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
Watching those tapes told me I've still got a lot of work to do,
We started an important streak, in my opinion. The first time we lost this season, we come back. In the past, one loss meant two, meant three, meant four. But today, from that standpoint, we took a huge step in bouncing back from a loss.
As an athlete you've got to watch your hydration and your nutrition, and use the right kinds of fuel to help you perform your best.
I always felt like I was challenged, I was never satisfied, and I looked forward to the challenge. From studying high school players to studying kids in college, I always studied the competition, at my position in particular, to make sure I set the standard.
You can pick any game and there are two or three plays that determine whether you win or lose, going either way. That's the beauty of the league, man. Every game counts, no matter who you're playing or what their record is.
Every rep that you take off, somebody else gets another look. That's just how I am. It's not a matter of being paranoid, it's a matter of being confident and not taking anything for granted.
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.
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.
It doesn't matter what has happened in the past four games,
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.
I would give up one thousand yards to get a win.
We'd share a conversation, make sure he's OK. What with Tony being in Indianapolis, if he needed someone to talk to or just hang around, he had my phone number.
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.
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.