Derrick Brooks Not Ready to Call It Quits

Derrick Brooks still believes he can be productive in the NFL.

Brooks, an 11-time Pro Bowl selection who was cut in a veteran purge by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last February, remains jobless with the start of training camps later this month. Brooks says prospective teams have winked, smiled and telephoned but the timing and situation haven't been right.

"It's all about what the teams want," Brooks told FanHouse Saturday night.

"Me never being in this position before, I just have to practice patience. I continue to be patient. Teams that I've talked to obviously have a plan about how they want to go if something happens with their teams. And, as far as signing me, I have to be respectful of their plans. I really am."

Brooks, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year when Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl after the 2002 season, spent his entire 14-year career with the Buccaneers. But he was among five players unceremoniously cut, four of them older than 32-year-old Raheem Morris, the team's new head coach. Brooks turned 36 in April.

Brooks was one of more than 50 former Florida State players who provided instruction during a two-hour camp for high school players Saturday night at Doak Campbell Stadium. When Brooks was asked if he was ready to step into the coaching profession, he grinned and said, "I've got a lot more playing on the field."

Since 2001, Brooks has averaged at least 115 tackles. While he was slowed by injury and saw a sharp decline in his productivity in 2008 -- he had only 73 tackles -- Brooks' release came after a season in which he made his 11th Pro Bowl.

Brooks, one of only four players voted to 10 consecutive Pro Bowls, has also been a standout off the field. He was the co-winner of the 2000 NFL Man of the Year award, given to the player who combines skill on the field with good work off it. In addition to training, Brooks has devoted time to his education causes. His first senior class of 16 students recently graduated from the Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School in Tampa and will be attending college this fall.

While Brooks believes the Bucs could have handled his release in a more professional manner -- Morris called Brooks on Feb. 25 and asked him to come in and see him -- he remains thankful of his experience in Tampa. But he also believes his playing days are not over.


"Six months later I am able to deal with it a lot better," said Brooks, who declined to identify the prospective teams he has held discussions with. "The information itself, we all have to deal with that -- one day they (teams) feel it's time to move on and we will. I just wish we could have went about it in a better way.

"Not being in this position football-wise, at first I had some better days than others. But I've been working out every day ... and we are just going to see what happens. But, right now, again I believe it's just the nature of the business and the teams that I've talked to have explained how they are going about their situation, so I just have to wait."

Dexter Jackson, a former teammate of Brooks' with the Seminoles and the Bucs, said he believes Brooks will land back in the NFL this season.

"Most definitely, guys who can play like him, his leadership abilities, he will be somewhere," said Jackson, who won Super Bowl MVP honors with the Bucs and also wants to continue his NFL career after being released by the Bengals in March.

"Derrick brings so much to the game. He's a great player and a great leader. What people fail to realize is you have a coach on the field, someone who keeps the team together when the team is going bad. That's priceless. From a player's perspective, I think that gets overlooked a lot by some of the top guys in organizations."

Jackson likewise was surprised by when and how the Bucs released Brooks.

"I was surprised the way it was handled, but it's a dirty business and that's the nature of the game," Jackson said. "Sometimes you have to put your tough skin on and go with it. He did a great job handling the situation and the way it was presented to him. He's a fighter, he won't quit."

Brooks agreed, saying he doesn't think it's his time yet.

"I am happy teams are showing the interest. I will take it from there," Brooks said.