Bucs defense bent a lot but didn't break John Romano, The St.Petersburg Times, published 11 September 1989 Ervin Randle was absolutely positive the Buccaneers defense would come up with a turnover to stop Green Bay's final drive. Until, that is, it finally happened. When Mark Robinson intercepted a pass at the Tampa Bay 8, Randle realized how bleak the situation had been. “It wasn't until I got back to the sideline that I realized how close they had come,” said Randle, the Bucs' right inside linebacker. “They could have had a field goal very easily from there.” How desperate had things become? The Packers already had gone on two 74-yard touchdown marches in the second half and seemed to be coasting again late in the fourth quarter. With the Bucs leading by just two points, Packers quarterback Don Majkowski had driven the ball well within field goal range. The only question seemed to be whether the defense could hold Green Bay to a field goal instead of a touchdown. And then Robinson came up with the defensive play of the game. “I could see as soon as he let go of the ball that it was going to be overthrown,” said Robinson. “So I tried to get in position behind the tight end, and it came right to me.” Robinson's interception was his second and the team's third of the game. Free safety Harry Hamilton had also cut short a Green Bay drive when he picked off a pass in the end zone in the first half. The turnovers were the only things standing between a heroic and a horrific defensive effort by the Bucs. Tampa Bay gave up 321 total yards and allowed the Packers to convert 83 percent of their third-down plays. Yet the Bucs strangled Packers drives when it looked like they would choke themselves. “The big plays had to be made,” Hamilton said. “We had a letdown in the third quarter and it got them back in the game. It wasn't pretty, but we did the job. We got the win.” Tampa Bay's defense managed to keep Green Bay in check for most of the first half. With the Bucs offense controlling the ball in the first two quarters, Green Bay got only four possessions. And they were stuffed three times. But, after some adjustments at halftime, the situation changed quickly. Majkowski was 11-of-17 for 164 yards in the second half after throwing for just 56 yards before halftime. “It was kind of a cat-and-mouse thing,” Robinson said. “We were doing some things on defense that were stopping them. So they came out in the second half with some new things. Then we had to adjust to what they were doing.” Having six-year veterans like Robinson and Hamilton, who were teammates at Penn State, makes the adjustments a little easier. Not only did they have the three interceptions, but they also combined for 11 tackles. “I think our young guys played a good game,” said second-year nose tackle Shawn Lee. “But, in the clutch, it helps to have our veterans.” Randle said the defense's performance on the final drive should not be forgotten anytime soon. “Mark did an outstanding job on the interception,” Randle said. “But he's just one member of our defensive unit. I knew somebody out there was going to come up with the big play. After this game, we should never feel like we're in a situation that we can't handle. We proved it here. Plays like that should happen all year.”