In Clayton, Brooks sees his heir apparent

Bucs LB/leader believes second-year WR someday can pick up where he leaves off.

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published September 16, 2005

	[Times photo: Brendan Fitterer]
	Michael Clayton prides himself on not only catching the ball, but blocking downfield for his teammates. He didn't make any excuses after dropping two passes and fumbling once Sunday against Minnesota.

TAMPA - Derrick Brooks' locker at One Buc Place is strategically located in the farthest corner of the room, giving the veteran linebacker a vantage point to see everyone and everything.

Brooks can tell when something isn't right, at which time the team's undisputed leader will proceed to correct it. So it was one day last season when Brooks saw something he disapproved of in receiver Michael Clayton. Then a rookie, Clayton was enjoying his newfound riches and fame a little too much for Brooks' liking.

"You can hang out a little bit, but I might have been going out a little too much," Clayton admits.

From Day 1, Brooks identified Clayton as someone who eventually could sit on his perch as the leader of the locker room. But before Brooks could mold the young player into a leader, he had to drive home the importance of acting like one.

Now, as Clayton tries to follow a wildly successful rookie season with an equally impressive sophomore campaign, he is talking the talk and walking the walk of a leader, all at age 22. Consider it a dress rehearsal for the day he becomes what Brooks is today: the face of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Clayton is boldly facing that challenge with a little help - and, often, tough love - from No. 55.

"I love the kid as a person," Brooks said. "Hey, somebody was hard on me. (Former linebackers) Hardy Nickerson and Lonnie Marts were hard on me when I was a rookie and I didn't see the big picture. I see this franchise building a team around him, very much like they did with myself, Warren (Sapp) and (John) Lynch. I want him to respect that as a young person."

Even in these formative years of his career, Clayton is learning a healthy respect for the responsibility he shoulders.

"I accept full responsibility for everything," Clayton said. "I think one of the main things is, from my success last year, I gained respect because people know I come to play week in and week out and I practice hard every day. I didn't miss one practice. I was out there every day. From a player's standpoint, they respect that, that you can humble yourself and be productive at the same time. When you talk about leadership, it goes beyond just playing."

When you play like Clayton, though, it doesn't hurt. He burst onto the scene last season with 1,193 yards on 80 receptions, the best numbers for a rookie receiver in team history, and becoming a finalist for rookie of the year.

But putting up numbers alone has never satisfied Clayton. He cares deeply about the state of the franchise and his role in getting it back to the top. He cares about his teammates, which is why he goes out of his way to credit offensive linemen when they make a play worthy of praise.

"Hey, those guys need to see their names in the paper, too," Clayton said.

He also cares about the unheralded things, like blocking downfield. Clayton is gaining a reputation among defenders for being a relentless blocker who defensive backs would be wise to avoid.

"I take pride in that," Clayton said. "I hear it from safeties, "Come on, Clayton. This is the NFL. We don't do that here!' But I go hard on every play."

All told, the evidence paints a picture of a young man tailor-made to lead because he understands the many facets of the job. In fact, he always has.

"Michael Clayton was probably as good a leader as I've ever been around," said Dolphins coach Nick Saban, Clayton's coach at Louisiana State. "He's got that aura about him that he can affect other people. ... He's a hard worker, and for a guy that has a lot of talent, he doesn't take anything for granted and he's willing to do whatever he needs to do to continue to improve and work hard. His personality affects other people. The combination of all those variables is not something you find readily. It's a rare combination."

Said Bucs coach Jon Gruden: "Talking about being a leader is just talking about it. Doing it consistently on a daily basis is something else. But he was brought in here because he has that background. He's a guy who people followed at LSU. He's a guy who keeps his head focused and stays on an even keel and can be a leader here for a long time."

Accountability is an essential part of being a leader, and Clayton had some experience with that this week. After dropping two passes and fumbling against Minnesota in the opener, Clayton had to face his coaches and the media and 'fess up.

"I'm out there trying to make plays before I even catch the ball," he said. "That's obviously the main reason (sure-handed) receivers drop passes. ... It's just (a lack of) total focus."

Like Brooks, who mishandled a fumble in the closing moments that would have sealed the game, Clayton didn't make excuses. Clearly, he is beginning to sound and act like his older counterpart, even if he didn't always see eye to eye with him.

"We got off to a rough start," Clayton said. "He just watched me at first. Then, we bumped heads a few times. But if he ever had a problem with me or what I was doing, or something he wanted me to be careful about, he would always pull me aside. Now, I know I can depend on him."

Tough love can be tough to take, but, "He knows everything I do, I do it out of respect for him and out of love," Brooks said. "I've been down that road. I want this kid to grow up, and I want to help him the way people helped me.

"The next phase of building this franchise is more than likely going to be offensively. He's got to respect that and he has to know that.

"The rules are different when you're a leader."

- Times staff writer Joanne Korth contributed to this report.

[Last modified September 16, 2005, 01:36:17]