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Patriots Beat: A sneak peek at future LB?
By Albert Breer/ Daily News Staff
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Today, on a manicured field in Charlottesville, Va., a player so unique, so fast for his size, so big for his position, so nimble and quick and instinctive, will take the field.
And a particularly poignant moment will take place.
Ahmad Brooks, four months ago banished from the University of Virginia's football program, will be back. It's a sign that, perhaps, the intriguing prospect has paid his penance and is returning into the Cavalier family.
Which, of course, may open quite a few more doors for him with the July 13 supplemental draft looming.
See, Brooks is a perfect fit for the rugged, two-gap 3-4 system that Al Groh runs at Virginia. The system is very much like the ones deployed in Cleveland, Dallas and, yes, Foxboro.
If, in fact, Brooks is best suited to play in those locales, it'd be in his best interest to get back in Groh's good graces, since the powers-that-be in those places -- Romeo Crennel, Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick -- are closely connected to the Virginia coach.
And indications are the linebacker's taken all the steps to do just that.
"I think (the Virginia staff) was disappointed things didn't work out better," said Brooks' agent, Greg Williams. "But I do think things are fine now, and it was the right decision for both sides. It gave him a reality check -- Ahmad's a good kid who's made some bad choices -- and he's rededicated himself and has gotten in the best shape he's been in in two years."
The process started with Brooks' ouster in February. By then, it was already too late to get in on the April draft.
And if he'd been able to crash that party, it may not have been in his own best interest, anyway. Reports had him weighing 290 pounds, spread over his 6-foot-4 frame, at that point. Which is 30 pounds heavier than the weight at which he was listed as a Cavalier junior.
"When he first got down here, to be honest, he was a lot bigger than any linebacker I've worked with," said Atlanta-based trainer Chip Smith, enlisted by Brooks and Williams at the start of the process. "And to see the man move, it was just incredible. He wasn't in shape...probably up at 285, and he could really haul."
Smith isn't exactly one to be wowed either.
He and Competitive Edge Sports have trained dozens and dozens of players preparing for the draft in years past, and, from an athletic standpoint, Smith puts Brooks up there with any of them. One, in particular, to whom Smith compares Brooks is Bears' Pro Bowler Brian Urlacher, although Brooks carries an even-larger frame and may be even more explosive.
The problem, until now, came in maturity, according to those around Brooks. And they'll also tell you he's been working on it.
"I really think Ahmad can be a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker, he has a first-step explosion that few guys can match," said Smith, who also counts Sox catcher Jason Varitek among his clients. "We put him in there with veterans like Hannibal Navies (Bengals) and Nate Wayne (Lions), and I think they've made him more accountable."
Since being thrown off the Cavaliers' roster, accountability has meant five-hour workouts five times a week. Speed work, position work, strength work, film work, diet work, interview work. Work, work, work.
According to Williams, the result is that Brooks tipped the scales at 261 pounds earlier in the week and burned a low-4.5 in the 40-yard dash. Add that to the fact he was a Butkus Award finalist and first-team All-American as a college sophomore, before an injury-plagued junior season, and you have the same guy who was expected to be among the top five prospects in the 2007 draft.
In fact, according to Williams, one team told the agent that had Brooks declared for the 2006 draft, he would've been right behind Mario Williams and Reggie Bush as the third-ranked player on its board.
As such, 13 teams have contacted the Brooks camp and more than that will be in Charlottesville this afternoon. Another 15 are thought to be seriously interested. The Patriots, for now, are in the latter group.
In any case, those who attend today will be interested in the times and weights and jumps Brooks posts. But maybe more than that, they'll be interested in the man he is.
"I think the issue with Ahmad is that he needed to grow up a little," said Williams. "It's a matter of realizing you're not a kid anymore and you have to take responsibilities for your actions. To his credit, he never blamed anyone else.
"He said, 'The things that happened to me were my fault and I have to fix them.' And that's what he's done."
In New England's case, it may be a matter of whether Groh -- a man who presided over a program stung by many of Brooks' wrongs -- believes that. Last week, the Virginia coach visited Foxboro and paced the practice field with Belichick.
It's a safe bet that Brooks' name came up, with the linebacker fitting the Patriots system like a glove. And it's also safe to say -- since the player is holding his pro workout in the coach's house -- that the player-coach relationship between Brooks and Groh has been repaired.
