This Christmas it’s fitting that ownership and management be visited by the ghosts of Buccaneers past, present and future. With so much uncertainty as the season runs down, we are left wondering what was, what is, and what will become of this young team.
The Ghost of Christmas Past: DERRICK BROOKS
Brooks is one of the all time greats in Bucs history and in NFL history at his position. Brooks’ career spanned 14 seasons with 11 Pro Bowls, Defensive Player of the Year in 2002 and a Super Bowl championship. He was the heartbeat of the defense, a Captain in the best defensive squad this team has known. Yet in 2009, the Buccaneers decided to release the future Hall of Famer, just as they were preparing for a “youth movement.” The release of Brooks left the defense without a veteran presence to lead a new regime of young talent and marked the steady decline of a unit which was consistently among the best in the NFL. Brooks had slowed a step and was not producing at the high level when rele...
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