Another Reason to Select Brooks

[AbeBeta]

No, but you can tag him and then shop him, which is what I would expect we would do in a sutuation like that.

no way we tag James just to shop him. if he's worth the tag then he's the kind of player you don't want to let get away. if he's not worth it, then he just signs his franchise tender and gets a ton of cash.

 

[dbair1967]

I hadn't considered this before, but something Cowlishaw wrote triggered the thought. At the end of this season we have potentially 3 big Free Agents to re-sign.

1. Jason Witten
2. Roy Williams
3. Bradie James

The top 2 guys will get big contracts. If Bradie has a big year, he's going to want one too and rightfully so.

Getting Brooks is a buffer against having to pay Bradie a huge contract if he outplays him, or is insurance for 2007 if he asks for too much and we have to cut the cord.

As much as I like Bradie, and it's a lot, we could be rolling the dice here.

I'd get Brooks if it were up to me. The potential reward > than the potential losses. Passing on him could also mean we're going to be looking ILB again in 2007. Not a risk worth taking IMO.

Brooks isnt a risk worth taking IMO...he hasnt shown the commitment or the discipline to make me think he's worth anything more than a late rd pick...some bonheaded team will probably use a 1st day pick on him and think they can turn him around, but his history suggests he will end up in trouble...no way would I waste a 2007 1st day pick on him

David

 

[2much2soon]

I don't think Jerry will go Ken Norton/Randall Godfrey/Darrin Smith/Robert Jones on his LB corps again.
He learned he couldn't continue replacing guys like that with equal or better talent just based on his own "personnel evaluation talents".
Remember Quentin Coryatt, Barron Wortham/Joe Bowden(?), Darren Hambrick, Fred Strickland?

 

[Portland Fanatic]

Brooks isnt a risk worth taking IMO...he hasnt shown the commitment or the discipline to make me think he's worth anything more than a late rd pick...some bonheaded team will probably use a 1st day pick on him and think they can turn him around, but his history suggests he will end up in trouble...no way would I waste a 2007 1st day pick on him

David

I guess how I look at it is...this kid has 1st round talent...right? I don't think you are disputing that...just his character.

My thoughts are...if he pans out he's a legit player. If he does not it would not be for more then a 3rd rounder...would be my guess. I'd be pissed for anything higher then that.

What have we gotten in the past in the 3rd round:
~ Peterman...has not seen the field
~ Henson...we have no clue what we have...seen 1/2 of a game in two years
~ Derek Ross
~ Willie Blade

In 2003 Witten is the only excpetion to getting a top player in that round, and Dat in 99...the other years since who knows how long have not panned out.

What I'm saying for a 3rd round pick...the risk/reward is worth it to me.

 

[Mentos]

I would like to see the Cowboys make an effort. Maybe submit a 3rd round bid on him. If somebody else wants to spend a 2nd rounder on him, then so be it. I think the 49ers will draft Brooks.

 

[dallasfaniac]

Brooks has talent, it's his off field issues that lower his value. Lets just ignore the off-field stuff right now. I value Brooks as high as a 3rd, no higher even if Groh says he's worth it.

First thing I look at is the current depth chart. I assume that James and Ayodele are the starters inside. So then is Brooks better than Fowler or Shanle? My opinion is yes, on both counts.

Second, James is a FA at the end of the year. Having a possible replacement on the roster gives us the better hand when trying to resign him. I don't want James to leave, especially if he has a good year. However, I don't want to spend 80% of our salary on the defensive side of the ball either.

You also have to factor in our track record with 3rd round picks which doesn't exactly carry a glowing grade. I think it's just the nature of the 3rd rounder. It's the last pick of the first day, at this point most of your first day guys are off the board and you see someone that has possible first round talent but might have other question marks that have made him slide. So you pull the trigger in part because you have minutes to make the pick, part exhaustion and part knowing that you'll have about 17 hours to analyze who's left on the board and get your guy.

Finally you have to look at the other teams that will be bidding on him. My guess is that a 3rd is what it would take to get him. I think the 49ers are betting that no one will give a first day pick, so they'll bid a 4th. I could be completely off base too and no one bids till the 6th.

So basically for a 3rd you are gambling that he can get his act together. Might be a gamble many are unwilling to take.

 

[ConcreteBoy]

How can you dismiss drug arrests, off field issues and I have read he has failed A LOT of drug tests. He was kicked off his team by a Parcells tree coach.

Not to mention you dig into his work ethic and attitude - that sucks too. He ballooned to 292 as recent as a month or two ago. His bad attitude was fully documented.

