A lot of people speculated that when Derrick Brooks was cut by the Bucs, a perfect defense for him to land in would be a 3-4 defense. That way Brooks and his old bones and his not-as fast legs won’t have near as much ground to cover.

But Ross Tucker of SI.com suggests it’s not quite that simple. Tucker, a former NFL player himself, is of the mind that Brooks would not fit in a 3-4 defense. The Packers’ defense no less!

Do [you] think Derrick Brooks would be a good add for the Packers? Esp w/ them going to a 3-4?

No. I don’t think Derrick Brooks would be a good fit in the 3-4 because he has never played in that defense and it doesn’t fit his skill set. A younger Brooks probably could have gotten it done as the weakside inside linebacker but it may be tough at this point to teach an old dog new tricks and expect success, even with a player as smart as Brooks.

It just seems to Joe that Brooks, with the aid of three other backers, would be able to handle a 3-4 defense better than a standard 4-3 defense. But who is Joe to argue with a former NFL player about Xs and Os?