Hanging On The Telephone

June 22, 2009 at 11:26am by Scott   •  3 Comments »

Peter King devoted the opening block of his weekly doucheflood to Derrick Brooks and how he’s not generating much interest in the free agent market.

I’m stunned by it, quite frankly. I don’t care if the guy gets wheeled into a locker room with two broken legs. Derrick Brooks is a football player’s football player, one of the best students of the game I’ve ever seen.

…

I don’t get it. I called around the league to find out why, and I got a bunch of he’s not the same Brooks … we’re trying to get younger … he’s not quick enough for our scheme. Blah, blah, blah.

But those are all good reasons for not taking Brooks. You don’t “blah blah blah” valid arguments. Think about it. You need a team that not only runs a 4-3, but mainly runs Tampa 2. And not only is Brooks not going to take the veteran minimum, but he’s not going to take too kindly to only being on the field for ten to fifteen plays per game, so you need a team in need of a starter. There’s not a team that fits those criteria.

An NFL coach would have to keep one fewer special-teams demon in exchange for having one of the best leaders in the league. And that’s why Brooks sits home in Florida today, waiting for the phone to ring.

THEN STOP SAYING YOU DON’T GET IT! YOU OBVIOUSLY GET IT!

King called Warren Sapp to get his perspective. I don’t usually copy and paste such big chunks of an article, but everything Sapp says is important to the story.

“I’ll tell you the real reason,” his friend Warren Sapp said over the weekend. “Because it’s not the same for the veterans anymore. The NFL doesn’t need us. In this NFL, the old vets don’t factor in. The kids don’t listen to nobody. Nobody! My last year in Oakland, I’d try to talk to some of the kids. Tommy Kelly, Terdell Sands. But they had no interest. I thought the ghosts in that building were so valuable, but none of the young guys cared. Once in a while, one of the old legends would come in the building, or make a trip. Jack Tatum would be around, and I’d say, ‘You know who that dude is? You know how he played?’ And the kids would be like, ‘Nah, I don’t care.’

“The game’s different now. Look at Vince Young. Why wouldn’t he listen to Kerry Collins? I’m sure Vince thinks, ‘Nobody’s been through what I’m going through. Nobody’s been through my kind of pressure.’ Are you kidding me! Kerry Collins, fifth pick in the draft, has all the ups and downs, gets benched, makes those racist comments, has the alcohol problems, moves from team to team, comes back, has success … Vince Young should suck up all the knowledge Kerry Collins has to offer! There’s no better role model for him.”

The points Sapp makes here stand up on their own, but with regard to Brooks specifically, his first example is off. Jack Tatum isn’t looking for a contract. Al Davis doesn’t have to spend money to bring Tatum into the Raiders locker room to speak to the team and he doesn’t take up a roster spot. It’s almost a perfect storm to find a player that accepts that his playing days are just about through and a team that’s willing to pay that player to be on a roster just for the purpose of leadership. The only example I can think of off the top of my head is Lomas Brown in 2002. Brown was a cornerstone offensive tackle for the Lions and played several other places until Jon Gruden hired him to bring some experience, wisdom and leadership to the Tampa Bay offense. Brown was a backup the whole year and only ever got on the field for special teams, but you can ask players from that year who will tell you that Brown’s advice was invaluable. I don’t think Brooks is willing to be that guy yet.

I left Sapp’s comments about Young/Collins in there because they’re so true. I don’t think it’s the case with every young player that they don’t care what the older guys have to say, but clearly there are many that don’t. I can’t quite pinpoint what the common thread is. It’s not that Young was drafted high; there are several high draft picks that seem humble and ready to listen. On the other end you’ve got a guy like Sapp was talking about in Kelly who wasn’t interested in hearing anything he had to say. I asked Sapp on Twitter. I’ll let you know if he responds.

King gets a little bit of insight about the Brooks cut, too.

When new coach Raheem Morris called Brooks Feb. 25 and asked him to come in and see him, Brooks knew he was being let go. He snapped into the phone: “Are you kidding me!”

Yeah, that doesn’t sound like a guy who is ready to admit he’s not a starter anymore. Hey, I hope he does find a team who is ready to put him on the field and I hope he does well. How could I not? I just don’t think the opportunity is out there.

“The reality in this game is we’re all going to walk into work one day and be told, ‘You’re out of a job.’ ” [Brooks] said. “I don’t think it’s my time yet.”

It’s not up to him.

Those last five words are the best thing King has written in a long time.

OK, I’m out for four weeks after tomorrow’s mailbag column.

No, wait, I take it back! THOSE are the best words he’s EVER written!