Derrick Brooks has a legacy, thanks to playing, not sitting, his rookie year.

Going into 1995, the Buccaneers had some issues at linebacker. Lonnie Marts was going to be gone, and new Defensive Coordinator Rusty Tillman wanted THREE linebackers on the field, unlike Floyd Peters who experimented with a hybrid system that involved 2 linebackers and an extra safety. There were plenty of linebackers available via Free Agency, but the Bucs worked some magic in the 1995 draft, and managed to get both Warren Sapp AND Derrick Brooks in the first round. Brooks was plugged in from day One. Brooks performed from day One. “He made some plays out there that we haven’t had guys make in a while” from St. Pete Times August 8th 1995. A free agent put in his place would have performed had a higher level perhaps, maybe more consistent. But that definitely would have stalled Brooks’ growth in the NFL, and is the very reason why Geno Hayes and Quincy Black needed to be thrown into the fire last season. Hayes probably is not a Derrick Brooks, although the comparisons are great. Point however is still the same- Geno will leave his own legacy much as Brooks, Lynch, Sapp, Rice and others have left theirs. For Brooks, he was the perfect linebacker for the Tampa Two cover system; He was considered undersized as a linebacker, but for Tampa Two, he was perfect because he was light and fast enough to cover a tight end or running back, and he was a sure tackler, something size has nothing to do with. Because of these two skill sets, Brooks set himself apart from other linebackers and was able to take an offensive player totally out of the game. In the 1999 NFC Championship game, Marshal Faulk; taken care of. In the 2002 battle with Atlanta in Raymond James; Michael Vick was mirrored by Brooks and eliminated as a threat. Other teams have tried to copy the Tampa Two, but all they get is the modified Cover Two system. The Tampa Two is Brooks, Sapp, Lynch, Rice,and Barber among others. And when future generations talk about the T2 like we talk about the West Coast Offense, Brooks name will be synonymous with Joe Montana. The perfect guy for the right system. Thanks for the Memories #55