This is a Ross/Larrimore/Goodrich/Bryant mistake JJ would have made 4-5 years ago. Ireland/Parcells are NEVER going to deal a 2nd or 3rd for a guy who probably can't even make this roster.

I may be wrong but this guy drops like a rock tomorrow.

 

[dbair1967]

What I'm saying for a 3rd round pick...the risk/reward is worth it to me.

and how would you know anyway? he isnt going to play any even if we did select him...he isnt better than Bradie James and they didnt sign Ayodele for what he got to be a backup

I'm betting he sees a suspension by yr two

David

 

[The Answer]

I hadn't considered this before, but something Cowlishaw wrote triggered the thought. At the end of this season we have potentially 3 big Free Agents to re-sign.

1. Jason Witten
2. Roy Williams
3. Bradie James

The top 2 guys will get big contracts. If Bradie has a big year, he's going to want one too and rightfully so.

Getting Brooks is a buffer against having to pay Bradie a huge contract if he outplays him, or is insurance for 2007 if he asks for too much and we have to cut the cord.

As much as I like Bradie, and it's a lot, we could be rolling the dice here.

I'd get Brooks if it were up to me. The potential reward > than the potential losses. Passing on him could also mean we're going to be looking ILB again in 2007. Not a risk worth taking IMO.

Call The Answer curious....but what exactly do you see in this trouble proned kid that makes you think we should foolishly squander a valuable 1st day pick in next years draft? There is no risk vs. reward scenario here...

We are LOADED right now, and even if James isn't resigned next year, we have a plethura of young talent readily available: Shanle, Hoyte, Parnam, etc. Worse comes to worse I would rather just draft a LB next year than waste a pick on a cancer that would bring this rising defense down.

~The Answer

 

[The Answer]

Yeah!

There's Shanle there too. What about that guy all you fellas?

Shanle > Brooks

 

[The Answer]

Yep. A LB corp like that would right there with the best I've ever seen.

Riiiight.....Two unproven rookies, a 2nd year player with tons of potential, and an inconsistent 4th year player add up to one of the best LB corps of all time?

Sorry but The Answer lives in the real world....

~The Answer

 

[ConcreteBoy]

Brooks was arrested May 17 when police stopped a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass he was riding in after it crossed the center line twice on Waterway Drive in Montclair, Virginia, police said. A bag of marijuana was at Brooks’ feet in the left rear passenger’s seat, according to police. Misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana have been dropped against Marcus Dewayne Hamer, the 19-year-old driver of the vehicle and 20-year-old Dale Barfield, a passenger.



“There was insufficient evidence to link them to knowing of the possession of marijuana, so they were not charged,” said Michael Dixon, senior assistant commonwealth attorney. Regarding Brooks, Dixon also said, “I think the facts were fairly straightforward. There was no prior history and it’s certainly not an unusual disposition to have regarding someone who’s a first offender.” “We decided to handle it this way because we wanted to get this behind us and let the young man move forward without a trial,” Banks said.



2006: On March 28th, The Virginia football program's rebuilding process began by subtraction yesterday when Al Groh announced that Brooks Brooks was being dismissed from the team. "It is a privilege, and not a right, to wear a Cavalier jersey and to represent our university community," Groh said. "There are certain things that are vital to putting your team together every year, and those things become in sharper focus and multiplied when you're in a rebuilding circumstance." In February, Brooks was suspended from the team for the spring semester as a result of a failed drug test.


THE INJURY REPORT

2000: Missed most of his junior high school season with a broken bone in his foot.



2005: Underwent surgery in March to regenerate bone growth in his right knee, missing spring drills, August camp and the team’s first three games vs. Western Michigan, Syracuse and Duke…Returned out of shape, appearing in 35 plays vs. Maryland (10/01), but suffered an ankle sprain that sidelined him for the following game vs. Boston College (10/08)…Missed the season finale vs. Miami (11/26) and the Music City Bowl vs. Minnesota with a back sprain.



This is just the tip of the iceberg on the red flags on this kid. Character, drugs, arrests, injuries. This guy is a HUGE risk.

Pass, Pass, Pass Ireland/BP are too smart to make this mistake with a valuable day 1 pick.

 

[Hostile]

Call The Answer curious....but what exactly do you see in this trouble proned kid that makes you think we should foolishly squander a valuable 1st day pick in next years draft? There is no risk vs. reward scenario here...

