Avril, Brown among Lions' inactives vs. Vikings

John Niyo / The Detroit News

Minneapolis --While Sunday's inactive list included a couple of surprises on the defensive line -- end Cliff Avril and tackle Landon Cohen, both of whom will sit due to coaches' decisions -- the idle time for rookie Aaron Brown was expected.

Removed from his duties as a kick returner earlier this season, his continued mistakes on offense finally resulted a complete benching Sunday as the Lions face the Minnesota Vikings (7-1) at the Metrodome.

The final straw may have been another botched screen pass by Brown on the opening possession of last week's loss at Seattle. Facing second-and-4 from the Seattle 48, the call was for a screen to Brown, but quarterback Matthew Stafford turned to throw and Brown wasn't there. And that's not the first time this season Brown has missed a screen call and left his quarterback hanging.

"I went the wrong way," said Brown, a sixth-round pick out of TCU. "I may have heard something that I didn't hear, or vice-versa. I screwed that up. That was all on me."

And now he'll pay the price as a bystander.

"We're not rookies anymore," offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said Thursday. "You either can or you can't. And you've got to play mistake-free football from an assignment standpoint, or you can't play. I think he knows that. I think every player knows that. But the bottom line is you've got to prove that."

Brown, for his part, says he does understand that.

"I think a lot of it with me is not so much physical," he said. "I think a lot of it is mental. Making mental errors like that and putting my team in a bad spot is not going to get it done."

But for those fans waiting for an expanded role for Brown in the offense -- some big plays in the preseason probably set unrealistic expectations -- that may require some patience. Because the coaches' patience has worn thin with Brown.

"He'll get another opportunity," Linehan said. "And he's got to take advantage of the next opportunity. I don't know when that is, but you can't shoot yourself in the foot, because it gives you no chance.

"He's got that (game-breaking speed) in him. That's why we drafted him. And we'll continue to work with him. He's a young player. But again, you're afforded an opportunity to make a play, you can't miss a lay-in. That's the bottom line."