|
|
 |
Rick Stroud,The St.Petersburg Times, published 21 September 1998
It was difficult to determine if everything was exactly in place for the housewarming party at Raymond James Stadium. Maybe there was more building to be done, and not all the construction seemed complete. But that was more true of the Buccaneers than of the impressive $168.5-million structure they inhabited Sunday. The 18th-century replica pirate vessel towered majestically over the north end zone, while below the Bucs were looking like a ship of fools. The cannons exploded, and the offense misfired. "Everything was on the line," said defensive end Chidi Ahanotu said. "I don't know if everyone realizes it, but if we go 0-3, everyone abandons ship. And we just got the ship."
After falling behind by at least three scores for the third straight game, the Bucs avoided a mutiny by scoring their bounty of 27 unanswered points in the second half to rally for a 27-15 win over the Chicago Bears. The Bucs were booed off their new field at halftime by the sellout crowd of 64,328 after spotting the Bears a 15-0 lead and turning the ball over twice.
But they saved the day and maybe their season by scoring on every possession in the second half until running out the final few minutes. The victory improved the Bucs to 1-2 heading into their Monday Night Football game at Detroit (0-3). "It wasn't exactly according to script, but we got the win and that's what counts," coach Tony Dungy said. "We started out like we had the first two games, but the difference is we were at home and got some energy from our crowd once we started playing better the second half. It was a big win for us. It would've been tough to go down 0-3."
Counting Sunday, the Bucs had been outscored 52-0 in the first half. What made their turnaround so remarkable was that it was sparked by the maligned running back combination of Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn. Alstott rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown, reaching the century mark for the first time in his pro career. Fighting dehydration and cramps, Dunn finished with 82 yards on 10 carries, including a tackle-breaking 43-yard touchdown run that gave the Bucs the lead for good at 21-15 with 13:55 left in the fourth quarter.
But if there was one play that ignited the Bucs comeback and may be the defining moment in their season, it was the leaping, one- handed catch by tight end Dave Moore that resulted in his 44-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. "The biggest thing for me that was pleasing about that play was when I came off the field, you could really see the defense fired up," Moore said. "They were like, okay, the offense is finally moving the ball and we're going to go out there and stop them and give it back to them. It's been frustrating for them. They've been out there playing their butt off. It was nice to see the fire in their eyes. Because coming off the field, they were looking at you like, 'Please move the ball.' "
The Bucs defense responded by allowing the Bears to pick up just one first down in the second half and that came on a penalty when safety Tony Bouie ran into punter Todd Sauerbrun. In fact, had it not been for Tampa Bay's stingy defense, the Bears might've had an overwhelming lead at halftime. Tampa Bay managed to thwart three easy scoring opportunities by Chicago in the second quarter. The Bucs made a gritty goal-line stand when safety Damien Robinson stopped Curtis Enis for no gain on fourth and goal at the 1. Jeff Jaeger also hit the left upright on his 29- yard field-goal attempt, and Hardy Nickerson recovered a fumble by Bears tight end Ryan Wetnight at the Tampa Bay 6.
All things considered, the Bucs felt fortunate to be trailing just 15-0. The Bears scored on a 93-yard punt return by Glyn Milburn; a safety when quarterback Trent Dilfer stepped out the back of the end zone; and Jaeger's 52-yard field goal as the half expired. "We basically came in here and said, 'We s---.' We stunk the place up," Ahanotu said. "But we said, 'Look, it's a long game. We stunk it up the first 30 (minutes), let's go back out and play the kind of ball we know how to play.' "
Did the fact the Bucs were laying an egg on the debut of the stadium have anything to do with it? "It could've been at Jefferson High School. We were determined to go out there and do what we had to do," linebacker Derrick Brooks said.
The Bucs were as splendid in the second half as they had been wretched in the first. Their 192 rushing yards in the second half were a club record. They recorded 18 of their 20 first downs after halftime. And Dilfer went 8-for-9 passing for 109 yards and two TDs. "I did not think it was possible offensively for us to come out and play as poorly as we did in the first half," Dilfer said. "I don't want to sound like a bummer. We won the first game in the new stadium. Great. Hip, hip hooray. Wonderful. But we've got to get better offensively. We can't do these things. We can't fumble the football. We can't drop balls. We can't throw slants on the first third down high. It's everybody."
But for a half, the Bucs put on a show. They sent their guests home happy. They finally have something to build on. "More than anything, this game reminded a lot of guys that the reason we were successful is because we were playing with heart," Ahanotu said.
Finally, DE Warren Sapp was asked if he saw the Bucs season going up in smoke. "It was a big fire, wasn't it?" he said. "It was a big fire!"
This time, really a new day in Tampa Bay The last time the Bears had a chance to spoil the great expectations of a Bucs home opener, they did. The Sept. 17, 1995, meeting was the first home game for a team with a new owner (Malcolm Glazer), a new slogan ("It's a new day in Tampa Bay") and a 1-1 start. Like Sunday's game, it was a sellout.
|
|
|
| |
| |
|