Derrick Brooks: Going For Two Starts With Tom Brady
March 19th, 2021
Repeat chatter.
A man in Tampa knows something about trying to defend a Super Bowl. And that man is Mr. Derrick Brooks.
Recently, Brooks, on behalf Ford Motor Company and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, honored a special forces veteran for his service to America. In turn, Ford donated $10,000 to the Rescue 22 Foundation, which is a non-profit providing trained service dogs to help combat veterans cope with mental and/or physical health.
James Yarcho of Bucs Nation got a chance to ask Brooks about the obstacle course before the Bucs as they try to “Go for Two,” their defense of Tampa Bay’s second Super Bowl trophy.
Of course, Brooks helped seal the franchise’s first Super Bowl with in a late pick-six against then-NFL MVP Rich Gannon in January 2003.
Brooks pointed to the quarterback, the same man who might be the only player still in the NFL who has successfully defended a Super Bowl title. That’s park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring, down-forgetting, handshake-stiffing, jet-ski-losing, biscuit-baking, tequila-shooting, waffle-grilling, trophy-throwing, Bucs Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady.
“I think it really starts with the quarterback because he’s been there and done that,” Brooks said of Brady. “I think that’s one of the one things that I learned that I really played forward the rest of my career after we won the Super Bowl – we had our top thirty guys back, but we never turned the page and realized we were a different team. Yes we had the same body, same mind but we didn’t have the necessary attitude to turn the page and realize that just because we were back together things have gotta be different.
“‘We gotta adapt, we have to change.’ We didn’t learn that until later in the season when we were fighting just to make the playoffs and we came one game short.
“Where I think now, [the current Bucs] have that experience in the locker room with a couple players starting with Tom that can talk to that. They’ve earned that collateral. So yes, they’re bringing everybody back but they have to understand that just because everybody’s back — including the staff – -they’re not gonna be the same team and they have to operate as the team of 2021 not the team of 2020. That would be my advice to them.”
That is an excellent point Brooks made. Even though Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht has done an outstanding job trying to keep the Band of Bucs together, it won’t be the same team. Much of it will be the same but there will be a new chemistry, new players.
Joe doesn’t think anyone from that first Bucs’ Super Bowl team will ever admit it, but Joe is convinced part of the reason the Bucs didn’t make the playoffs the following year — other than a rash of injuries to key players — was the Bucs had been busting their tails so hard for so long to get to the Super Bowl. So when they finally won it, they may have savored the feat just a tad too much, just enough to keep the team from making another run.
And that’s no knock on the old Bucs in any way. They were, are, and always will be Super Bowl champs.
Derrick Brooks and the #PFHOF came together to honor and induct military veteran Steve Grewell into the Hall of Heroes 🙏
This is to celebrate all veterans who have served and continue to give back in a big way. #ProudToHonor
From B/R x @FordTrucks pic.twitter.com/V9mcf8pgQ6
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 13, 2021
March 19th, 2021 at 12:15 am
Suh
AB
Crockrell
James White
Lenny
In THAT order Up NEXT…. Then look for diamonds in the ruff and prepare for draft
Never had a doubt Jason KEEP COOKIN
Go BUCS!!!
March 19th, 2021 at 12:38 am
The difference between that team & this one: 2021 Bucs will be able to cruise thru the regular season & still get the #1 seed. Old Bucs didn’t even make the playoffs
March 19th, 2021 at 12:39 am
I think you may be right, Joe. And the window closed on that crew rather quickly following the 2002 SB win. Chunky and McKay had their dust up, lots of bad luck and weird plays along the way in 2003.
March 19th, 2021 at 12:52 am
Joe, I could’ve swore you said on an Ira podcast that you would stop with all the dumb adjectives and just refer to Brady as “THE GOAT” if he led the Bucs to a Super Bowl win? Maybe I’m wrong though.
March 19th, 2021 at 12:56 am
This is the same thing Warren Sapp said to the TB Times a week or so ago. It was a great interview and uncharacteristically insightful and heartfelt on Sapp’s part. I think the great ones really want the current Bucs to go for two and get it, and they would all be wise to heed their advice. The rest of the NFL is coming for us and we will get everyone’s best game all year.
March 19th, 2021 at 1:11 am
Joe said the argument that Brady > Joe Montana would be over if the Bucs won it all.
