Chris Brooks is a Buccaneer

[knapplc]

Much sweat and toil have been expended to reach this point.

 

But now that he’s here, Chris Brooks is sure of one thing.

 

“I love my job.”

 

He repeats that because surely it’s worth repeating.

 

“I love my job.”

 

That’s what a man says when he goes to work each day and puts on a football helmet with an NFL team’s decal.

 

The best moment? Maybe when Brooks told his 6-year-old son, Chris Jr., that Dad was going to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.

 

“He wanted to come down and he wanted to play in the sand and make sand castles,” Brooks said. “That was just a wonderful feeling for me knowing that I can provide something for him.”

 

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound St. Louis native caught 17 passes during a five-year career as a Husker wide receiver.

 

In his first four years? Three catches, one touchdown, one redshirt season.

 

Could’ve quit, didn’t quit.

 

Certainly there were skeptics when Brooks was among the former Huskers working out for NFL scouts at Nebraska’s Pro Day this spring.

 

“I knew I could do it,” Brooks said. “I never doubted for one moment that I couldn’t do it. It wasn’t about getting back at anybody or showing anybody anything. It was about what I believed in.”

 

When the time arrived to see how fast he could run 40 yards, Brooks was a blur.

 

Nebraska strength coach James Dobson clocked him at 4.43 seconds. Another observer had him at :04.39.

 

The Buccaneers saw promise.

 

After Brooks went undrafted, he was one of 49 free agents Tampa Bay invited to a three-day mini-camp.

 

Stacked odds. But the Bucs need receivers. Brooks picked up the playbook faster than others.

 

“My main thing was just to do everything as hard as you possibly could,” Brooks said. “If things don’t go your way, then they don’t. But at least you can look yourself in the mirror and feel comfortable about yourself.”

 

After the final day of camp, Doug Williams, the Super Bowl MVP, called Brooks over and told him the Bucs were going to offer him a contract. (Williams has since left the organization.)

 

Of the 49 players trying out, Brooks was one of five asked to return.

 

Hard work and prayers, Brooks said. That was the recipe.

 

His contract runs two years. Plenty of hard work remains. Maybe a few moments for sand castles, too.

 

Wherever his football journey leads, he’ll eventually take off running with the economics degree he received earlier this month.

 

But for now he likes his current job title: NFL football player. Good work if you can get it.

 

“A lot of people thought my playing days were over. They counted me out,” Brooks said. “But as long as you don’t count yourself out and always talk yourself into doing things instead of out of doing things, you can always do them.”

 

LINK

 

 

There must be some reason he barely saw the field for the Huskers, yet he's now signed with a pro team. I'd love to know more about why he wasn't a bigger part of the action.

[huskers1]

I started a thread about Brooks right after he ran his 40 at pro day and took some heat for saying what I said. Maybe it was bc it's been talked about so much though. Whoever makes the decision to plug in receivers for certain plays needs to be re-evaluated. Chris Brooks didn't see the field IMO bc he didn't block like a tight end. I understand it's nice to have good blocking receivers but we really won't maximize our explosion potential until we start putting our playmakers on the field regardless if they are great blockers or not. Chris Brooks was consistently making plays when he was given the chance. He rarely dropped balls and it appeared that he was never given the chance to stretch the field. It's all really confusing and dissapointing. I've heard Brooks speak several times on local radio shows and he is one of the most well spoken, humble, hard working huskers I can remember hearing. I really hope he does well.

[whateveritis1224]

I've pointed this out a couple times, but it seems like Brooks was just hit with a great deal of bad luck this past year. He get inserted into the line up against TTech and has like 5 catches for 70 yards or something, but he ended up hurting his back bad enough that he had to sit out a couple weeks towards the end of the game or during practice the next week. Then by the time he got healthy Pelini had pulled the strings on Watson's offense and they only used Paul on pretty much every play.

 

But I'm wishing a whole heap of luck on him to succeed with the Bucs.

