I have been wanting to comment on Keith Brooking for a while now, the 6' 2", 245lb. ILB for our beloved Dallas Cowboys. This dude is bad. Like certain folks consider Jarred Allen to be bad, this dude is bad. The first thing I noticed about Brooking was the guy just looks tough. His head seems to be made out of granite. How many people have heard other fans accuse Dallas of being "pretty" or "white collar"? This man is the antithesis to all that nonsense. Football is not pretty. Not supposed to be pretty. Inside linebackers are not supposed to be pretty.
Brooking has averaged 85 SOLO tackles since 1999 in Atlanta. Now this is not the inflated total tackle stat a lot of writers use, this is actual, roughneck mono y mono tackling here. By my count, that covers 11 years in the NFL, and he only played in 5 games his second year in the league (Which I counted among his stats I have discussed as a full year. Without it, he averages 91 solo). Other than that, this guy has started every single game except TWO. You don't need me to tell you that is toughness not seen all the time. London Fletcher is the gold standard for the position, but screw that guy right now, this is about Keith.
I am partial to the middle linebacker, it appeals to me as this is the quarterback of the defense. This is where your adjustments come from. Last time I watched a game (Sillydelphia, yes!) Bradie James was making most of the calls. You have to wonder are his days numbered? With Jerry Jones forcing Felix Jones upon us, and Brooking is Phillips' boy, you know? (On a side note, I am so glad Jerry was right about Felix, we all know he has some making up to do when it comes to draft picks, am I right?) But I digress. This is the essence of what makes Brooking great to me. You didn't hear him once talk about he wants to make the calls, or he doesn't like the scheme or anything like old what's-his-name. He just comes in, goes to work, and produces.
And leads. It did not take him long to toughen up our guys either. I cannot state enough how important it is to have guys like him and a Bradie James on our team. And don't mistake me, I love a Bradie James type, who brings his lunch pale to work everyday. We are just now seeing again what so many of us loved about Michael Irvin. That something we know is there, but because we are not on the team we cannot fully understand it: fire, drive, passion. And to think, that is still not enough. I used to call for Phillips firing very loudly, now I see that without him and one of his key past players brought to us now, this run would not be possible. Put Brooking in the Phillips tree. If these are the kind of men Wade is associated with, I say we, or Jerry rather, start scowling the list of "Wade guys". Parcells, remember? He brought them in by the droves. I read on DallasCowboys.com a question asking if Romo was doing enough to be considered a championship quarterback. The answer was a resounding yes. Through Brooking's steady, consistent play, tackle after tackle, it is obvious to me he is a championship quarterback of the defense, whether the technical term fits or not. He knows this scheme inside and out, and is the spark plug. One of those crazy bright, loud spark plugs with like seven contact points inside the cylinder, you know? THUNDER!!! BANG!!!! WHOOSH!!!! VROOOM!!!! So give this guy the defensive signals so that on every single snap his enthusiasm can be felt by the entire defense. What a good fit to this club. We are seeing how many good decisions an organization must make from top to bottom to be this great on the field. Football is not pretty, heck Brooking is definitely not pretty. But who wants pretty anyway?
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