Joe can’t count how many stories have been written about current Bucs players and coaches who in turn mention that Derrick Brooks is advising, mentoring and coaching them from his living room.

Here’s another one today about young Geno Hayes from Stephen Holder, of the St. Pete Times.

“I think learning two different positions (strongside and weakside) and playing them at a high tempo, limiting mistakes and showing a lot of good hustle on tape, I’ve shown I’ve improved from last year,” he said. “I think I’ve been showing the coaches some urgency on my assignments and being on top of the details.”

He has had some help with those details, too. The man who played Hayes’ position for 14 seasons, Derrick Brooks, was released in February but has kept in contact with Hayes.

“He’s looking out for all of us,” said Hayes, who says he often consults Brooks for advice.

Given the Bucs loss of projected starting linebackers Jermaine Phillips and Angelo Crowell, and given Brooks’ apparently effective role right now as teacher/mentor and his desire to play, wouldn’t it make sense to offer Brooks at least a player-coach role with the club?

Would linebackers coach Joe Barry really object?

If Raheem The Dream and Mark Dominik want to go with a youth movement at linebacker, fine. But wouldn’t Brooks help the cause most teaching in practice and backing up on the field?