http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/1375 Recent articles about Keith Brooking en-us This was a rather funny video. It is Chad at training camp being interviewed and to avoid questions he starts questioning the interviewer. He starts to ask him what he did in the offseason and how he's doing. The interviewer asks about Chad's ankle and Chad says, "How is your ankle?" Chad Johnson obviously does not want to answer questions about his trade demand earlier this year. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:29:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278477 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278477 As the Atlanta Falcons begin a three-day mandatory minicamp Saturday, they'll have a new face (rookie quarterback Matt Ryan) and a new mind (courtesy of new coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff). But the one thing the Falcons did keep was their heart. They kept Keith Brooking. Some day, the middle linebacker will get his due. Maybe a few years down the road, Ryan, Smith and Dimitroff will stand around at Super Bowl media day and talk about the franchise's remarkable turnaround. They probably will talk about some rough times early on, and if there's any justice in the world, they'll talk about Brooking. In the past year, Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino came pretty close to re-enacting Sherman's march through Georgia -- torching a fan base as Vick went to federal prison and Petrino to the University of Arkansas. In the past few months, the Falcons worked to bury just about every sign of the past, releasing popular running back Warrick Dunn and tight end Alge Crumpler and unloading disgruntled cornerback DeAngelo Hall. CLICK IT 4 the full read.......brooking does indeed, have heart!!! Sun, 11 May 2008 05:22:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265638 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/265638 Here is a look at arguably the top 10 players poised for free agency this winter. 1. Julius Peppers, Panthers defensive end –- Coming off a down year, but teams pay premium for pass rushers. 2. Steven Jackson, Rams running back –- Hard to imagine St. Louis parting ways with its most popular player. 3. Tommie Harris, Bears defensive tackle -– Talks on a long-term contract hit a standstill last month. 4. Marion Barber, Cowboys running back –- Last season, one NFC coach said Barber is an elite back in the same class as LaDainian Tomlinson or Adrian Peterson. Now he wants to be paid that way. 5. Chris Snee, Giants guard –- At a time when interior offensive linemen are cashing in, the son-in-law of Giants coach Tom Coughlin is going to cash in. 6. Nnamdi Asomugha, Raiders cornerback –- Oakland plans to franchise him again if he remains unsigned, which is a distinct possibility. 7. Albert Haynesworth, Titans defensive tackle –- Tennessee wouldn't let Haynesworth leave this offseason, and its stance is unlikely to change. 8. Terrell Owens, Cowboys wide receiver -– At the age of 34, T.O. is performing like he were 24. 9. Will Smith, Saints defensive end -– New Orleans defensive end Charles Grant got his money and Smith intends to do the same. 10. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Bengals wide receiver –- Still waiting for his first big-money deal. Of course, the list hardly stops there. It goes on and on, like the money that could be spent on some of these players. The free-agent class of 2009 also is scheduled to include Lions wide receiver Roy Williams, Bills wide receiver Lee Evans, Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman, Cowboys safety Ken Hamlin, Falcons linebacker Keith Brooking, Texans cornerback Dunta Robinson, Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby, Buccaneers quarterback Jeff Garcia and Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer. Thu, 08 May 2008 13:08:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264854 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264854 while 1998 had its share of busts there were a few great ones as well also check out the article above if you click the link 1. Indianapolis Peyton Manning QB Active Comment: Prolific passer has Super Bowl victory to go with gaudy stats. 2. San Diego Ryan Leaf QB Retired Comment: Colossal bust retired after four seasons with 14 TDs and 36 INTs. 3. Arizona Andre Wadsworth DE Retired Comment: Knee injuries derailed his career almost before it began. 4. Oakland Charles Woodson CB Active Comment: Physical cover corner a mainstay of Packers defense. 5. Chicago Curtis Enis RB Retired Comment: Career lasted three seasons and 456 forgettable carries. 6. St. Louis Grant Wistrom DE Retired Comment: High-motor style helped Rams, Seahawks reach Super Bowls. 7. New Orleans Kyle Turley OT Retired Comment: Started 107 games over nine seasons before injuries took over. 8. Dallas Greg Ellis DE Active Comment: Solid starter coming off 12½ sack season, Pro Bowl appearance. 9. Jacksonville Fred Taylor RB Active Comment: Still going strong after 10,715 yards and 61 TDs. 10. Baltimore Duane Starks CB Retired Comment: Interception return for a TD helped Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV. 11. Philadelphia Tra Thomas OT Active Comment: Pro Bowl tackle anchors left side of Eagles' line. 12. Atlanta Keith Brooking OLB Active Comment: Pro Bowl linebacker hasn't missed a start in past seven seasons. 