Derrick Brooks
Derrick Brooks
Derrick Dewan Brooksis an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football Leaguefor fourteen seasons. He played college football for Florida State University, and was twice recognized as a consensus All-American. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft, where he played his entire professional career. An eleven-time Pro Bowl selection and nine-time All-Pro, Brooks was named AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002, and earned a...
ProfessionFootball Player
Date of Birth18 April 1973
CityPensacola, FL
Simeon was very emotional stepping in that huddle.
I feel a lot more humility, a lot more togetherness this training camp. The fire is lit. ... That's something we lost the last two years,
If I get out of this element, I don't what will happen to me, ... This is what it is. I appreciate the leaks, I appreciate the walls that are caving in. I'm here, so I'm going to make the most of it.
Each guy has got to get his (meeting) room. That's where my leadership comes, (by) kind of stepping aside, and that way they take ownership. That's one of my better qualities.
It hurt to see you build something with someone and they're gone, not by their own will but by the will and the decisions made by others.
I feel real good about it. Maybe it's because it's a younger team that everyone thinks doesn't have a chance and they don't know any better. Maybe it's myself feeling the heat and knowing I've got to turn it up. I don't know what it is, but it has a better feel. We're not all looking for answers now. We're just lining up and trying to play football.
I expect him to have a career year,
Let's not be naive to the system. For the countless examples of people who have changed teams, there are countless of examples of people who haven't changed teams. Darrell Green finished his career with the Redskins and he always was one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league. Jackie Slater was always one of the highest-paid tackles in the league and he played his whole career with the Rams. Brett Favre got a $100-million contract a few years ago and they found a way to keep him, so it can be done. Is it important to me? Yes. Is it in my hands? No.
Everyone feels the same way we feel, that their chances are just as good as ours. If everybody is not feeling that way in this locker room, I hope to have a conversation with them.
This was about helping the team and putting us in the position to keep a lot of our players here that we currently have and, at the same time, give us something to go get a player that we felt could help us win a Super Bowl. That's the way it's always been when I've done this, a two-way street.
We have a good defensive team. You have a good group of guys who made the team defensively so I wasn't surprised we went out there and played well.
We can still be that defense, if we work to get there.
Usually, we have something bet on it. We usually have got to wear the other university's colors for about a week if your team loses.
We wanted to stop Willis McGahee. If he's able to run the football, then that takes a lot of pressure off a young quarterback.