Jerry Jones, Al Davis And Derrick Brooks
September 1st, 2025
Nearly changed Bucs history in a bad way.
Joe likes to look back at Bucs history after seeing a wild story. And this is one that could have changed NFL history and certainly could have changed Bucs history, in a bad way.
Dan Pompei in The Athletic had a long feature on three maverick owners who did things their way. If people didn’t like it, then tough s(p)it. Those three are Jerry Jones, Al Davis and George Halas.
Obviously, since Jones is in the current spotlight (which he craves maybe more than winning) in the wake of the Micah Parsons trade, the story largely focuses on Jones. Pompei gets into how tight Jones and Davis were. So tight that Davis thought Jones would play poker with him when it came time to pull off a trade.
The deceased former Raiders owner had his sights on drafting Derrick Brooks in 1995. Davis was absolutely addicted to speed. Davis reminded Joe of Hall of Fame baseball manager Whitey Herzog, who used to often say, “Speed kills.”
If a baseball player could hit reasonably well but he could run, Herzog would find a way to get the guy on the field. Davis would, too. And with Brooks possessing lightning speed, Davis wanted him.
In 1995, Davis was intent on drafting linebacker Derrick Brooks after selecting running back Napoleon Kaufman with the 18th pick. He thought Jones would trade him the 28th pick, according to the book, “Al Davis: Behind The Raiders Shield.” Instead, Jones took a better offer from the Bucs, who selected Brooks.
The Cowboys had the No. 28 pick. Then-Bucs general manager Rich McKay traded two second-round picks to the Cowboys to land the Cowboys’ draft pick, which McKay used to select Brooks.
It is unknown what Davis offered Jones for the No. 28 pick.
Man, how would history have changed? The Raiders, in case anyone doesn’t remember, got punked by the Patriots on the dumb as hell “Tuck Rule” in the 2001 playoffs in overtime.
Do the Raiders win that game if they had Brooks? The Patriots eventually won the Super Bowl.
The next year the Raiders advanced to the Super Bowl where they lost to the Bucs and Brooks. Do the Bucs even make a Super Bowl without Brooks? Would the Raiders have even traded Chucky to Tampa if Brooks had been in Oakland helping them win more games?
Davis may have cost himself two additional Super Bowl rings by not upping the ante to land Brooks.
Pretty wild story.
So whatever happened to those coveted draft picks McKay shipped to Dallas? One was used on guard Shane Hannah, who blew out his knee in the Cowboys’ first preseason game in 1995. He retired the following season.
The other pick was traded and eventually landed the Cowboys running back Sherman Williams, who was a subpar back and never ran for 500 yards in a season.
September 1st, 2025 at 12:15 pm
So maybe Parsons would have been a good trade. Considering how picks can turn out.
September 1st, 2025 at 12:29 pm
Great story. I never heard that.
If the Steelers or Raiders would have advanced to the SB in ‘01 the lambs would have steamrolled them. BB was the only coach that could have pulled off that upset IMO.
September 1st, 2025 at 12:33 pm
And that was the Glazers first draft
And they hit paydirt with Brooks and Sapp
September 1st, 2025 at 12:39 pm
I wonder what Jason could get if he put Todd on the trade market.
September 1st, 2025 at 1:01 pm
Lakeland
Gonna have to credit McKay/Dungy with that. At that point I doubt the Glazers knew what shape a football was.
September 1st, 2025 at 1:05 pm
I remember the press asking Jones why he traded the pick. He said that he didn’t see a hall of famer there. I have always said the Cowboys are suffering from the curse of Derrick Brooks!
September 1st, 2025 at 1:06 pm
They owe it all to Bucco Bruce!! Bring back Bruce for good!!
September 1st, 2025 at 1:22 pm
Father Dungy wasn’t with the Bucs when Sapp and Brooks (and Lynch) were drafted.
Dungy won with Sam Wyche’s players.
(Hey, if people can do that to Chucky, then Joe can do that to Father Dungy, right?)
September 1st, 2025 at 1:50 pm
The Tucker rule was a BAD call
September 1st, 2025 at 1:58 pm
that team was built from the draft but add in brad johnson keyshawn pittman jurevicius, simeon rice awesome team
September 1st, 2025 at 2:07 pm
Ooh.. that’s right Sam Wyche brought a lot of good players.
Was Phil Krueger responsible for John Lynch?
September 1st, 2025 at 2:09 pm
A great “What if” article from Joe!
Another great “What if” is Lee dating Kay Adams, would Lee quit JBF?
September 1st, 2025 at 2:53 pm
Rich McKay drafted John Lynch
Phil Krueger had retired, and McKay was responsible for the draft. But he didn’t have title of GM until a few years later. But he was the Top man after Phil Kruger retired.
September 1st, 2025 at 3:14 pm
Read this brings back the first Lombardi baby!!!
What an AWESOME WIN AND PLAYOFF RUN.
Thank you Glazers and Coach Gruden!!!!
Every nfl fan’s dream is for their team to win the Super Bowl.
No one can take away that celebration from us!!!!
September 1st, 2025 at 3:35 pm
LakelandBuc Says:
September 1st, 2025 at 2:53 pm
Rich McKay drafted John Lynch
Phil Krueger had retired, and McKay was responsible for the draft. But he didn’t have title of GM until a few years later. But he was the Top man after Phil Kruger retired.
————
Oh yes, Phil Krueger, brother of Freddy, the infamous “Springwood Slasher.” Between 1961 and 1965, Freddy was linked to the abduction and murder of at least twenty children, luring them to an abandoned boiler room at the local power plant. Arrested in 1966 after his daughter gave evidence, he walked free in 1968 when the case collapsed on a legal technicality. After that he disappeared without a trace.
I feel bad for Phil having to share a name with that creep.
September 1st, 2025 at 4:05 pm
On Krueger/McKay/Wyche/Lynch:
Sam Wyche often told the story about how he called Bill Walsh at Stanford and told Walsh he was looking for a safety and if he had any insight into teams Stanford played if they had a safety.
Walsh then told Wyche he’d be nuts not to draft Lynch.
(if people watch the John Lynch bio on NFL Network — it’s on YouTube, or was, Wyche does into detail there).
Now, was it Krueger or McKay or Wyche who drafted Lynch? No idea. But Wyche certainly had good intel.
September 1st, 2025 at 6:11 pm
If my Momma isn’t mistaken, Wyche went in person to talk Lynch out of playing baseball. He had a 100mph fast ball and was drafted in 1992 by the FL Marlins.
September 1st, 2025 at 7:14 pm
Hard to imagine the Bucs without DB55’s Hall of Fame career. The 2005 defense doesn’t get discussed much because of the loss to the Redskins in the playoffs where Edell Shepherd dropped a pretty pass from Chrissie in the endzone that would’ve changed everything. That D was almost as good as 99 and 02.
September 1st, 2025 at 8:21 pm
So then it looks like McKay DID have a hand in Drafting Brooks and Sapp, just with Wyche before Dungy.