13. Cincinnati Takeo Spikes OLB Unsigned Comment: Injuries have prevented Spikes from maintaining Pro Bowl form. 14. Carolina Jason Peter DE Retired Comment: Neck issues forced him to retire after four seasons and 20 starts. 15. Seattle Anthony Simmons OLB Retired Comment: Never lived up to potential as part of underachieving defenses. 16. Tennessee Kevin Dyson WR Retired Comment: Played in a Super Bowl, but never exceeded 825 yards in a season. 17. Cincinnati Brian Simmons OLB Free agent Comment: Seasons with Bengals, Saints have made for unremarkable career. 18. New England Robert Edwards RB CFL Comment: Has spent time in CFL after blowing out knee in rookie game at Pro Bowl. 19. Green Bay Vonnie Holliday DE Active Comment: Solid starter has 51½ sacks for Packers, Chiefs and Dolphins. 20. Detroit Terry Fair CB Retired Comment: Started 48 games for Lions, but hasn't been a factor since 2001. 21. Minnesota Randy Moss WR Active Comment: Has posted seven seasons with at least 1,200 yards receiving. 22. New England Tebucky Jones FS Retired Comment: Won Super Bowl with Patriots, but never validated first-round status. 23. Oakland Mo Collins G Retired Comment: Helped Raiders reach Super Bowl, but career shortened by injuries. 24. N.Y. Giants Shaun Williams SS Retired Comment: Started four consecutive seasons for Giants before knee injuries intervened. 25. Jacksonville Donovin Darius SS Free agent Comment: Productive starter teamed with Deon Grant to anchor Jags' secondary. 26. Pittsburgh Alan Faneca G Active Comment: Pro Bowl guard signed massive free-agent deal with Jets last month. 27. Kansas City Victor Riley OT Retired Comment: Started 93 of 111 games played before retiring after 2005 season. 28. San Francisco R.W. McQuarters CB Active Comment: Versatile if unspectacular, McQuarters helped Giants to Super Bowl XLII victory. 29. Miami John Avery RB CFL Comment: Set Dolphins records as a rookie, but has made his mark in XFL, CFL. 30. Denver Marcus Nash WR AFL Comment: Won Super Bowls with Broncos, Ravens before settling in the AFL. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:32:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/233454 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/233454 Richard Justice tells the Texans to keep Sage Rosenfels, Keith Brooking excited about the Falcons' future and more local hometown NFL news for Sunday, March 23, 2008. Sun, 23 Mar 2008 12:22:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215551 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/215551 Glen Dorsey says he'd love to be a bird. No sorry my fellow Eagles fans I'm talking about the other birds down south. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Indianapolis – A twinkle flickers in Falcons coach Mike Smith's eyes when he talks about the middle of a defense. As Jacksonville defensive coordinator he had Marcus Stroud and John Henderson anchoring his defense. When those behemoths needed a break, Smith sent in former Falcons tackle Grady Jackson for part of last season and in the playoffs. With the No. 3 pick in the NFL's 2008 draft, the Falcons may have a chance to fortify the middle of their defense. Louisiana State University's Glenn Dorsey could be available. The Falcons must examine extensive medical reports on the tackle. Indianapolis president Bill Polian has a long history of picking top talent. Polian scouted Dorsey when the Tigers played Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl following the 2006 season. "He was a force," Polian said. "He can do it all. He can stop the run. He can rush the passer. He can beat you one-on-one." While part of the defensive tackles' job is to take up blockers, Dorsey has shown that he's more than just a space-eater. His unit helped LSU to its BCS national championship title last season. "I'm not sure that many people can win a battle one-on-one against him in pass protection," Polian said. "To have a player that's inside like that, that is a force, that's good, a real positive." Miami has the first pick in the draft, followed by St. Louis. Both could snap up Dorsey before the Falcons get a chance on April 26th in New York. "He's an impact guy, he's an every-down guy, first, second and third," said Billy Devaney, St. Louis' vice president of player personnel after leaving his assistant general manager's position with the Falcons this year. "He elevates people around him, makes them better. ... The guy's going to be a great pro." A possible draft scenario would be Miami drafting quarterback Matt Ryan and St. Louis taking defensive lineman Chris Long. That would set up the Dorsey to Atlanta move at No. 3. "I'd love to go to the Falcons," Dorsey said. "I'd love to be a Bird." Dorsey did not to workout at the NFL scouting combine. He measured 6-feet-1 1/4 and weighed 297 pounds. However, his assortment of injuries at LSU, including a stress fracture in the right tibia, sent off a medical alert. Dorsey was at the hospital from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, getting tests. "MRI's, CAT scans, everything," Dorsey said. "(There were) things from high school that they wanted to check out. It was quite interesting." Dorsey, who plans to workout for the scouts on LSU's pro day on March 26, noted that he played in all games last season with the injury. "I know I had a hairline fracture my junior year on my right tibia," Dorsey said. "I'm not sure how the test came out." He remembers how the injury