TAMPA, Fla. -- All-Pro linebacker Derrick Brooks was a
no-show for the start of training camp with the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers on Sunday, apparently unhappy that he and the team
haven't been able to agree on a contract extension.
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The seventh-year pro, the team's tackles leader the past three
seasons, has two years remaining on a contract that pays him about
$3.5 million per season.
Brooks spoke with coach Tony Dungy by phone Sunday morning to
inform him of his decision to not join his teammates in reporting
for camp later in the day.
"I understand his position. I understand why he's not here, but
I'm not going to speak for him as to why he's not here," Dungy
said Sunday night.
"We've had a lot of conversations. I know what he's thinking,
what's on his mind. He's wrestled with this and gone back and
forth, but he chose not to come. I respect that. Everybody has
decisions that they make ... You have to move on. That's what we
plan to do."
The Bucs, one of the preseason favorites to represent the NFC in
the Super Bowl, begin workouts Monday at the University of Tampa.
When the first team defense lines up, strong side linebacker
Shelton Quarles will be in Brooks' spot on the weak side.
"We just have to take a position now like he's an injured guy.
He's not here and we've got to get other people ready," Dungy
said.
General manager Rich McKay said the Bucs, who have been able to
keep the nucleus of a young team together by offering contract
extensions to key players before they become free agents, have been
trying to redo Brooks' deal since last November.
"We have for the past seven, maybe eight months, attempted to
do a contract extension with Derrick. We felt it was the right
thing to do, even though it was a little early," McKay said.
"It's one of those situations that you never want to occur. But
in this business they're going to occur. That's the nature of this
business. We haven't had one of these in a long time. We hope it
resolves itself quickly. But quite frankly, I don't know what to
expect."
Brooks, a two-time All-Pro selection, led the Bucs with 179
tackles last season and was selected to play in the Pro Bowl for
the fourth straight year.
In the past 15 months, Tampa Bay has negotiated contract
extensions with Keyshawn Johnson, John Lynch and Marcus Jones in
addition to signing free agents Brad Johnson and Simeon Rice.
Neither Dungy and McKay would speculate on how long the holdout
might last.
"I don't have a gut feeling on it. I'm not making any
decisions. I don't know what's going to happen," Dungy said.
"I think every player has to make his own decision. Derrick is
certainly a guy who has done everything that we've asked ever since
I've been here. Derrick's one of my favorite guys, but I have to
deal in the reality of who's here. Right now, he's not here."
Quarles is a fifth-year pro who started 13 games in 2000. He
played weakside linebacker his first two seasons in the NFL.
And while Quarles said he's ready to step into Brooks' spot, he
emphasized that he is eager to get his teammate in camp.
"I really wasn't too shocked because I knew what was going on
behind the scenes," Quarles said. "It was something that needed
to happen for the last couple of years, and it hadn't happened. I'm
pretty upset that he's not here, but we're a family and we're just
going to handle it like that."
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AUDIO/VIDEO
Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and the Bucs look to move forward, with or without Derrick Brooks.
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