Joe still doesn’t like that farm animal handle. See how different people like different things? 🙂
March 19th, 2021 at 3:52 am
Brad, this is Joe’s thing. He/they have always done this and you either love it or hate it. I personally sometimes love it sometimes find it annoying, but overall the Joe’s do an excellent job on this site so I overlook anything that I personally don’t care. The Brady paragraph of nicknames is not my favorite but it’s not hard to skip over it and read the rest of the article.
Joe’s, thanks for all you do!
March 19th, 2021 at 5:39 am
@Devin.
Bingo!
Just skip it. Does anyone really read the Peter King novel word for word before continuing the article?
Just shows you people want to hear their own opinion coming out of Joe’s mouth.
March 19th, 2021 at 5:42 am
The demise of “Dungys” Bucs was the neutering of Rich McKay and letting Chucky dismantle the roster with washed up free agents and horrid drafts and trades. The aftermath lasted and snowballed into the “lost years” of radio-shiano-lovie. It’s chuckys fault …and Allen too.
March 19th, 2021 at 6:00 am
Yeah Joe stop with the adjective’s. I think you put them in there to fill space. Clear out your head, it’s 2021.
March 19th, 2021 at 6:22 am
I remember that next season. We beat the crap or of the first two teams, and THEN the Colts came back from something like 3-4 touchdowns down on that Monday night game, and the Bucs were never the same after that
March 19th, 2021 at 6:58 am
Joe thinks they are cool. Just Like the W eating speech
😂
“But college kids are doing it now ?” Yah and college kids butt chug their beer too
😂
March 19th, 2021 at 7:04 am
Great story about the military vet (green beret) and rescue 22
Dogs are truly the best . Got 2 from a rescue myself not to long ago
They are service animals to anyone / everyone
March 19th, 2021 at 7:09 am
I’ll start and end with Tom Brady. Brady is a rare breed. A rare cat. Brady has the absolute character for the game of football. He has all the right skills, determination, the drive, the heart, to win football games.. at quarterback.. that is the most important position on the football field to have this person to possess all the right characteristics to return from a Super Bowl Championship!
March 19th, 2021 at 8:21 am
You can never go home again. If the team treats 2021 as a brand new experience, the they have a legitimate shot. If they think that they are a shoe-in for the post season just bu showing up, they will get crushed.
March 19th, 2021 at 8:46 am
That team also had to go to Japan right before the season started then opened on the road. But the sentiment from 55 is apt. The Lightning adopted the same philosophy and it must have worked because they’re the best team in the league and that’s without Kuch!
March 19th, 2021 at 8:49 am
Pretty Cool clip. How about Col. Vanessa… Damn.
Those 2003 Bucs, that was so hard. Blew a few games early and faded the last 3 games. All they needed was to get in and they would have had a chance. Brad Johnson’s arm died that season and that was the end of the glory. They played like you could flip a button when you wanted to
March 19th, 2021 at 9:24 am
Joe, so you still call James America’s Quarterback, pro bowler. Show TB12 some respect. If you don’t like GOAT call him Seven Rings, or Buccaneers savior, but knock off the other crap it’s getting very old.
March 19th, 2021 at 9:38 am
i agree with some others….just call brady Mr. 7rings…the long title BS is boring and updated…lol…
GO BUCS!!!!
March 19th, 2021 at 9:50 am
I agree with Joe. The main difference between 2002 and 2003 was injuries. Guys were dropping like flies in 2003.
Gonna take some exceptional coaching and veteran leadership—starting with GOAT #12—to get this team’s collective heads right.
Repeating is seriously difficult. If these guys can do it, they go down in history as one of the greatest teams of all time.
That’s something to strive for…
March 19th, 2021 at 10:47 am
Brady knows it’s not 2020 anymore. That’ll probably be the first thing he says to the team when we get back together. “Ok fellas, we had fun, but now we gotta be 10x more focus and play.”
March 19th, 2021 at 2:20 pm
Would love to be a fly on the wall for that speech Brady (and Gronk) will give on the first day back to work!
March 19th, 2021 at 3:14 pm
People forget how long into the process the Bucs were when they finally won the trophy. Suh, White and JPP anchor a very young D… much more like the 1997 Bucs than the D that won a title years later. It was no surprise they couldn’t repeat… not to mention Gruden’s roster moves and constant tinkering didn’t help matters.
March 20th, 2021 at 9:36 am
Geez. You guys continually bitching about the monikers on this site. Are you here for football or to critically review story construction and content? If you haven’t noticed, all of your whining has changed nothing. Try taking yourself and everyone else a little less seriously. You may find it eases the sometimes rough ride through life.