happened. "I bumped it up against something in the weight room," Dorsey said. On the field, a lot of teams have tried to block into Dorsey's knees with chop blocks. "I've seen quite a few," Dorsey said. "Most of the time you are able to slide your foot with it. But a couple of times, I just got caught in it at the wrong time." He's seen an assortment of block attempts designed to slow him down. One, against Auburn last season, resulted in an injured right knee. "It just happened in a play where a guy accidentally went high on me and a guy hit me low," Dorsey said. "It kind of twisted my knee up a little bit." The Auburn block drew the ire of LSU head coach Les Miles. But Dorsey has moved on. "I'm not concerned about it," Dorsey said. "I let it go." Dorsey seemed to take the extra medical scrutiny in stride. "I'm not surprised by it at all, there's a lot of money they put in," Dorsey said. "Even if you were not hurt you are going to be sore after all these examinations Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:02:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/170099 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/170099 Friday's FIO weekly fantasy football columns deals with those leagues that implement Individual Defensive Players (IDP) - co-founder & editor Matt Hinzpeter discusses some of the key defensive players to keep an eye on in Week 2. Check this article each and every week on Fridays. Fri, 14 Sep 2007 20:05:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/27172 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/27172 The GNUru is here with another edition of his 2007 Fantasy Football Rankings. This time he tackles the linebacker position for those in Individual Defensive Player (IDP) leagues. Are LBs as important as RBs in IDP leagues? Read the GNUru to get the skinny! Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:08:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/23437 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/23437 Here is my list of the 20 best backers in the league: 1. Brian Urlacher 2. Shawne Merriman 3. Ray Lewis 4. DeMarcus Ware 5. Adalius Thomas 6. Takeo Spikes 7. Mike Peterson 8. D.J. Williams 9. DeMeco Ryans 10. Lance Briggs 11. Lofa Tatupu 12. A.J. Hawk 13. Jonathan Vilma 14. Joey Porter 15. Zach Thomas 16. Derrick Brooks 17. Ernie Sims 18. Antonio Pierce 19. Julian Peterson 20. Cato June Honorable Mentions: Jeremiah Trotter, London Fletcher, Ian Gold, Nick Barnett, Keith Brooking, and Gary Brackett Sun, 12 Aug 2007 15:43:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/23278 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/23278 I wish I could take credit for this quote, but I found it on a local (Georgia) sports board, Georgia Outdoor News. "He's (Joe Horne) always been an average receiver with an above average mouth". For someone who has yet to play a game wearing a Falcons Jersey, Horne has now proclaimed himself the "mouthpiece" of the Atlanta Falcons. He appeared on the Dan Patrick show over the weekend rambling how the media (he specifically mentions Nancy Grace) has been quick to find Michael Vick guilty and so he offers his thoughts that Vick needs to play with the team and the team supports him and wants him to play. It might be different if Horne was a team leader with some experience around the Falcons locker. He's the new kid on the block! If anyone were to proclaim themselves to be speaking for the Falcons team, it should be Keith Brooking or maybe a well-respected player like Warrick Dunn. Brooking's comment was only that he had been impressed with Vick's dedication to learning the Petrino Offense in the off-season. This says nothing about the "team" supporting Vick and wanting him to play. There is a time and place for everything! The one thing the Falcons need right now is cohesion. The Falcons do not need publicity-starved teammates offering blanket statements of support. I'm quite certain there are some team members that are very tired of the negative publicity that Vick has generated since January of this year but they have not sought out a public forum to speak out against him. Instead, they handled it professionally and with some dignity. Now, it's time for Joe Horne to learn some as well. No smack needed!!! Last night on the local news, Keion Carpenter (former Falcons player and former Vick teammate from VT) was proclaiming his support for Vick and saying how Vick wants to play and his teammates should be there to "uplift" him. ("Uplift" is his word choice, not mine!). He also went on to say that Vick has been "misinterpretated". ("Misinterpretated" is his word choice, not mine!) Note to Carpenter, the next time you decide you want to comment, perhaps you should consult a dictionary. Then, just maybe, will you be respected. Just so you know, "misinterpretated" is not a word, but misinterpreted is. Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:34:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/20911 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/20911 From my series of season previews I wrote about a month ago, this one concerns Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons. I break down his improvement as well as factoring in the new additions for the team on offense and defense. Sat, 16 Sep 2006 18:34:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/2405 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/2405