Choice, Brooking step up for Cowboys

OK, maybe Brooking didn't quite get to the goal line before his speedy teammate, but the former Falcons linebacker, caught up in the moment, was racing down the sideline as Austin went 60 yards for the winning touchdown in the Dallas Cowboys' overtime victory against the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 11.

That sort of unbridled enthusiasm has turned Brooking into an instant favorite and a defensive leader with his new team, which faces his old team Sunday afternoon in a game Brooking acknowledges he had "circled on my calendar since I signed here.’’

Playing the Falcons is a big deal as well for Tashard Choice, who like Brooking grew up in metro Atlanta and played for Georgia Tech, albeit nearly 10 years later. But while Brooking stepped into a ready-made role as a starter when he signed as a free agent in February, thanks to his five-Pro Bowl pedigree, Choice, a fourth-round draft choice in 2008, has had to struggle through a crowd of running backs just to get the chance to make an impact for the Cowboys’ offense.

Injuries to starter Marion Barber and 2008 first-round choice Felix Jones have given Choice, the last man standing, his opportunity, and he has seized it.

In his first career start, against the formidable Pittsburgh defense late last season, the 5-foot-10, 212-pound rookie put up 88 yards rushing and 78 receiving, including a 50-yard catch and run. This season, Choice is averaging 5.1 yards per rush after an eight-carry, 92-yard performance against the Chiefs that included a spectacular 36-yard touchdown run.

In the Cowboys’ three-headed running-back rotation, the shifty Choice’s elusiveness provides a counterpoint to Barber’s straight-ahead muscle and Jones’ blazing speed. Even so, Choice knows exactly where he stands in the pecking order -- firmly entrenched at the bottom, now that Barber and Jones are expected back on the field this week. The news that Barber is playing with a broken left thumb might increase Choice’s workload for a while, but there is no question who is No. 3.

"We understand our roles,’’ Choice said. "I knew from the first day my role was to help those guys -- to help Marion, to help Felix. Those guys are going to be the main guys. If they go down, my role steps up.

"I know I could start for other teams. I want to. I’ve got to feel that way to be confident about myself. But that’s the situation I’m in here and now. So you just take it in stride and don’t let it mess your head up. … Hey, you can’t have an ego in this game because you’ll get brought down to reality real quick. Everybody wants to be a starter. Shoot, if you don’t want to be, you shouldn’t play the game, it’s just as simple as that. I’m going make my mark, here or there, because I work hard.’’

Brooking’s mark was made long ago, during 11 seasons as the centerpiece of the Falcons’ defense, which is why his transition to a leadership role with the Cowboys has seemed so seamless.

To a man, Dallas defenders smile when Brooking’s name is mentioned, and they all marvel at the fervor displayed by the veteran known around the locker room as "The Mad ’Backer.’’

Fellow starting inside linebacker Bradie James spoke of Brooking’s "passion.’’ Rookie linebacker Victor Butler said Brooking brings "a Ray Lewis quality’’ to the defense. Coach Wade Phillips said he was surprised when Brooking wasn’t involved in the first fight of training camp.

"He’s always pumped up, always ready to go, every game, every practice,’’ linebacker Anthony Spencer said. "He loves playing, and you can see it when he’s playing. And that makes it a lot more fun to be out there. He’s running around like he’s a rookie out there. And he’s not a rookie at all.’’

No, but these days he feels like one, even though turns 34 on Oct. 30. Brooking acknowledges that his trademark enthusiasm waned a bit last season, when he played out of position as an outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense and "saw the writing on the wall’’ with Atlanta.

Now, back on the inside in the same 3-4 scheme he played when Phillips was the Falcons’ defensive coordinator in 2002-03, Brooking is comfortable, happy and feeling young again.

"Guys who were with me earlier in my career, when they see me now, they say, yeah, that’s the old Keith,’’ he said. "So maybe I did lose a little bit of that [passion] for whatever reason. ... I think it’s kind of been resurrected a little bit.

"The main thing, I think, just a change of scenery. New faces. A new environment. A new place. I played within a 20-mile radius for 27 years, since I was six years old. I think it’s just being removed from that. Not that it wasn’t 27 great years. But this is great. I just think it was time for me to move on, and I could not have ended up in a better situation. I really believe with all my heart the Cowboys needed me. I can’t think of a better way to end my career.’’

Not that that’s coming anytime soon. Brooking’s impact on the field has been just as strong as his emotional impact. In five games, he has made 55 tackles, three behind team leader James, and he led the Cowboys with 18 stops and added his first sack of the season against Kansas City -- all before his sprint with Austin in overtime.

Indeed, the end seems nowhere in sight.

"I’m having more fun than I’ve had in a long, long time,’’ Brooking said. "My body feels great. I think I’m playing at a high level, and I think I can help a football team win.

"I love it more today than ever. I enjoy playing the game of football more today than I ever have. And as long as you have that inside you, why would you ever give that up?’’