NFL: Cowboys Finding Success With Falcons' Castoff LB Keith Brooking

IRVING, Texas - Whatever reasons the Atlanta Falcons had for giving up on linebacker Keith Brooking, the Dallas Cowboys are sure glad they did.

As intense as ever in his 12th NFL season, Brooking leads the team in tackles and has brought an edge they were missing. He's become the emotional leader and has a great feel for the pulse of the team.

Brooking insists he's not by trying to prove anything to the folks in Atlanta. Still, he gets that chance Sunday, when Matt Ryan and the Falcons come to Cowboys Stadium.

"I'd be lying to you if I was like, 'Ah, I'm not trying to prove to those guys that I can still do it at a high level,'" he said. "But that's not my priority. ... I'm 12 years into my career. That window of opportunity is narrowing every passing day. I know I'm much closer to the end of my career than the beginning. I just want to enjoy these last few years and get the most out of every day and cherish every moment."

Brooking, the Cowboys have learned, does everything at full speed.

He's thrown haymakers at assistant coaches, and that was after he made a great play. He ran down the sideline watching receiver Miles Austin score a touchdown against Kansas City, then was the first guy off the bench to give Austin a stinging high-five.

"They call him 'The Mad 'Backer,'" running back Tashard Choice said. "You stay away from Brook when he gets like that."

Football fans in Atlanta know all about it.

Brooking grew up in the area and never left - from youth leagues to high school, from college at Georgia Tech to 11 seasons with the Falcons. Atlanta took him in the first round of the 1998 draft and, as a rookie, he helped the Falcons make the Super Bowl. He made the Pro Bowl every year from 2001 to '05 and led the team in tackles the last eight seasons.