Ahmad Brooks: an All-Pro who's under the radar

Recommended Video:

Ahmad Brooks is tied for second in 49ers history in postseason sacks, owns the franchise single-season record for forced fumbles by a linebacker and is one of three players from the team's star-studded defense to earn All-Pro honors in each of the past two seasons.

Still, in his estimation, the most memorable play of his career was a sack that didn't count in a game the 49ers lost.

Last year, Brooks became the central figure in a national story when he was called for an unnecessary-roughness penalty on a takedown of New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees. The nullified sack - and apparently game-sealing recovered fumble - was a pivotal point in the 23-20 last-second loss and placed the outside linebacker in endless headlines as pundits pondered whether the NFL had gone overboard in cracking down on illegal hits.

Brooks considers 2012 his best season, but he made his first Pro Bowl in 2013 because, well ...

"You need a big play or two on Drew Brees," he said. "Even if it's a penalty."

Brooks offered that with a smile. And he seems comfortable with his under-the-radar role as the other man in a linebacker corps that includes three big names: Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman and Aldon Smith.

Entering his ninth season, however, anonymous Ahmad could command more of the spotlight in the early stages of 2014. With Smith suspended for the first nine games of the season and Bowman (knee) sidelined for at least the first six, the 49ers will need strong performances from their remaining stars to maintain their high defensive standards.

Those stars include Brooks, 30, although he ranks behind Willis and defensive tackle Justin Smith on the wattage scale.

Last week, during a sit-down interview in the locker room, Brooks was asked how many other times he'd been requested for an interview since training camp began in July. His answer: two. Not that he's complaining. He's willing to talk, but he also likes to nap between practices.

"I think fans and people outside of the football offices, they may not know who I am," Brooks said. "But as far as coaches and players, they know."

Why the lack of name recognition?

"I don't know," he said. "I'm pretty good at unsung-hero type of stuff. Batting down a ball, playing your gap, being in the right spot all the time. Those things don't get recognized. It's not (ESPN "SportsCenter") top-10 stuff."

Brooks, of course, isn't all about the dirty work. Last year, he had a career-high 8 1/2 sacks and peaked in the playoffs. He had 4 1/2 sacks in three games and played a key role in two game-changing goal-line stands in a divisional-round win over Carolina.

His brilliant play, however, didn't net the desired result. A 23-17 loss to Seattle in the NFC Championship Game marked the third straight season the 49ers' season ended deep in the playoffs in devastating fashion. For Brooks, the third was the most torturous and he initially retreated to his native Virginia.

"I didn't do anything, man," Brooks said. "I think last year hit me so hard. I'm not going to say depressed, but it just took a toll on me. To get there three times and not make it, it's like, 'Damn.' You know what I mean?

"You put your all into it. You put so much into it and to lose a game like that? You see all the effort the coaches and your teammates put into it and to not close it out, yeah, it was kind of devastating. So I was like, 'I don't care about football. I don't want to think about it. I need to get away from this s- for a while.' That's how I was."

Brooks' offseason funk helps explain why he didn't report to training camp in top condition: As of last week, he acknowledged that he needed to lose 5 to 10 pounds, and his extra weight caused defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to hedge when asked if Brooks is ready to reprise his 2013 performance.

For his part, Brooks says he's ready to help fill the voids left by the absences of Smith and Bowman. And, thanks to last season's sack that didn't count, he thinks some fans won't be surprised if he helps carry the defense.

"Yeah, I think that got my name out there last year," he said. "I think some people might have started saying, 'Who's this (No.) 55 guy?' "