The Best Outside Linebacker: Derrick Brooks
January 15th, 2010
The national newspaper also known as McPaper in some circles, USA Today, recently put together what so many papers and publications did in recent weeks and that was have a look back at the past decade.
The McPaper decided to compile an All-Decade NFL team and selected Derrick Brooks as the outside linebacker of the first decade of the 21st Century.
But here’s something Joe didn’t know: Brooks damned near became a Minnesota Vikings star.
When Brooks was drafted by the Bucs, many Dungyphiles seem to forget Father Dungy was not with the Bucs, he was with Minnesota, a defensive coordinator for Fat Albert.
The Bucs had two first round draft picks that year and Father Dungy claims the Vikings were ready to pull the trigger on Brooks when Richie McKay and Sam Wyche selected Brooks 26th overall.
Dungy envisioned all of this for his Cover 2 schemes when Brooks came out of Florida State as one of the top linebackers in the 1995 NFL draft.
One problem: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers snagged Brooks with the 28th pick in the first round, following their choice in the 12th slot on defensive tackle Warren Sapp.
At the time, Dungy was the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings.
“They beat us to the punch,” Dungy remembers of that draft, and his disappointment that the Vikings did not land Brooks to plug into his defense.
Joe thanks his lucky stars to this day that McKay/Wyche drafted Brooks.
January 15th, 2010 at 11:47 am
I love Tony Dungy as much as the next guy but isn’t it funny how everyone wants to give Tony Dungy credit for Grudens Super Bowl yet the fact that Sam Wyche actually drafted most of the guys who would become the foundation for the Dungys success is almost never mentioned.
January 15th, 2010 at 11:49 am
Umm, the Vikings picked four picks before us. They could have had them if they wanted him…
January 15th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Matt, you are correct they even picked one pick before we got Sapp. They could have had him too.
What’s up with that Joe? Did Father Dungy forget about their pick positioning, or were thier trades involved with picks(which makes no sense) or is Dungy full ot it?
January 15th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
there not thier
January 15th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Maybe he’s saying he hoped Brooks would have fallen to the second round.
The Vikes had the 42nd pick.
Ha ha…the Bengals Picked Kijana Carter with the first pick and we got two Hall of Famers.
January 15th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
OAR:
It wouldn’t be the first time Father Dungy either forgot or played loosely with the truth.
January 15th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Malloy is not above taking credit for clever nicknames:
http://bbs.buccaneers.com/showthread.php?p=3756851&highlight=Father+Dungy#post3756851
Check the date.
This is not to say that JBF is not awesome.
Malloy visits this site as often as the corporate site…
…..and he finds Joes posts to be less biased while
still maintaining the intelligence level.
January 15th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
LOL, thanks for the kind words mpmalloy. Joe very much appreciates it!
January 15th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
D-money:
Ding… ding… ding!!!
January 15th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Joe,
A few weeks ago, the NFL Network named the top ten players in the NFL for the last decade (2000-2009). The list had Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, etc. The NFL Network named Derrick Brroks as Number 5 in that list, higher than Favre and others.
http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/8296/nfl-network-dubs-brady-decades-best
Derrick Brooks will always be our franchise’s best.
January 15th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Amen…
January 15th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
People do seem to forget that Wyche drafted Sapp, Brooks and Lynch. Those are your 3 best defenders right there. I would think that the nickname Father Dungy has been around much longer than 2009. Let’s get serious.
January 15th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
TRUE WYCHE MAY HAVE DRAFTED THOSE THREE FUTURE HOFers BUT LOOK AT DUNGY’S RECORD WHILE HERE…. A LOT OF COACHES ARE GREAT AT EVALUATING TALENT BUT THE PROBLEM IS GETTING ALL THAT TALENT TO PLAY TOGETHER A MESH WITH ONE ANOTHER AND THAT STARTED WITH DUNGY AND KIFFIN BEING BROUGHT IN… 4 OUT OF THE 6 YEARS HE WAS HERE WE WERE IN THE PLAYOFFS!!! WHILE GRUDEN WAS HERE WE MADE THE PLAYOFFS 3 OUT OF 7 YEARS AND OTHER THAN THE SUPERBOWL SEASON WE ONLY HAD ONE SEASON WITH 10+ WINS.. DUNGY DOESN’T DESERVE ALL THE CREDIT FOR THAT SUPERBOWL BUT HE DAMN SURE DESERVES A LOT OF IT!!!! I DON’T REMEMBER DID GRUDEN DO ANYTHING AFTER 2002??????????THE OFFENSIVE GENIUS THAT HE IS!!
January 15th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
AND WHY DID GRUDEN WITH THE SAME ROSTER IN 2003 ONLY ABLE TO MUSTER UP A 8-8 RECORD?????
January 17th, 2010 at 10:34 pm
Josh P “I DON’T REMEMBER DID GRUDEN DO ANYTHING AFTER 2002??????????”
Gruden one three Division championships and a Super Bowl With the Bucs.
Dungy had 1 division championship and won 2 playoff games in four trips. and also had arguably the best quarterback ever to play in Indy and only wone one super bowl.
January 17th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Sorry…Gruden “won” three division championships…