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Roy Cummings, The Tampa Tribune, published 11 December 2005
So what's next, a victory against the defending Super Bowl champs in frigid New England? Why not? This is fast turning into a season in which the Bucs demolish a lot of old demons.
There was that victory earlier in the year at Green Bay, where the Bucs hadn't won in 20 years. Then Sunday they put together a 20-10 victory against the Panthers, whom they hadn't beaten in five tries anywhere, to complete a sweep of their division road games for the first time since 1979.
Suddenly, for a team that is still in the process of rebuilding its offense and was considered by many to be an improbable playoff participant, nothing seems impossible - least of all a playoff berth. At 9-4 and tied with Carolina for the lead in the NFC South, the Bucs seem likely to reach the postseason. "After two years of depending on a lot of ifs, ands and buts, it's refreshing to be in control of our destiny," linebacker Derrick Brooks said of a team that will go to New England (8-5) on Saturday tied for the second-best record in the NFC.
"We've come a long way since last season, when were pretty much down and out," receiver Michael Clayton said. "Right now everybody is bright-eyed and there's a whole new atmosphere here. Everybody is revived."
Victories such as the one the Bucs posted at Bank of America Stadium will do that. Based on the history of the series and the dominating manner in which the Panthers have played lately, few gave the Bucs much of a chance. And for a while it looked as though the pundits would be proved correct. After all, the Panthers needed just four plays to gain 51 yards before many in the crowd had even taken their seats.
However, over the next three plays the Bucs defense stiffened and when John Kasay pushed his 43-yard field-goal attempt wide left, a tone was set.
"They were pretty efficient there, but the bottom line was we came out and held them," cornerback Brian Kelly said. "I think that helped us the rest of the day. From then on we pretty much did what we wanted to do."
There's no denying the Bucs held some kind of an edge after that. After gaining 53 yards on that first drive, the Panthers were held to just 25 yards the rest of the opening half.
Thanks to one big pass play of 60 yards to Steve Smith and a 23-yard run by Stephen Davis, the Panthers racked up 198 yards and two scores in the second half, but the only touchdown came well after the game had been decided. "The key was we didn't panic after that first drive," nose tackle Chris Hovan said. "We settled down and got back to doing what we do well, which is hit low and stay in our gaps. And when we had a chance to make a play, we made it."
Cornerback Ronde Barber made what may have been the biggest play. With the Bucs holding a 13-3 lead and the Panthers driving in the fourth quarter, he stepped in front of Ricky Proehl and picked off a Jake Delhomme pass at the Tampa Bay 7 and returned it 35 yards. The interception was Barber's fourth in two games (he had three against New Orleans last week), but it was the sack of Delhomme that he recorded one series later that stood out.
That sack made Barber the first cornerback in NFL history to record 20 interceptions and 20 sacks in a career. Previously, the feat had been achieved by four linebackers and two safeties. "I told Ronde as soon as he broke that record that it would stand for a long time," Jon Gruden said. "That's a big accomplishment, and you have to tip your hat to him."
Barber wasn't the only Bucs defensive back whom players and coaches were acknowledging late Sunday. Safety Will Allen earned some accolades as well for a powerful hit he laid on Smith in the second quarter. Colliding with Smith just as he was attempting to make a catch, Allen temporarily knocked the Panthers' top receiver out of the game.
The Bucs believe that one of the reasons Carolina had beaten them in each of their five previous meetings was because the Panthers had played with far more aggression, so one of their objectives was to make sure they took the edge in terms of physical play. Allen's hit clearly gave them that edge at a time when the game's outcome was still undecided. "We talked about it all week," defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said of the need to play more physically. "We felt like we had be tougher and those guys really came through. They were really hitting."
The Panthers delivered a few hits of their own, but with linemen Mike Rucker and Kris Jenkins out with injuries, their defense was nowhere near as devastating as it has been in the past.
Chris Simms, who was sacked five times the first time these two teams met this year, was sacked just once Sunday. Afterward, he couldn't even remember being hit very often.
"I feel like I got out of there pretty much unscathed," Simms said. "The offensive line did a great job of protecting me, and Coach [Gruden] did a good job of calling plays that allowed me to get rid of the ball quickly."
Simms didn't just deliver the ball quickly, he delivered it accurately. Though the yardage he gained was modest - just 138 yards - he completed 20 of 27 throws, including seven of 10 on third down. Simms also avoided the critical kind of mistake he made during the last meeting with Carolina, when a pass he threw out to the flat was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.
It helped that the Bucs had their running game going, unlike the last time they played Carolina (44 yards rushing). On Sunday, the Bucs rushed for 114 yards, including 112 by Cadillac Williams. "We just played a steady game, didn't make any mistakes," Simms said. "The offensive line was unbelievable with the pass protection and running the ball and when you have [Williams] running the way he is, we're tough to beat."
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