Spend a few minutes with Ralph Brown and it’s hard to tell what he’s more excited about: The four years he played for the Giants (2000-2003) or the opportunity to join his Arizona Cardinals teammates on the field for Super Bowl XLIII Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Brown was the Giants’ fifth-round draft choice in 2000. As a rookie he suffered a lacerated kidney and played in only two games for a team that won the NFC Championship. In four seasons Brown played in 37 games with nine starts, including seven starts in 11 games in 2003, when he had two interceptions and a sack.

He played in Minnesota and Cleveland before joining the Cardinals in 2007, but he cherishes the time he spent with the Giants.

“I think that was one of my greatest experiences of my life, being with an organization that epitomizes class, hard work and loyalty to their players,” Brown said. “I learned so much from being there in New York with the two owners (Wellington Mara and Bob Tisch) who have since passed away. I had a great time. I think that organization taught me to be a man. I got to experience New York City and that lifestyle.

“I learned a lot. (Michael) Strahan mentored me. I still keep in touch with Strahan. Jason Sehorn, Omar Stoutmire, Jessie Armstead – I had so many mentors while I was there and leaders that helped me on a daily basis to become a pro and show me what a pro is. I think I embraced that. I always strived to be like those guys when I was younger. Now I hope I’m doing a good job by studying film, carrying myself well and teaching the younger guys have to be pros also.”

Brown is now a crafty nine-year veteran who contributes to the Cardinals’ defense and special teams. He played in all 16 games with three starts in the regular season and had 25 tackles on defense and nine on special teams. He didn’t intercept a pass, but has two picks in the postseason – one each in Arizona’s victories over Atlanta and Carolina.

“Strahan texted me - he’s been texting me every week in the playoffs – and made a joke that I finally caught an interception,” Brown said.

When the Giants defeated the Patriots in last year’s Super Bowl, Brown did everything but don his old jersey and helmet when cheering on his former team.

“I was so happy for those guys,” Brown said. “I wished I was there. But that’s the nature of the game – it’s a business. I was so happy for guys like Strahan, Osi (Umenyiora) the Skibas (Joe and Ed, the team’s equipment director and assistant equipment manager). I was rooting for them so much, because I didn’t want the Patriots to win, because I was a Giant, plus I always root for the underdog. They were two touchdown underdogs and they kind of dominated that game last year.”

Now Brown is on a Cardinals team that most prognosticators predict will fall Sunday to the favored Steelers. But he and his teammates are drawing inspiration from the Giants.

“I think at one point somebody on the team said. ‘Why can’t we be the Giants of this year?” Brown said. “We kind of are. The Giants didn’t win their division, but we kind of are in the role that we’re playing as the underdog. They went on the road all those games, but we were the underdogs in all of our games. It’s the same thing, except we got to play home twice, which was great. We’ve embraced that underdog role in the postseason.”

Brown has had to scrap for everything he’s earned in his career. After leaving the Giants he signed with the Washington Redskins, who cut Brown before he ever played a game. The Vikings and Browns both let him walk as a free agent. Brown has started only 16 games in nine seasons.

“I knew I could play in this league,” he said. “But there were certain things that weren’t fitting. Maybe the coach didn’t like me or maybe the timing wasn’t right. But I always tried to control the things I could control, which is studying film, training in the offseason and keeping my body in top shape. I did those things and kept the faith and said hopefully one of these teams that I’m on will embrace me and like me. And it seems like the Cardinals have done that.”

Just as the Giants once did.