INDIANAPOLIS — The year Tony Dungy was first hired as a head coach, he sat down with a young Buccaneers linebacker, broke down the Cover-2 defense he’d developed in his time as a player in Pittsburgh and planned to install in Tampa, then laid a heavy responsibility at the kid’s feet.
Derrick Brooks clearly had potential. He’d been a star at Florida State. A first-round pick. A starter right away, solid if not quite spectacular as a rookie.
Dungy thought Brooks could be more, needed him to be more.
“Hey, this position is built for you,” Dungy told Brooks.