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Keith Brooking overwhelmed by all the love
By Tom Orsborn on Aug 5, 09 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
We're nine days into camp and the former Falcon still can't believe the crowds at the Alamodome.
"We are 40 miles north of Atlanta in Flowery Branch with the Falcons and we would have 150, 200 fans show up at our practice a day," Brooking said. "We are five hours south of Dallas and we have thousands of fans show up every day. I think that pretty much sums it up.
"It is something else. My agent represented Emmitt Smith, represents DeMarcus (Ware), Dexter Coakley and has had a lot of Cowboys through the years, and he tried to prepare me for it. He was like, 'Man, trust me. When you go into town, wherever you go, it's like the Rolling Stones are coming.' Man, I tell you what, I tried my best to prepare myself for it, but I had no idea it was going to be like this. It's unbelievable.
"I mean, they have a passion for the game. I was kind of living in a bubble for 11 years in Atlanta. I had no idea what it was like on the outside. Is the most important thing to me all the glitz and glamour? No. But when you have passionate fans like this, and we back it up with a championship year, there is no better way to end my career."
Great stuff, but he lost me at championship year. With their brutal December schedule and a divison that includes the loaded Eagles and Giants, the Cowboys will be lucky to earn a wild-card berth again.
Brooking believes defense can be 'very special'
By Tom Orsborn on Aug 5, 09 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Inside linebacker Keith Brooking, who was signed in free agency after a long, successful stint with Atlanta, raved about the defense this morning.
"DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff on the inside, Igor (Olshansky). Marcus Spears, Anthony Spencer, who I think is really going to come into his own. Bradie James beside me, you can just go on and on," Brooking said. "Then there's the guys on the back end, with (Ken) Hamlin and Terence Newman.
"I don't see a weakness in our defense. It has a tremendous amount of speed. Very aggressive is how I would describe it, and just a will to be great. I get excited talking about it, because I've never been around a group like this. We have something to prove, and when you have all those ingredients, you have a chance to become very special."
The defense should be solid, but I doubt it will live up to Brooking's sky-high expectations. Even with an upgrade at safety in Gerald Sensabaugh, the secondary is still average. And then there's Brooking himself. The Falcons let him go because he was a liability in pass coverage. Although Brooking is likely to be only a two-down player with Dallas, the point is he's on the wrong side of 30.
And the jury is still out on whether Spencer can match Greg Ellis' play or even stay healthy. Like I said, the defense is solid, but Brooking's "very special" comment should be viewed with a skeptical eye.
By Tom Orsborn on Aug 5, 09 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
We're nine days into camp and the former Falcon still can't believe the crowds at the Alamodome.
"We are 40 miles north of Atlanta in Flowery Branch with the Falcons and we would have 150, 200 fans show up at our practice a day," Brooking said. "We are five hours south of Dallas and we have thousands of fans show up every day. I think that pretty much sums it up.
"It is something else. My agent represented Emmitt Smith, represents DeMarcus (Ware), Dexter Coakley and has had a lot of Cowboys through the years, and he tried to prepare me for it. He was like, 'Man, trust me. When you go into town, wherever you go, it's like the Rolling Stones are coming.' Man, I tell you what, I tried my best to prepare myself for it, but I had no idea it was going to be like this. It's unbelievable.
"I mean, they have a passion for the game. I was kind of living in a bubble for 11 years in Atlanta. I had no idea what it was like on the outside. Is the most important thing to me all the glitz and glamour? No. But when you have passionate fans like this, and we back it up with a championship year, there is no better way to end my career."
Great stuff, but he lost me at championship year. With their brutal December schedule and a divison that includes the loaded Eagles and Giants, the Cowboys will be lucky to earn a wild-card berth again.
Brooking believes defense can be 'very special'
By Tom Orsborn on Aug 5, 09 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Inside linebacker Keith Brooking, who was signed in free agency after a long, successful stint with Atlanta, raved about the defense this morning.
"DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff on the inside, Igor (Olshansky). Marcus Spears, Anthony Spencer, who I think is really going to come into his own. Bradie James beside me, you can just go on and on," Brooking said. "Then there's the guys on the back end, with (Ken) Hamlin and Terence Newman.
"I don't see a weakness in our defense. It has a tremendous amount of speed. Very aggressive is how I would describe it, and just a will to be great. I get excited talking about it, because I've never been around a group like this. We have something to prove, and when you have all those ingredients, you have a chance to become very special."
The defense should be solid, but I doubt it will live up to Brooking's sky-high expectations. Even with an upgrade at safety in Gerald Sensabaugh, the secondary is still average. And then there's Brooking himself. The Falcons let him go because he was a liability in pass coverage. Although Brooking is likely to be only a two-down player with Dallas, the point is he's on the wrong side of 30.
And the jury is still out on whether Spencer can match Greg Ellis' play or even stay healthy. Like I said, the defense is solid, but Brooking's "very special" comment should be viewed with a skeptical eye.