To what degree? Come up with that answer, and you may have a better idea of just how interested the Patriots really are.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/sportsColumnists/view.bg?articleid=133542&format=&page=2
By Albert Breer/ Daily News Staff
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Today, on a manicured field in Charlottesville, Va., a player so unique, so fast for his size, so big for his position, so nimble and quick and instinctive, will take the field.
And a particularly poignant moment will take place.
Ahmad Brooks, four months ago banished from the University of Virginia's football program, will be back. It's a sign that, perhaps, the intriguing prospect has paid his penance and is returning into the Cavalier family.
Which, of course, may open quite a few more doors for him with the July 13 supplemental draft looming.
See, Brooks is a perfect fit for the rugged, two-gap 3-4 system that Al Groh runs at Virginia. The system is very much like the ones deployed in Cleveland, Dallas and, yes, Foxboro.
If, in fact, Brooks is best suited to play in those locales, it'd be in his best interest to get back in Groh's good graces, since the powers-that-be in those places -- Romeo Crennel, Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick -- are closely connected to the Virginia coach.
And indications are the linebacker's taken all the steps to do just that.
"I think (the Virginia staff) was disappointed things didn't work out better," said Brooks' agent, Greg Williams. "But I do think things are fine now, and it was the right decision for both sides. It gave him a reality check -- Ahmad's a good kid who's made some bad choices -- and he's rededicated himself and has gotten in the best shape he's been in in two years."
The process started with Brooks' ouster in February. By then, it was already too late to get in on the April draft.
And if he'd been able to crash that party, it may not have been in his own best interest, anyway. Reports had him weighing 290 pounds, spread over his 6-foot-4 frame, at that point. Which is 30 pounds heavier than the weight at which he was listed as a Cavalier junior.
"When he first got down here, to be honest, he was a lot bigger than any linebacker I've worked with," said Atlanta-based trainer Chip Smith, enlisted by Brooks and Williams at the start of the process. "And to see the man move, it was just incredible. He wasn't in shape...probably up at 285, and he could really haul."
Smith isn't exactly one to be wowed either.
He and Competitive Edge Sports have trained dozens and dozens of players preparing for the draft in years past, and, from an athletic standpoint, Smith puts Brooks up there with any of them. One, in particular, to whom Smith compares Brooks is Bears' Pro Bowler Brian Urlacher, although Brooks carries an even-larger frame and may be even more explosive.
The problem, until now, came in maturity, according to those around Brooks. And they'll also tell you he's been working on it.
"I really think Ahmad can be a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker, he has a first-step explosion that few guys can match," said Smith, who also counts Sox catcher Jason Varitek among his clients. "We put him in there with veterans like Hannibal Navies (Bengals) and Nate Wayne (Lions), and I think they've made him more accountable."
Since being thrown off the Cavaliers' roster, accountability has meant five-hour workouts five times a week. Speed work, position work, strength work, film work, diet work, interview work. Work, work, work.
According to Williams, the result is that Brooks tipped the scales at 261 pounds earlier in the week and burned a low-4.5 in the 40-yard dash. Add that to the fact he was a Butkus Award finalist and first-team All-American as a college sophomore, before an injury-plagued junior season, and you have the same guy who was expected to be among the top five prospects in the 2007 draft.
In fact, according to Williams, one team told the agent that had Brooks declared for the 2006 draft, he would've been right behind Mario Williams and Reggie Bush as the third-ranked player on its board.
As such, 13 teams have contacted the Brooks camp and more than that will be in Charlottesville this afternoon. Another 15 are thought to be seriously interested. The Patriots, for now, are in the latter group.
In any case, those who attend today will be interested in the times and weights and jumps Brooks posts. But maybe more than that, they'll be interested in the man he is.
"I think the issue with Ahmad is that he needed to grow up a little," said Williams. "It's a matter of realizing you're not a kid anymore and you have to take responsibilities for your actions. To his credit, he never blamed anyone else.
"He said, 'The things that happened to me were my fault and I have to fix them.' And that's what he's done."
In New England's case, it may be a matter of whether Groh -- a man who presided over a program stung by many of Brooks' wrongs -- believes that. Last week, the Virginia coach visited Foxboro and paced the practice field with Belichick.
It's a safe bet that Brooks' name came up, with the linebacker fitting the Patriots system like a glove. And it's also safe to say -- since the player is holding his pro workout in the coach's house -- that the player-coach relationship between Brooks and Groh has been repaired.
To what degree? Come up with that answer, and you may have a better idea of just how interested the Patriots really are.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/sportsColumnists/view.bg?articleid=133542&format=&page=2