[GMoose]

Thank you Ted Gilmore...trying to make an example out of apparently the best pro WR prospect we've had in years...what a teacher

[druski_2k5]

Ugh, I cringed when I read this this morning, not so much at Brooks himself [Hope he does well, seems like a good guy], but for how he didn't see the field.

 

I get it he may have been injured a little bit, but when he was healthy and when he was in, he made plays. I remember the 08 game against Kansas he got some good time and got a score [yeah, our offense was a little better in 08...but still could have used him more], and looked real good when he was in otherwise.

 

When we ran our Power I/Option sets, if you were a receiver and you COULD NOT block, you DID NOT play. Period. End of story.

 

The problem with that philosophy now is....we don't run option football or rely on power running for MOST of our offensive attack, we are now Multiple, which means our receivers make plays more with them getting open as opposed to blocking. Sure, in the NFL you need to block as a receiver as well or you do not see the field, but that is the NFL and this is college football.

 

I am not sold on Gilmore one bit, I am not sure if he has the final decision of who goes in as the receivers, but it seriously needs to be evaluated. Sure, Bo could have pulled the reins in on our 'Multiple offense, due to injuries and non-depth up-front, but still, the guy needs to see the field.

 

Same with Menelik Holt, guy loves Nebraska, was classy about being taken out. I remember during Senior Night he he kissed the N midfield either when his name was called, or after the team went back to the tunnel after Seniors were named, he and Chris showing no animosity about being taken out during his senior year.

 

My point with that story was by him doing something like that, I don't think there is any "drama" going on inside the organization as there was in 2007 because he and Chris handled this with such class. Holt, who is gifted with his attributes and height, should have gotten the ball more too, he could have been a Maurice Purify type receiver, with Brooks getting open underneath and Paul getting open on the outside.

 

Oh what could have been last year if we could have had the offense figured out.....

[teachercd]

BC pretty much destroyed everything he touched.

[huskerswrkhavoc]

Okay people DO realize that Brooks had a boot on his foot part of this past football season... Correct?

[huskers1]

That doesn't explain the three other years he didn't see the field. I understand he was completely lost in the playbook when Cally was here but the offense was simplified and he showed a ton of promise when he was in there. I really can't remember too many times Brooks getting the ball thrown to him and dropping the ball. With Paul, Kinnie, Gillyean, Cooper, Bell, Henry and Mcneil there should be absolutely no excuses for an unproductive passing game this year.

[Nexus]

All I know is that I'm happy for Mr. Brooks. I hope he succeeds in the NFL.

[huskered17]

All I know is that I'm happy for Mr. Brooks. I hope he succeeds in the NFL.

 

 

 

GBR!!!

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

Good luck to Brooks! May he be a successful late bloomer and represent the Huskers well.

[Enhance]

Good for him.

[KansasHusker]

Nunn is still with the Bucs as well. How crazy would it be if they both made the team? Not likely at all, but fun to think about.

[blackshirts5115]

Okay people DO realize that Brooks had a boot on his foot part of this past football season... Correct?

Hmm.. I you realize he's had NFL talent his entire career here. He was a touted recruit coming in, and should have seen the field often by his sophomore season. We complained about our lack of WR talent. Well we can see there was talent that wasn't utilized correctly. I think the same can be said about Meno Holt. Gilmore has to go.

[zoogs]

Okay people DO realize that Brooks had a boot on his foot part of this past football season... Correct?

Hmm.. I you realize he's had NFL talent his entire career here. He was a touted recruit coming in, and should have seen the field often by his sophomore season. We complained about our lack of WR talent. Well we can see there was talent that wasn't utilized correctly. I think the same can be said about Meno Holt. Gilmore has to go.

 

By his sophomore season? Didn't we have guys like Swift, Peterson, Nunn, and Purify in those years? But his junior and senior seasons, yes, he should have had more opportunity to step up. It's disappointing he didn't get more chances.