"My phone is still ringing, and I'm ready to play."

Every fresh MSM report about Derrick Brooks playing this season warms Joe’s heart. No great player should be pushed out of the game before he’s ready.

Now Joe would hate to see Brooks in the NFC South, but if that’s what he can get, so be it.

Today, Brooks talked to the Associated Press at a meeting of the Florida State University board of trustees, of which he is a member. Brooks talked about playing in 2009 and the possibility of returning to the Buccaneers.

“I could still be a Buccaneer,” Brooks said. “Stranger things that have happened. Teams are talking to me so I’m going to make sure I continue to stay in shape.”

A member of the board of trustees at Florida State, the Pensacola native was in Tallahassee on Wednesday for a meeting on a three-year budget for the school.

And while he looked more the part of a businessman, his desire to get back into pads and a helmet was evident.

“My play speaks for itself,” said Brooks, who had 73 tackles last season with a season high 10 in a midseason win over the Kansas City Chiefs. “I’ve always taken that approach.”

Joe finds it very interesting that No. 55, who is very careful and calculated with his words to the media, mentions the possibility of returning to the Bucs.

Just on Brooks’ mention, Joe wouldn’t bet against there being some sort of talks going on between Brooks and the Bucs. He’s just not the kind of guy to throw that out to the media without a kernel of reality behind it.