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
build business decisions few hurt last losing lost players
Obviously, business decisions are made in this league. Losing the players we lost the last few years, I'm not going to tell you it didn't hurt because it did. 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.
career changed contract countless examples few finished found green jackie league naive people played redskins
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.
few stand
I stand real humble. I've been here a few times, and I don't have many wins.
few games previous question says style tough walk win won
The style in which we won says a lot. The previous two games were blowouts, so the question was, 'Could we win a tough one?' Yeah, we can get in a fight, walk away with a few bruises and come away with a win.
difficult few figure less thrown
We're not very difficult to figure out. I think sometimes less is better. We've thrown in a few new wrinkles, but very few. We're just going out and executing.
carried fan flair notice people pittsburgh plays standpoint starting style unique
People are just now starting to notice Troy as a game-changer. From a standpoint of making plays, he's carried Pittsburgh to where they are today. He's got a unique style all his own, and I'm a fan of his hair. I like that flair he plays with.
defensive good group guys played surprised team
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.
answered closing criticism critics-and-criticism difference four kicking offense past plate seasons stepped team three whether
Our field-goal team has really stepped up to the plate and answered all the criticism that they had. Closing out games, whether it's kicking offense or defense, that's something that we haven't done well in the past two seasons and that's something we've done well this year. Obviously, it's the difference in three or four wins.
account defense defensive fans hand home hopefully loud morning offense playing respect signals
Our fans are usually loud when the defense is on the field. I think from my standpoint, we respect that. So a lot of things we do we'll go off hand signals and wristbands when we're playing at home. Something we addressed this morning is our defensive communication. With the first home game, hopefully fans will come revved up. A young quarterback and an offense playing in our home is something you have got to account for.
four happened matter past
It doesn't matter what has happened in the past four games,
appears good today week
It appears we got dominated. We're a defense, really as a team, that does not give up 34 points, and today we did. The most disappointing thing is we had a good week of practice, and today we didn't show up.
age changed credit hall hear helped impact kept kids knocked mature mean people saving
To me, that's Hall of Fame, ... To know you had an impact on one person in this world. For them to give you so much credit when you hear young people tell you what you mean to their lives. That changed me as a person. Being around those kids at that young age helped me mature as a man. It kept me from all other distractions that could've knocked me off the path. They were saving me as much as I was saving them.
bet colors team wear week
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.
work
We can still be that defense, if we work to get there.