DETROIT — Seattle is more than 2,000 miles from Detroit, but that's not a long NFL trip by Tony Brown's standards.

The former Tennessee wide receiver made it to Super Bowl XL via Buffalo, Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix, Atlanta and Seattle. The bulk of those miles came in one bewildering 24-hour period.

Brown, who is on Seattle's practice squad, began his NFL career last summer as a free-agent rookie with the Buffalo Bills. They released him the first week of September.

But in this league, one team's castoff is another's prospect. Buffalo's castoff was Seattle's prospect.

When the Seahawks invited Brown to try out, he knew the trip from his home in South Florida to the Pacific Northwest would be a long one. He didn't know how long.

The first leg of the trip ended in Phoenix. That's where things got complicated.

"When I got to Phoenix, the Falcons called me," Brown said. "They wanted to sign me."

You don't need an agent to know that a contract beats a tryout. So Brown updated the Seahawks on the change in plans and returned to the Southeast.

By the time he arrived in Atlanta, the Falcons' plans had changed. They had signed veteran wide receiver Jerome Pathon. You probably can guess where that left Brown.

He was back on a plane to Seattle.

He arrived in Seattle at 1 a.m. and tried out for the Seahawks six hours later. Four months after his west-east-west trip, he doesn't regret a minute of his longest NFL day.

"I think I've come a long way," he said Tuesday at Super Bowl media day.

He wasn't referring to the miles.

Brown believes he has a future in Seattle. He likes the offense and the way management handles its players.

"The head coach (Mike Holmgren) is an offensive guy," Brown said. "The coaches really explain things well."

Although Brown isn't on the active roster, the Seahawks' practice-squad players aren't treated any differently from the other players, according to him.

"We got free hotel rooms (at the Super Bowl) and tickets," Brown said.

His two tickets are for his sister, Tonya, and his brother, Shamus. They're scheduled to arrive Thursday and will join their brother in cheering for the Seahawks.

Afterwards, Brown will start preparing for next season in hopes of making the team.

"Technique-wise, I'm right there with everybody," Brown said. "You've just got to get an opportunity. Once you get it, you've got to take advantage of it."

No matter how far you have to travel.