Taking it Back: The Return of Duane Brooks
Brian Beaudry
Tuesday June 16, 2015
Duane Brooks is on a path to making history after he was placed on recallable reassignment earlier this season.
There are a few obstacles in his way. One is the fact that one of his return touchdowns seems not to count because as he was putting it forward into the end zone, it popped out of his hands and he caught it again in the end zone, so it’s ruled as a fumble recovery for a touchdown rather than a kick return touchdown.
Another is refereeing; this week he had a touchdown called back by an exceptionally poor call by a ref 25 yards from the play. Replays showed there was no holding, but that doesn’t put the touchdown back on the board for Brooks.
After 23 games of no kick return touchdowns in Thunder history, however, the past six games have provided six (or seven, depending on how you count that first one). Can he make it to eight? He’ll try next week against the Spokane Shock, who he had a 48-yard return against in Week 3, his longest of the season that didn’t go for a touchdown.
Brooks discussed special teams, contributing on offense, working toward breaking the AFL record of eight return TDs in a season (set by Arizona’s Hunkie Cooper in 2002), and other things with the media after the game against the Rattlers on Friday:
