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All Shook Up: Bucs Cut Brooks, 4 Other Veterans
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Published: February 26, 2009
Updated: 02/26/2009 07:00 am
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TAMPA - No player in football fits the Tampa 2 defense better than Derrick Brooks. The days of the Bucs playing the Tampa 2 are over, though. That's why Derrick Brooks' days as a Buccaneer are over.
With plans to adopt a more aggressive, get-after-the-quarterback style, the Bucs on Wednesday did what was once considered unthinkable, releasing Brooks, the 11-time Pro Bowl linebacker.
The move came in conjunction with the release of four other popular veterans: running back Warrick Dunn, wide receivers Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard and linebacker Cato June.
Many thought Brooks, a certain Hall of Famer, had earned the right to leave the Bucs on his terms, but the 35-year-old was clearly shaken by the news of his release.
"Right now, like all of you guys, I'm just trying to get a feel for it all, trying to come to grips with it," Brooks told The Tampa Tribune. "I don't even know what to think."
The sweeping moves signaled a new direction for the Bucs.
"I'm not a big fan of the rebuilding word, but in a way, we did that today," said Bucs general manager Mark Dominik, who spent the better part of a 20-minute news conference discussing Brooks. "Our decision wasn't based so much on what Derrick couldn't do, but on the direction we want to go with the guys that are on the roster and the men that are going to join us as we create the roster over the next few months."
Though Brooks, Dunn, Hilliard and Galloway are in their 30s and June is 29, Bucs coach Raheem Morris said the point was not simply to be younger. Rather, it was about players fitting into the team's plan moving forward.
"We're going to be a fast, tough, disciplined team that consistently competes for championships," Morris said.
Neither June nor Hilliard, 32, could be reached for comment. Dunn, 34, and Galloway, 37, seemed to take their releases in stride.
Dunn, who led the 2008 Bucs in rushing but is best-suited for reserve duty, said in a statement he was "thankful" for the opportunity the Bucs gave him.
Galloway, the only receiver in Bucs history to have three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, told Sirius Satellite radio he sensed his release was coming after struggling to get on the field last year.
Galloway also vowed to keep on playing, as did Dunn. It is expected June and Hilliard will continue to play as well, though Brooks' future remains uncertain.
Many of his former teammates believe Brooks will look to catch on with another team so that he can leave the game on his terms, but Brooks wasn't ready to discuss those matters Wednesday.
The Bucs, meanwhile, weren't ready to discuss with Brooks or any of the players released Wednesday the possibility of returning to the team in a lesser role.
"We've let them all know we're going in a different direction," Dominik said. "I mean, I don't picture Derrick Brooks wearing a hat on the sideline on Sundays. That's not who he was. That's not who he is."
The moves will create a combined $12.5 million in salary cap space. That will bring to nearly $50 million the amount of cap space the Bucs have available on the eve of free agency, which begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday. Yet, Dominik said the moves were in no way financially motivated.
"None of these were financial decisions," Dominik said.
Determined to get tougher, the Bucs have made it clear recently the days of players such as Galloway and Dunn taking days off from practice to ensure their availability Sunday are over.
There is little question, though, the absence of players such as Brooks, Dunn and Hilliard could leave a massive void in the locker room and on the field in terms of leadership.
The Bucs are hopeful young, established players such as linebacker Barrett Ruud and guard Davin Joseph can fill that void, but Morris made it clear the replacements also will have to assume such roles.
"I'll be honest with you, they've got to possess some of the qualities of the men we just let go today," Morris said when asked about the players who might replace the likes of Brooks, Dunn and Hilliard.
"There is going to be a lot of burden placed on these people. It's the changing of the guard so to speak, and they're stepping into some pretty big shoes. I mean, you never replace a guy like Derrick Brooks."
Someone has to, though, and the indication Morris and Dominik left is that the players who have spent the recent seasons playing behind those released Wednesday will get the best chance.
That means turning players such as linebacker Adam Hayward and Quincy Black, receivers Maurice Stovall and Paris Warren and running back Clifton Smith into starters, or at least regulars.
"We're going to play some people who are behind these guys and let them compete," Morris said. "That's our plan right now. We're looking for men like them to carry us into the new decade."
Many fear the moves made Wednesday will result in some lean years at the beginning of the decade ahead, but Morris and Dominik expressed confidence the Bucs will remain competitive.
"The idea behind these moves was to improve the football team," Dominik said. "Time will tell if we've done that or not, but I think that's the direction we're heading.
"As Coach Morris said, there's not going to be another Derrick Brooks. But we're going to have some young men step up and fill those shoes, and I expect us to be an explosive, competitive football team next year."
Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979.
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