time,” Brown said. “He had been loyal to me so I wanted to be loyal to him. We are friends; he’s not just my coach. There were teams that called me before I talked back with the Rams so I was preparing to go somewhere else. When Coach Haslett and I talked, that’s when I decided to come back here.”

Haslett stopped short of declaring Brown the starter right away but said he would "be in the mix." Most likely, though, Brown will be back as the starter opposite Ron Bartell with Jason Craft as the nickel back.

For his part, Brown says his shoulder is healed and he is ready to return.

“I was just waiting to get over here," Brown said. "Coach called me this morning and told me I could come on over so that’s when I came on over here.”