NFC South All-Decade Team of 2000s: Derrick Brooks leads linebackers

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NFC South All-Decade Team of 2000s: Derrick Brooks leads linebackers

John Sigler, Saints Wire · Saints Wire

Wed, Jul 8, 2026 ·

3 min read

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Some of the best defenders in the NFC South played linebacker -- at least in the 2000s, the first decade of the division's existence. We're continuing our look at the NFC South All-Decade Team of the 2000s with the men in the middle of the field. It wasn't a strong decade of linebacker play from the New Orleans Saints (their time to shine comes later) but the division-rival Atlanta Falcons , Carolina Panthers , and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all represented. Here are our picks for some of the Saints' toughest rivals to take the field from 2002 to 2009.

Methodology

One key stat we're relying on is Approximate Value from Pro Football Reference , which PFR defines as "an attempt to put a single number on the seasonal value of a player at any position from any year." In practice, that means giving higher numbers to player who start more games, play more snaps, and do more to help their team win by racking up yards, scoring touchdowns, creating turnovers and sacking quarterbacks, and so on. We're also assigning point values to being named a first-team All-Pro (ten points), second-team All-Pro (five points), and Pro Bowler (three points). And then we're adding those numbers together. Remember, these are all-decade teams for the NFC South, which didn't exist until 2002, and only contributions on the four teams in the division factor into our formula. So Drew Brees earning a Pro Bowl nod with the San Diego Chargers in 2005 doesn't help him, for example.

First team: Derrick Brooks

September 28, 2008; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Derrick Brooks (55) against the Green Bay Packers during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002 to 2008)
AV: 101
Honors: All-Pro first team (3), All-Pro second team (1), Pro Bowler (6)
Score: 154

Brooks received the highest score of any player in the NFC South during the 2000s, regardless of position. The future Hall of Famer spent his entire 14-year career in Tampa Bay as the face of the franchise. All in all, he totaled 11 Pro Bowl nods and nine All-Pro appearances (five of them on the first team), but he played some of his best football when the division was formed in 2002.

First team: Keith Brooking

Sep 10, 2006; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Falcons linebacker (56) Keith Brooking tackle Carolina Panthers running back (26) DeShaun Foster at Bank of America Stadium. The Falcons won 20-6. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Dale Zanine USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) 2006 Dale Zanine

Team: Atlanta Falcons (2002 to 2008)
AV:73
Honors: All-Pro second team (2), Pro Bowler (4)
Score: 95

Brooking was another great linebacker in the NFC South's early days, notching 100-plus tackles every year for nine years straight. He started in 146 of 161 regular season games with Atlanta plus five of eight playoff games. If not for Brooks he'd be in the top spot, but the career he put together is something to be proud of.

Second team: Jon Beason

Dec, 6, 2009; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason (52) reacts on the field at Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16-6. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Team: Carolina Panthers (2007 to 2009)
AV: 39
Honors: All-Pro first team (1), All-Pro second team (1), Pro Bowler (2)
Score: 60

Beason was a late arrival in this decade, but he made the most of his limited time by finishing second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting before winning three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. He was credited with 100 or more tackles in each of his first four years in the NFL and took over as a key leader for the Panthers with respected vets like Kris Jenkins and Julius Peppers moving on.

Second team: Shelton Quarles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shelton Quarles against the Philadelphia Eagles Oct. 22, 2006 in Tampa. The Bucs won 23 - 21 on a last-second, 62-yard field goal. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002 to 2006)
AV: 43
Honors: Pro Bowler (1)
Score: 46

Quarles was a great tag-team partner for Derrick Brooks on the Bucs, helping run the innovative Tampa 2 defense to stifle opposing passing attacks and win a Super Bowl championship in 2002 (his lone Pro Bowl season). He finished strong, too, reaching triple-digit tackles in three of his last four seasons. He started a combined 120 games (appearing in 158 total) between the regular season and the playoffs, all of them with the Buccaneers.