Bucs defense: 'We've got that swagger back'

After playing last year with injuries, the Bucs' Sapp and Brooks are healthy and ready to dominate opponents.

By ROGER MILLS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 7, 2002

[Times photo: Toni L. Sandys] Teammates say there is a different attitude on defense now that Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp are healthy again.

TAMPA -- They both had All-Pro performances: defensive tackle Warren Sapp against the Rams, linebacker Derrick Brooks against the Ravens.

Not surprisingly, they both made the Pro Bowl.

Little happened last season to diminish the status of Sapp and Brooks as two of the NFL's elite.

But for most of last season, neither Sapp nor Brooks was himself. Both played every game but were hurt.

Sapp was bothered by a rotator cuff injury in his left shoulder sustained during the preseason. Brooks sprained his left foot against the Packers in the third game.

Now they are healthy and ready to lead the team with the pizazz and productivity that had become their staple.

"Most definitely they're back, and guys have a different attitude," defensive tackle Anthony McFarland said. "It's not to say we had a bad attitude, but you can always tell when a guy is hurt. We have guys who are going to play through it, but when a guy is 100 percent, you can tell. We can tell now. We've got that swagger back. It's there."

That swagger is an intangible element that leaders bring and that statistical sheets overlook. With Sapp and Brooks healthy, the Bucs defense, which remains the identity of the team, can dominate games the way it did in the past. Both players can resume raising cane against opposing offenses. Both players, roommates on the road, can reassert their will over offensive coordinators trying to break them down.

"These two guys are perennial Pro Bowlers and our top players," defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said. "Even though they played, they played hurt and there was a difference. They are both very explosive players, impact players, and so it's nice to see them back."

Up front, the first line of defense begins with Sapp. Now entering his eighth season, Sapp, 29, isn't likely to forget the struggles of his seventh.

Statistically, it wasn't the type of year a player considered the best at his position would have wanted. Sapp's six sacks were his lowest since his rookie season (1995), and his 53 tackles were the fewest since the 1996 season. Without him, the defense was missing a critical ingredient.

"Warren is what we call a three-technique player, under tackle and he flips from side to side and that's very important to this scheme," Kiffin said. "When we came here we knew the minute we took this job that Warren was going to be that guy. We knew he was going to be a crucial part of our defensive scheme."

Sapp knew that too, and although the bad shoulder limited his strength and likely hampered what he could do in the trenches, he wasn't going to miss games or agree to surgery until after the season. And he certainly wasn't going to do it with Brooks also hurt.

So he played on. Shortly after the Super Bowl he shaved off his signature corn rows and had surgery.

"Let me tell you, in this league nothing's comfortable, but to be healthy is real, real comforting," said Sapp, whose shaved head is symbolic of a fresh start. "Because you know you can do almost anything on the field and it's a matter of going out and getting things done."

For Brooks, a speed linebacker whose responsibility is to roam underneath and close on the ball, a foot sprain could have been the kiss of death. There were times when his instincts were obvious and times when his ability was outstanding. But there also were times when one of the game's quickest linebackers was lacking that explosive first step.

That, too, was problematic for the Bucs.

"In Brooks' case, we play a lot of zone and he's the underneath cover and that means he has to use his quickness. It's so important to the functioning of our defense," Kiffin said. "He's a speed guy. We talk all the time about playing fast on defense. I like speed any day over size. I don't care how tall a guy is or how much he weighs, but I'll take his speed."

For Brooks, 29, the offseason didn't require surgery, just comprehensive rehabilitation and rest. And on the eve of the opener, he couldn't be more ready.

"I can tell by the way I feel on the field, the way I'm breaking to the ball," said Brooks, who finished last season with 165 tackles, his lowest in five seasons. "Quickly, your confidence is there knowing that the plays you were making (once) you can still make.

"Last year, the thing was to play through it and try not to complain. This year, we are healthy and we must make sure we continue to put our stamp on this league and on this team. I think that's what we're doing right now. Not saying a lot, just going out performing and I think it'll show on Sunday."

Sapp sounds eerily similar.

"Our two best players are back to where they should be and it should bode well for us," Sapp said. "But we have to go do it. That's the most important. This is a show-me game, so we'll see what Sunday at 4 o'clock will do for us."

If anything, the mere knowledge that they are both healthy has rippled through the locker room.

"We're feeding off of them in a different way," McFarland said. "Last year, you fed off of them because they were injured and they were playing on their injuries. Now, they're back at full speed, making the plays that nobody thought they could make, making the plays that make you go, 'Wow!' You look at that and feed off of that."

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