Daily Press:Brooks steps up, lifts Saints past Redskins

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http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/7383605.htm

Brooks steps up, lifts Saints past Redskins

BY DAVE TEEL

The Daily Press

LANDOVER, Md. - (KRT) - So, Aaron Brooks, your team and knee are hurting. You haven't practiced at full speed in more than a week and haven't run for a touchdown in more than a year.

Given those limitations, Aaron, just what was your reaction when your New Orleans Saints asked you to run a quarterback draw against the Washington Redskins on Sunday?

Brooks rolled his eyes and broke into a wide grin. With friends and family from his native Newport News in the house, he'd just won at FedEx Field for the second consecutive season, and life was good sore knee, dim playoff hopes and pedestrian stats aside.

"I was a little skeptical about it," Brooks said of the call. "But hey, you gotta put your body on the line. You can't save yourself at moments like that."

The moment was a red-zone play in a critical game for an underachieving team, and Brooks ran 7 yards for the first of his two touchdowns, scores that proved decisive in a 24-20 victory.

The last time Brooks ran for two touchdowns in a game? He wondered if it was for the University of Virginia or Ferguson High, but actually it was against St. Louis in 2000, Brooks' first season in New Orleans.

Brooks' confusion was understandable. In his 51 previous NFL games, he had run for five touchdowns, none since last October against San Francisco.

Sunday hardly seemed time to buck that trend. Brooks strained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee two weeks ago against Atlanta, aggravated the injury last week at Philadelphia and practiced little in preparing for Washington. Plus, with running back Deuce McAllister on a remarkable binge of 100-yard games (his streak of nine games matches the third-longest in NFL history), the Saints need Brooks' arm and leadership much more than his legs.

One problem: With his injury-depleted receiving corps and offensive line, and his own judgment, failing him at times, Brooks isn't nearly the passer he was last season, when he threw a franchise-record 27 touchdown passes. His per-completion average of 11.1 yards is a career low, and the Saints' 21.3 scoring average is six points off last season's pace.

Sunday Brooks threw for a season-low 121 yards, with no completion covering more than 17. The first half was particularly bleak as Brooks completed two passes to wide receivers for a grand total of 12 yards. Contrast that to last season, when he threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns in a 43-27 rout of the Redskins.

"Just launch it, let it go," Saints coach Jim Haslett scolded Brooks at halftime.

And so he did. On a third-and-6, Brooks zipped a 17-yarder to Boo Williams (the tight end from Arkansas, not the basketball coach from Hampton). Eight plays later, on a bootleg with a run-pass option, Brooks ran 3 yards for his second touchdown to tie the score at 17.

After Washington countered with a 49-yard John Hall field goal, Brooks threw the game-winning touchdown pass, a 15-yard laser to Williams that split coverage from linebacker LaVar Arrington and free safety Matt Bowen.

Now comes the hard part. After a 1-4 start, the Saints (6-6) are on the fringe of playoff contention. They probably need to win out, and with a favorable schedule (three of the last four games at home) and the meager state of the NFC, they could slide in.

But they must overcome their demons. In 2001, the Saints lost their final four games to miss the playoffs. Last year they dropped their last three to miss.

Up next for New Orleans, a home date against defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay, another team in desperate need of wins. And how much practice time will Brooks' knee allow during the week?

"We'll see tomorrow," he said, "when I wake up."

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© 2003, Daily Press (Newport News, Va.).