Could this be Brooks last year?

[rocko23]

It could be his last year, but I think he'll give it one more.   If the Bucs stock up on defense with free agents and the draft they will need Brooks and Quarles to set the tone for work ethic and intensity and being where you are supposed to be on the field and off.  The Bucs will beg Brooks to give it one more year, and if its Kiffin doing the begging I think Brooks will listen.

agreed, we need DB and other vets to set the tone and work ethic, we dont pacman jones type of player

[Itchalot]

It could be his last year, but I think he'll give it one more.   If the Bucs stock up on defense with free agents and the draft they will need Brooks and Quarles to set the tone for work ethic and intensity and being where you are supposed to be on the field and off.  The Bucs will beg Brooks to give it one more year, and if its Kiffin doing the begging I think Brooks will listen.

[InChuckyITrust]

It could be anyones last year.  I don't think so just because he made sure his cap value was low enough to sustain his tenure.  That and the fact that he's a competitor says to me, no way this is his last season...

agreed, and unless we can bring someone in whos a clear cut upgrade (Briggs) we NEED him to stay

[BucsNBullsBaby]

There is no doubt that this is true and I am not advocating running him off. My thought is has his play dropped off enough where he decides to call it quits? I could also see him moving to the Sam backer for his remaining seasons.

No, based on his own comments, he doesn't see his play as being off much, if anything.  He'll give it at least another season.

[rocko23]

i hope so or  maybe rotate with a younger player next year but he has to know he is playing like **CENSORED**

[original]

As one of the all-time best Bucs, hes earned a right to go out on his own terms. 

There is no doubt that this is true and I am not advocating running him off.  My thought is has his play dropped off enough where he decides to call it quits?  I could also see him moving to the Sam backer for his remaining seasons.

[original]

Before I get flamed let me say that he is one of my all time favorite players.  I know he has a contract past this season, but it seems to me if he looks back over the tapes for this season with an honest eye, he may retire.  There is no doubt he has lost a step and is missing tackles because of it.   He should go out before it gets embarasing IMO.

[T]

I hope this is his last year the way he is playing. As much as I love the guy I don't wanna see him out there missing tackles, I wanna see him making plays and he's just not doing that this year.

[cheveliar]

It could be anyones last year.  I don't think so just because he made sure his cap value was low enough to sustain his tenure.  That and the fact that he's a competitor says to me, no way this is his last season...

[BucsNBullsBaby]

The clips I've heard on his show and the quotes from the local rags seem to indicate that HE thinks he's got plenty of gas in the tank.  He's not one of the ultra-ego flashy superstars who think they can play forever.  He'll stop when he sees and feels his game has suffered.  As one of the all-time best Bucs, hes earned a right to go out on his own terms. 

[GrudenFan63]

I vaguely remember watching Mickey Mantle in the late stages of his career. He was my childhood hero; even though I was born in '63 and long after the prime years of his career. Watching him struggle in the late 60's was horrible for his fans to witness. You want your heroes to never grow old, tired, and worn down. Granted, baseball is very different from football. The contact in football turns 28-year-old men into 80-year-old men very quickly, but it's still the same in terms of how to let go of the game. I think Brooks will know when the time is right; when his body tells me he can't continue to play effectively. His body will tell him long before his mind ever will.

[Uncle Stan]

I will get killed for this, (but I really shouldn't), so here goes.

IMO, Brooks has sadly slowed down considerably.

For the betterment of the team, the powers that be need to make real hard decision.

Do they do whats best for the team or do what will prevent fans screaming.

As was stated in another thread, NE just keeps winning without regard to cap and draft problems. How?. They do whats best for the team without regard to how much a fan favorite a player is.


To mirror that type of approach, the Bucs need to do the same.

Its so obvious to some of us "uneducated fans" that Brooks and Alstott have to go. In retrospect, Alstott should have been gone last year.

We have healthy good blocking FB sitting on the bench (Sowell). Why?  Why isn't Winborn and Terry at least getting some decent reps so it can be determined if they are worth keeping?

For all intents and purposes this year is over for making the playoffs. Its time to find out if we have some future players here.

I am more concerned about this than the run/pass ratio.

I just thought it would be a good place to bring up again what this guy has meant to us as an organization...he has never missed a game.  His stats match up well against the best HOF OLBs.  In his prime, he could defend anyone.  Just a class act.  I wouldn't be against him staying around for years to come, but we do need to find someone who will take his place.  He was the main piece of the puzzle for our top 10 defense for a decade.  He won a SB.  Defensive player of the year.  Brooks for HOF. 

[Uncle Stan]

Beniro,

Why keep him just because he was great in years past.

He's playing horrible this year.

[InChuckyITrust]

Stan,

While I agree with you, the bucs cant make those kind of decisions like the pats do.  The pats have won 3 SBs.  The fans would run gru and allen out of town for cutting brooks or alstott.  So you can thank the fans for these guys getting to leave on their own terms.  I dont agree with that, but thats just how itis.