We are LOADED right now, and even if James isn't resigned next year, we have a plethura of young talent readily available: Shanle, Hoyte, Parnam, etc. Worse comes to worse I would rather just draft a LB next year than waste a pick on a cancer that would bring this rising defense down.

~The Answer

Something which you couldn't possibly grasp, actual football savvy and talent. A difference maker if he comes to play, and I think he will.

 

[Dough Boy]

I hadn't considered this before, but something Cowlishaw wrote triggered the thought. At the end of this season we have potentially 3 big Free Agents to re-sign.

1. Jason Witten
2. Roy Williams
3. Bradie James

The top 2 guys will get big contracts. If Bradie has a big year, he's going to want one too and rightfully so.

Getting Brooks is a buffer against having to pay Bradie a huge contract if he outplays him, or is insurance for 2007 if he asks for too much and we have to cut the cord.

As much as I like Bradie, and it's a lot, we could be rolling the dice here.

I'd get Brooks if it were up to me. The potential reward > than the potential losses. Passing on him could also mean we're going to be looking ILB again in 2007. Not a risk worth taking IMO.

I echo your thoughts and go one step further. If I'm the Cowboy brass, and I think we have a legitimate shot at going into the playoffs , deep into the playoffs and next year we are drafting no higher than 26, I would put a 2nd round bid in for him. The risk reward at that point, is huge. Picking that low is akin to a third round pick. JMO

 

[MapleLeaf]

...is there a confirmed number of failed drug tests for Brooks? Just asking?

 

[Dough Boy]

Something which you couldn't possibly grasp, actual football savvy and talent. A difference maker if he comes to play, and I think he will.

Based on that interview, he's admitted to the wrong doing. He pulled no punches. That's huge in my book. The talent is undeniable. If Grohs signs off on him, I think we should take him. Chris Canty is quoted as saying, Brooks is the best athlete/football player his ever seen.

 

[The Answer]

Not an easy question Stash. Then again, I don't think you intended it to be.

I don't believe the Browns will use a 3rd on him. I could be wrong. There's no way to know for sure. Taking the guy is a risk. I don't deny that. I happen to like this risk.

I think we'd offer as high as a 4th for him, but will offer a 5th hoping the other teams go 6th or 7th round. If it was up to me I would offer a 3rd. In a heartbeat.

Football potential wise he's got 1st round talent. That hasn't been disputed.

Would I go 2nd round if I'm Parcells? Only if Groh was telling me "do it." The question is, will he say that?

I can think of a few other players that had 1st round talent 'football wise'....Quincy Carter, Maurice Clarrett, Lawrence Phillips, Demetrius Underwood, etc.....take a guess what all these bozos have in common with your boy Ahmad Brooks? They are all convicted drug felons or headcases (or both).

Parcells is no dummy, and if anything Al Groh is still dancing on strings for Parcell's stage....not vice versa. And if Big Al tries manipulating Parcells into thinking this loser Brooks is worth a day one pick then JUST SAY NO TO GROH!

~The Answer

 

[Hostile]

Passed on that interview, he's admitted to the wrong doing. He pulled no punches. That's huge in my book. The talent is undeniable. If Grohs signs off on him, I think we should take him. Chris Canty is quoted as saying, Brooks is the best athlete/football player his ever seen.

In mine too. It shows maturity and even a bit of the character people think is missing.

"There is no chance, no fate, no destiny, that can circumvent, or hinder, or control, the firm resolve of a determined soul." -Ella Wheeler Wilcox

He sounds like a determined man. I'm in favor of 2nd chances.

 

[Hostile]

I can think of a few other players that had 1st round talent 'football wise'....Quincy Carter, Maurice Clarrett, Lawrence Phillips, Demetrius Underwood, etc.....take a guess what all these bozos have in common with your boy Ahmad Brooks? They are all convicted drug felons or headcases (or both).

Parcells is no dummy, and if anything Al Groh is still dancing on strings for Parcell's stage....not vice versa. And if Big Al tries manipulating Parcells into thinking this loser Brooks is worth a day one pick then JUST SAY NO TO GROH!

~The Answer

Oh look, drama queen logic and all caps shouting.

 

[ConcreteBoy]

...is there a confirmed number of failed drug tests for Brooks? Just asking?

Its not public record but on most accounts I've read his failed drug teats are Numerous. He had every chance - and Groh was forced to kick him off team.

His off field issues date back pre College BTW.

I don't want this kid anywhere near this team. And I'm not convinced he could even make this team. Day 1 draft pick? - Never.