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
I was telling guys over there in the fourth quarter, we've got to hold on to get a win. We had some fun guys this year in the NFC, and I'm just glad I could be a part of it and help contribute to winning.
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.
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.
We just played collectively as a unit. Everybody did their job and pitched in.
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.
I stand real humble. I've been here a few times, and I don't have many wins.
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.
Don't get too excited! We got to go back out there!
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.
It doesn't matter what has happened in the past four games,
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.
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 can still be that defense, if we work to get there.
We've got to re-establish our personality. That group I played with back then, you saw a personality. Guys trusting each other. Embarrassed if they didn't make it to the pile in time. Now it's time for a new personality to come along and get established.