San Francisco 49ers and linebacker Ahmad Brooks agreed to a new 6-year contract on Wednesday, and Brooks was KNBR with Fitz and Brooks not too long after to discuss his new deal and his amazing path through the NFL to where he is today.
Brooks first discusses how the process to get to where he is today has been very grueling and strenuous, which makes it all the more special for him now:
On his journey and what this new contract means to him after all he has dealt with:
"It's been a long, long journey for me. I guess being one of the top prospects coming out of college and then seeing that dream shattered, and then I had to go through the supplemental draft and go through that whole process. I got drafted in the third round, was supposed to be a first round draft pick and let that slip through my hands. I was with the Bengals for two years, then got released, then the 49ers picked me up and I was an inside linebacker. I was coming off an injury my second year, then the 49ers picked me up my third year so my whole third year in the NFL I didn't play not one snap, I just pretty much practiced so it was kind of like a blessing in disguise to be picked up by the San Francisco and for me to still be getting paid as if I were playing every week and being able to get back on track after an injury because I had injured both of my groins, I had tore both of my groins so just pretty much getting back into football shape and doing football drills and stuff like that. My fourth year I had a chance to become a second team guy coming in on third downs and rushing the passer. That's when I had three sacks against the Arizona Cardinals. My fifth season pretty much was in the same position. I wanted to be the starter but I had an injury in training camp that set me back and didn't put me in the starting lineup. This past year I took off. I told myself I wanted to focus on becoming a starter and then once I become a starter, stay a starter and to make as many plays as I can. I made the best of my opportunity and I'm happy to be in the position that I'm in right now."
Brooks also discusses how he never quit, regardless of the obstacles placed in front of him:
On why he never gave in after all the injuries and being cut multiple times:
"I just had that ‘want to' attitude. I've always been a good football player no matter what league it was in or how old I was. I just couldn't let myself go down like that. I just had pride and liked showcasing my talents. Every year I want to be the best linebacker, the best person in the NFL, and I just worked at bettering myself. When I injured my knee in college, I didn't recover as good as I needed to and I don't think my physical therapy went as well as it should've and it took me a while to bounce back from that so I pretty much worked even harder when it came to working on my groin and trying to get back as soon as possible. It actually took a year for me to recover. That's where the San Francisco 49ers come along and I thank them for picking me up and giving me a year to recover."
Finally Brooks was asked about his team, and he was more than happy to discuss the reason why he loves to play in San Francisco:
What makes the 49ers defense so special:
"All across the board man there's talent on the defense and on our offense but our defense is something special. You've got Justin Smith, you've got Patrick Willis, you've got Carlos (Rogers), you've got Dashon (Goldson), you've got Ray McDonald, you've got Parys (Harrellson), and there's so many guys that you can name that go out there and make a big play at any given time. Got Donte Whitner out there knocking people out of the game... It was a lot of fun playing with them, but also in the locker room. It's like that in the locker room. It's fun in the locker room, it's fun in practice, we joke around a lot, and it's kind of like we're brothers and that's what makes it so special. The coaches feed off it too. They get jacked up seeing guys having fun. Not just at the game but in practice."
For more on the 49ers, head over to Niners Nation.