Grabbing attention

FOXBOROUGH -- The 534th catch was nothing like the first 533. Troy Brown called attention to himself.

Oh, it was worthy of notice. Brown made a nice grab, a falling, one-handed stab of a Tom Brady pass as he spilled out of bounds 10:43 into the Patriots' 27-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts last night at Gillette Stadium. More noteworthy was that with the play, Brown tied Stanley Morgan's 17-year-old Patriots record for career receptions.

But what transpired afterward was thoroughly, astonishingly un-Brown-like.

He flipped the ball behind him, without looking, to the ball boy. The seemingly innocent gesture produced an implausible occurrence: Brown was penalized 15 yards for taunting.

Taunting? Troy Brown? Next they'll be announcing that Barry Manilow is really Ozzy Osbourne.

The official, who had been standing next to the ball boy, apparently flabbergasted even himself by throwing the flag. When Brown approached him after the first quarter to discuss the transgression, the official issued a preemptory mea culpa: "If I made a mistake, I apologize."

Of course, he'd made a mistake, as Brown reminded him: "You guys have known me for 14 years. You know I'd never do anything like that."

Indeed, never has there been a more unobtrusive immortal -- which Brown officially became, at least in club annals, with his next catch.

This one was more like it.

With 6:23 before halftime and the Patriots facing a third and 4 at the Indianapolis 20, Brown snared a pass at the left sideline. It was No. 535, good for the record. More significant to Brown, it was also good for the first down. By a yard. Vintage Brown.

After that play, Brown received something with which he's unaccustomed and unconcerned -- the spotlight. The announcement over the public address system triggered loud, if brief, applause, and during the next interruption in the action, the mark was commemorated on the video scoreboard.

But it wound up being a hollow consolation prize for Brown, who on the night totaled five catches for 37 yards, extending his haul to 538 -- the standard future Patriots must chase.

"It doesn't mean much if you lose the game," he said. "I'm not too happy with the outcome."

Besides being the milestone, the catch should have been bronzed because it epitomized Brown. He is the antithesis of Morgan, the sublimely graceful greyhound from the flashy football school, Tennessee, who averaged almost 20 yards per catch during his 13-year career (1977-89) with New England.

Brown, 35, is the reliable yeoman from the blue-collar football school, Marshall, whose trademark has been grit with a generous infusion of grime throughout his 14-year career.

Longevity has played a large part in the record, but so has superior craftsmanship. Once released by coach Bill Parcells, Brown fashioned himself into a top-echelon receiver -- as well as a potent punt returner, an invaluable fill-in defensive back, and now (why not?) even the third-string quarterback. He gained renown not as a gazelle but a plow horse, the NFL's most dependable third-down weapon. Whenever the Patriots have faced, say, a third-and-7 situation, Brown has combined the instincts, savvy, and skill to get them 8.

He has had his ostentatious periods, such as in 2001, his Pro Bowl year, when he caught a team-record 101 passes, the centerpiece of a four-year splurge in which he hauled in 321, the most productive such stretch in Patriots history. But for the most part, he must be appreciated on a cumulative basis.

That's why he is regarded as a favorite son by team owner Robert Kraft, who began watching Brown while still a fan in the stands before he bought the club in 1994; with no other current Patriot does Kraft have such a bond.

"He's the prototype Patriot," Kraft said yesterday in Brookline, where an athletic field was dedicated in his family's honor. "He's selfless. He does whatever is asked of him. He's about winning. He lets his actions speak louder than a lot of bluff and fancy talk."

And that was no taunt.

Mike Reiss of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Bob Duffy can be reached at duffy@globe.com.