|
|
 |
Rick Stroud, The St.Petersburg Times, published 1 September 1997
It was a game in which they wanted to make a statement, and now it's clear why the Buccaneers are a team that finally may be heard from.
They will trample on any legacy to take another step toward building their own. They no longer will beat themselves when they can inflict punishment on someone else.
The team with new uniforms that long has represented failure in the NFL simply undressed the team that long has been cloaked in nothing but success.
Defensive tackle Warren Sapp led a stampede of seven quarterback sacks, allowing the Bucs offense enough time to score all its points in the second half to upset the San Francisco 49ers 13-6 on Sunday before 62,554 at Houlihan's Stadium. Sapp, who gestured to fans that the 49ers were dead by slicing an imaginary knife across his throat, also was partly responsible for cutting down quarterback Steve Young (concussion) and Jerry Rice (knee) in the first half. "That's what we expected to do," Sapp said. "We didn't expect anything less. Coach (Tony) Dungy talked about it all week - perception against reality. The perception was this powerhouse team from San Francisco was going to come in here and steamroll us and we weren't going to let it happen."
The Bucs followed a simple formula: If you lay out all the 49ers' Pro Bowl players end to end across the turf, they will not reach the end zone. Tampa Bay's defense held the Niners without a touchdown for the first time since 1991.
The victory extended the Bucs' home winning streak to a team-record six games dating to last season.
The loss was particularly costly for the 49ers, and not only because it spoiled the NFL coaching debut of Steve Mariucci. Rice suffered a possible torn tendon in his left knee and is scheduled for an MRI today in San Francisco. The injury, which occurred in the second quarter on a tackle by Sapp, could end a streak of 189 straight games for Rice, who has started every non-strike game since 1987.
Sapp did everything but confirm his reservations to the Pro Bowl. He tied linebacker Derrick Brooks for a team-high 11 tackles, recorded 2.5 sacks and deflected a pass.
"This is just the starting point," Sapp said. "There ain't no more old Bucs, baby. Come to Houlihan's and you're going to have a war."
The Bucs tried to give it away. Placekicker Michael Husted boinked a 32-yard field goal off the left upright. A penalty erased Warrick Dunn's 67-yard kickoff return. Tight end Jackie Harris dropped a third-down pass at the Niners' 5-yard line and fumbled away another reception at the San Francisco 20 to render both drives pointless. Linebacker Hardy Nickerson drew a personal foul by spitting in the face of 49ers fullback William Floyd on fourth down to give San Francisco new life at the Bucs' 22. The Bucs even mistakenly handed the ball off on second and goal to a stunned rookie tight end Patrick Hape, who promptly fumbled his first NFL carry. And you know what? None of it mattered.
Bulldozing fullback Mike Alstott was the hero on offense, combining for 119 total yards (14 rushes for 69, three receptions for 50) and leading the Bucs to all 13 second-half points.
It was Alstott's 26-yard catch and run with a screen pass from Trent Dilfer that got things rolling in the fourth quarter. He hauled in another 14-yard pass and bulled his way to the 1. Two plays later, with the Niners looking for Alstott over the top, Dilfer rolled right and hit tight end Dave Moore with a 1-yard pass to give the Bucs a 10-6 lead.
Then the defense put the game away. On the next series, Reggie Rusk deflected a pass from Young that was intended for J.J. Stokes and intercepted by Tyrone Legette.
The interception set up Husted's 34-yard field goal and essentially buried the Niners.
Young did not complete another pass. He was sacked on consecutive plays on the Niners' next try - including one by Sapp, who hung onto Young's ankles like tube socks.
Young, who has missed parts or all of 19 games in the past three seasons, suffered a mild concussion after Sapp sacked him for an 11-yard loss in the first series of the game. The headache occurred when Nickerson's knee struck Young in the head at the end of the play, knocking off his helmet.
In the second quarter, Sapp knocked Rice out of the game on a jarring tackle when he snuffed out a reverse. Sapp was penalized for grabbing the face mask, but that hardly made up for the loss of Rice, whose left knee appeared to twist beneath him.
"I told the team if we didn't all ache inside that we didn't care," Mariucci said. "Rice's injury had an effect on the team. But it's going to be a long season, so if one of us goes down, someone has to step up."
Third-year backup Jeff Brohm did. He replaced Young and eventually would have to leave the game himself with a hip pointer after being sacked by Brad Culpepper. But Brohm did an admirable job in relief. At one point, the 49ers completed 11 straight passes.
In the past, the Bucs never would've overcome so many mistakes. The most glaring error came in the third quarter when Dilfer handed the ball to Hape on second and goal at the 5-yard line - a play that was supposed to go to Alstott.
"I had to turn to Mike and ask, `What do I do, what do I do?,' " Hape said. "I didn't hold on to it good enough."
But everyone took the blame.
"We all blew it," Dilfer said. "We had the wrong personnel. He had never even practiced that play. That's as dumb as it comes."
According to Nickerson, Sunday's win should give the Bucs their due. He accused Floyd of making a disrespectful gesture during the coin toss. "He swiped his arms like the joke's on you," he said. Not coincidentally, it was Floyd, the former Lakewood High and Florida State star, who Nickerson targeted with a loogey a la Roberto Alomar.
"You talk about some dirty players, they've got some dirty players," Nickerson said. "After the game, Kevin Gogan was pushing my face in the dirt. Jumping on me. Other guys were leg-whipping me. The refs weren't calling all that. As we beat more people, gain more respect, that stuff will stop."
So the King may not be dead, but he is limping a bit. Meanwhile, the Bucs are practicing their strut.
"It is one game and I don't know if it signals a changing of the guard," safety John Lynch said. "I think it's a darn good signal for us. I think a lot of people are going to be surprised, but we weren't."
|
|
|
| |
| |
|