Sports was a way out of the poverty and crime ridden area of Newport News, Virginia for the incredibly talented Brooks. During his time at Ferguson High School, Brooks was a standout in football and basketball on the same levels as his peer Allen Iverson.
After two seasons as a starter at the University of Virginia, the athletically talented but raw Brooks (6’4” 205 lbs.) was seen as a project of a prospect heading into the talent-rich 1999 NFL Draft. The Green Bay Packers however saw Brooks’ potential and took the signal-caller in the fifth round. After a season as the backup quarterback to Favre and Matt Hasselbeck, Brooks was traded to the New Orleans Saints to sit behind Jeff Blake before the 2000 campaign.
When Blake went down with an injury two-thirds of the way through the 2000 season, Brooks stepped in to lead the Saints to an NFC West title and an upset of the St. Louis Rams in the NFC Wild Card Game. What made the win so fantastic was Brooks threw for four touchdowns & it was New Orleans’ first postseason win in franchise history.
Over the next four seasons, Brooks was one of the league’s best dual-threat quarterbacks like his younger cousin, Michael Vick. Though New Orleans did not achieve the type of postseason success during the next four seasons as they did in 2000’s, Brooks piloted a lethal offense with the likes of Joe Horn and Deuce McAllister at his disposal.
Sadly, 2005 proved to be a rough season for Brooks, the Saints and the city of New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina. Brooks then played an injury-riddled and tumultuous season with the Oakland Raiders in 2006. Which was sad as it was the last time he played in the NFL. While many speculate he was black-balled due to comments he made about the NFL and Saints & their handling of the 2005 season, there was a four-year window where he was one of the NFL’s best. Overall, Brooks passed for 20,261 yards and 123 touchdowns and is considered by many to be one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the New Orleans Saints.
Connect with us on Instagram!
Chris Quinn: @cquinncomedy
Dominic DiTolla: @ditolladominic
Producer: @ty_englestudio
Instagram: @thesportsexperiencepodcast
If you enjoy this podcast, please help support us @:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-sports-experience-pod/support
#sportspodcast
#comedypodcast
#saints
