Bucs clear their toughest hurdle
Hubert Mizell, The St.Petersburg Times, published 1 September 1997

Beating the 49ers was bigger than the ol' Sombrero itself, but the Bucs achieved something even more imposing. They overcame themselves. For the oranges-changed-to-pewters, that may be the toughest opponent of all. Tampa Bay would not shatter after a Bucs brain warp led to a third-quarter fumble by Patrick Hape, of all people, near San Francisco's goal line with the aging Niners clutching a 6-0 lead.

The Bucs refused to wilt when a penalty wiped out a 67-yard Warrick Dunn kickoff return. Didn't fluster when Michael Husted missed a field goal. Sixty minutes of evidence that the Bucs may, at last, be undergoing a victorious personality change. Old losers becoming new winners. "Until now, we've never been able to come back from such things," said quarterback Trent Dilfer, the most analyzed and criticized of Buccaneers. "We did some stupid plays. Bad throws. A fumble. Dropped passes. In the past, an opponent like the 49ers would've found a way to ruin our Sunday."

It's one win. Fifteen games to go. "Nice to know we can't be 0-5," said coach Tony Dungy, referring to the beginning calamities of a season ago. Straining for perspective amid a ballpark rocking with delirium that has been so painfully rare. Speaking of Tampa Bay's boss, an airplane hired by some low-impact radio station spent Sunday dragging the Florida sky with a banner that posed the question, "Dump Dungy?"

Morons in/on the air. Coaches, they say, are hired to be fired. Sam Wyche knows. Ray Perkins too. So does George Seifert, a San Francisco master of triumph who was pushed out the Niners' back door despite winning two Super Bowls. But, at this hour, to suggest that Dungy is anything but a massively endorsed, enormously popular Bucs success story is sillier than showing up around here in August wearing a parka.

Not since 1991 had the Niners failed to reach an end zone. Tampa Bay's defense sadly broke apart the great Jerry Rice. Also flattened Steve Young. Embalmed and buried new coach Steve Mariucci's offense. Bucs should've won not by 13-6 but by 20-6 or even 27-6. Sunday was an imposing first brick in building a year with legitimate promise. Most impressive result in 22 season openers for the Bucs, exceeding a 21-6 win at Philadelphia in 1995, a 38-21 starter at Detroit in 1990 and a 48-10 mashing of Atlanta in 1987.

Detroit and Minnesota are next, both on the road. Even the most zealous Tampa Bay voices should work at keeping cool. Keeping perspective. Understanding the challenge. One touchdown won't win most NFL games. Say the Bucs can take one of those next two against the Lions and Vikings. Returning home with at least a 2-1 record for a nationally televised Sunday-nighter against the Miami Dolphins. Sombrero will rock again. Selling out, you would figure, to allow a local live-TV look.

Tampa Bay made offensive progress. Mike Alstott has become pro football's best fullback. Dilfer keeps inching upward. Offensive line held together against a 49ers defense with nine players who've been to Pro Bowls. "We left a lot of points out there," said Tony Mayberry, in his eighth season as Bucs center. "Even with us winning, I've never come up against a better interior defensive line pair than (Dana) Stubblefield and (Bryant) Young. But we hung together well. This time, we wrote a better ending."

Steve Young, the most accurate passer in the NFL's 78 years, was TKO'd in the first quarter. He became chopped meat in a Warren Sapp-Hardy Nickerson sandwich. Best of the NFL's quarterbacks in the 1990s, the fellow from Brigham Young was sent deep into the woozies. Young did manage to return. Got flattened again. And again. Four sacks. Another concussion. Still, when his beating was over, a limping Young was the consummate gentleman, going to midfield to extend a congratulatory hand to the Bucs. "They kicked our butts," the onetime Tampa Bay quarterback told me, his eyes aching to focus. Bucs linebacker Nickerson, hearing of that Young admission, smiled and said, "Yes, we did."