What Derrick Brooks says, goes

By JOANNE KORTH, Times staff writer
Published September 8, 2007

Linebacker Derrick Brooks of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots meet at midfield at Raymond James Stadium.
	[Getty Images]

ADVERTISEMENT [James Borchuck | Times] Derrick Brooks watches the game from the sidelines in the final minutes of the Bucs 31-14 loss to the Saints. [Brendan Fitterer | Times] Derrick Brooks takes a knee during morning practice during the first day of Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp.

TAMPA -- Derrick Brooks has played 12 seasons in the NFL. He has been to 10 Pro Bowls, been the league's defensive MVP and won a Super Bowl ring.

No one in the Bucs locker room is as accomplished, no one more respected than the linebacker.

That's why he's the Godfather

It's a nickname Brooks can't refuse.

"He plays the role as well as you can play it as far as controlling things," veteran cornerback Ronde Barber said. "Everything definitely runs through him. He's the quintessential Godfather."

The moniker comes from the Vito Corleone character in The Godfather movie, played by Oscar-winner Marlon Brando. As the head of a crime family, the Don is the ultimate authority, afforded every respect. His opinion is revered, his orders executed, his word unquestioned.

Just like Brooks.

Only without the crime.

Brooks' voice, while different, is just as distinct. And where Corleone had puffy cheeks and a deliberate chin scratch, Brooks intimidates with a menacing, single-raised eyebrow.

Then again, the mere mention of the Godfather nickname makes him laugh out loud.

"The Godfather is another word for calling me old because they can't call me old," Brooks, 34, said. "There's no evidence to call me old because I'm moving just as fast as them, just as quick. But I think it's more or less me being around and knowing a lot of things. I hope it's more out of respect."

Absolutely.

"He's a little intimidating," starting middle linebacker Barrett Ruud said, "because he's one of the few guys who, there's no doubt, he's a Hall of Famer as he's playing."

Brooks has long set the tone in the locker room, but it was never a conscious decision. Becoming the team's undisputed leader was a natural progression.

Rookies, especially, must kiss the ring.

"When I look at him, he really is like the Godfather," 23-year-old linebacker Adam Hayward said. "He's the only man I've ever seen be able to discuss something with the coaches as far as how our defense should work. He's been in this defense since it started."

In 2002, linebacker Ryan Nece, son of 49ers Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott, was an undrafted rookie. During training camp, Brooks called him L.L., Little Lott.

"The Don approached me," Nece said, "and told me, 'There are certain duties you have as a rookie. I might get mad. You see Shelton Quarles over there? He's going to get mad. You see Nate Webster over there? He's going to get mad. You see Al Singleton? He's going to get mad. And when we all get mad, it's not a happy thing. So just take care of what you have to take care of and we can live in peace around here.'"

In 2004, rookie receiver Michael Clayton, a first-round pick, got the bright idea to use an empty cubby next to his in the cramped locker room of old One Buc Place.

"Derrick Brooks is on the other side of the locker room, comes by and sees my jersey and my shoulder pads in two different lockers," Clayton said. "He's like, 'What the hell is going on?' He's only got one locker. So he says I can only use one locker, and he brings his extra things and puts them into the locker next to mine.

"Lesson learned."

In 2005, Brooks refused to call running back Carnell Williams by his nickname. Only by rushing for an NFL rookie-record 434 yards in his first three games did Williams earn his "button." After that, Brooks referred to him as Cadillac.

The same year, Ruud, also a rookie, learned during training camp that playing the same position as Brooks carried with it certain responsibilities, sort of like being one of Corleone's sons.

"My first training camp in pads, a little bit of a fight broke out," Ruud said. "We're sitting in the locker room, and Brooks was in the corner and says, 'If the Don ever gets in a fight, you better come running.' It was my job to keep people away from the Don, so I'm kind of the Fredo around here. I'm definitely not Michael."

Finally, there is the legend of the sauna.

Ever the competitor, Brooks makes the sauna so hot no one else can stand it. As Brooks calmly takes a seat, everyone else faces a fight-or-flight decision.

"It's so hot in there, sometimes you can't keep your eyes open," Nece said. "I'm talking 125, 130 degrees. It's chaos once he walks in the room with people trying to scramble out of there. You don't want to get stuck because if you get stuck, then it's, 'I can't leave because I don't want the Don to see me being weak.'"

Brooks admits to testing his teammates with the searing heat.

"I'd welcome the conversation if they want to sit there and talk to me," he said. "If not, get out."

Ruud has tried to last.

"It really feels like your face is burning off," he said. "Even if I make it a good five or six minutes, he'll make sure he's the last one out."

So here's the thing. No one truly arrives with the Buccaneers until Brooks says so. And the last person in the locker room anyone wants to disappoint is No. 55.

"I haven't gotten the kiss on the lips," Nece said. "As long as I don't get that, I'm good."

Joanne Korth can be reached at korth@sptimes.com or 727 893-8810.

[Last modified September 7, 2007, 22:52:01]