Catching a break
Rick Stroud, The St.Petersburg Times, published 19 October 1998

It is now clear exactly how much Trent Dilfer missed injured receiver Bert Emanuel. By about 6 yards. He was closer to Dave Moore - but still sailed the ball 3 feet over the head of the 6-2 tight end, who was as open as a 24-hour convenience store. For much of Sunday's game against Carolina, Dilfer seemed to be working out of a different playbook, to say nothing of not being on the same page as his receivers. But just when you thought he had thrown the game away, Dilfer did not fail the Bucs.

Dilfer ran for a score and completed a 29-yard pass to Karl Williams for the winning touchdown in the final five minutes to lead the Bucs to an improbable 16-13 victory over the Panthers at Raymond James Stadium. "We needed it and I think he needed it," Bucs coach Tony Dungy said of Dilfer's TD pass with 1:39 left. "He knows he's our quarterback, he knows I'm going to stick behind him. But it's tough when you're not producing and things are just a little bit off. I think he needed a big play and it was a good time to get it."

For the longest time, the Bucs looked like a team struggling to overcome its expectations. And linebacker Hardy Nickerson's expectorations. And just to add some drama, the victory wasn't secured until John Kasay missed a 47-yard field goal wide left with five seconds remaining. It was the second straight win for the Bucs, giving them sole possession of third place in the NFC Central with a 3-3 record. Carolina remained winless at 0-6.

After the winning TD pass, Dilfer dropped to his knees, put his head on the turf and pounded it with both hands. Then defensive tackle Warren Sapp wrapped him in a bear hug. "Nothing had to be said," Sapp said. "That was his job to put it on the money and he oh, my God. That's what we expect of him. We gave him the weapons out there to put it on the money, and he put it on the money and gave us the win. What can you say?"

Linebacker Derrick Brooks didn't mind playing a little extra defense for Dilfer after the game. "It's that up-and-down relationship he has with our fans," Brooks said. "It was very disappointing to hear them boo him. Trent doesn't go out and try to overthrow receivers. But people pay big money and they want to see our offense light the scoreboard up. I just feel for him and I support him."

One controversial play went the Bucs' way and changed the outcome of the game. With the Panthers sitting on a 13-10 lead with under three minutes remaining, running back Anthony Johnson took a pass on third and 9 at his 25 and was stripped of the ball by linebacker Derrick Brooks.

Cornerback Anthony Parker appeared to have recovered, but he was pulled off the ball by defensive end Tyoka Jackson, who tried to help him up. Panthers receiver Muhsin Muhammad ultimately recovered the football. Officials ruled Parker had possession and fumbled, giving the Panthers a first down and essentially the victory since the Bucs had only one timeout and the two-minute warning.

But the ruling was reversed, forcing the Panthers to punt. "I couldn't believe it at first," Parker said. "It was a bad call and what was going through my mind was 'The game is over. They're just going to kill the clock at this point.' I was relieved. I couldn't believe they changed the call."

The Bucs needed more help to reach the end zone. Facing third and 16 at the Panthers' 49, Dilfer threw to Emanuel. After the Bucs veteran campaigned for six seconds, side judge Ken Baker flagged cornerback Rod Smith 20 yards for pass interference. "You could see him reaching for (the flag)," Dilfer said of Baker. "He kept missing. I was saying, 'C'mon, pull it out.' "

On the next play, Dilfer pulled out the victory, lofting a pass over Smith to Williams in the right corner of the end zone. Although Dilfer was 21-for-31 for a season-high 219 yards, it was the throws he didn't make that brought boos from the 63,600. Dilfer badly overthrew Moore and the 5-10 Emanuel, who had run behind the defense and were open for scores in the first half.

"I think the wind might have had something to do with (the throw to Emanuel)," Dilfer said. "When it left my hand, it felt like six. Scott Milanovich told me it went 3 feet over his head. Obviously, it wasn't a good throw, but it felt like it was when I threw it. I've watched games every week and John Elway, one of the greatest quarterbacks who ever lived, he'll miss four or five a game."

But mistakes plague Dilfer. He fum-bled a snap from center Tony Mayberry on third and 7 from the Carolina 8 to kill a promising second-quarter drive, his fifthlost fumble of the season. And he was intercepted by cornerback Doug Evans on the Bucs' first possession of the second half, giving the Panthers the ball at the Tampa Bay 41 and setting up their only touchdown, a 1-yard run by Fred Lane for a 13-3 lead.

"This team believes in me, and that's all that matters now," Dilfer said. "It's gotten to the point now where I'm almost feeding off the negative stuff. It's ridiculous, that's life and I'll deal with it. I believe in my coaches, I believe in my teammates and I believe in myself. I felt when I let the ball go we had a chance for a touchdown."

Despite the win, there was some ugliness and injury: For the second straight season, Nickerson spit at fullback William Floyd. In the 1997 opener against the 49ers, Nickerson was not penalized. Sunday, he cost the Bucs 15 yards, giving Carolina a first down at Tampa Bay's 17. "He spit on me," Floyd said. "That's the second year in a row he's spit on me and I'm going to see his a - -."

The Bucs will be without cornerback Donnie Abraham, who started 34 straight games, for 4-5 weeks after he sprained a knee in the fourth quarter. The offense has not scored a touchdown in the first half. Its 53 points in the fourth quarter are more than in the other three combined. Michael Husted missed a PAT that gave the Panthers a chance to win or force overtime, then an offsides penalty on the next series moved the Panthers' Kasay 5 yards closer before his 47-yard field-goal try sailed left. "We made it a little more exciting than we wanted to and probably didn't play as well as we would've liked," Dungy said. "But a win is a win and I feel very good for our guys hanging in there."