The Bucs defensive players are named to the Pro Bowl's NFC team.
By JOANNE KORTH
Published December 19, 2003
TAMPA - The Bucs defense had some uncharacteristic lapses this season, but it still has star power.
Linebacker Derrick Brooks, end Simeon Rice and tackle Warren Sapp were named to the NFC Pro Bowl team Thursday.
"Every year you say you want to be one of the best or the best at your position," Brooks said. "... By doing that you help the team be the best the team can be. It's truly an honor to go over there and play. It never gets old to me."
Cornerback Ronde Barber is a first alternate, receiver Keenan McCardell and punter Tom Tupa second alternates.
Among those not selected were quarterback Brad Johnson, who has a team-record-tying 22 touchdown passes, and strong safety John Lynch, selected to five of the past six Pro Bowls but hampered this season by a shoulder injury.
"We're proud of the men that were selected - great achievement," coach Jon Gruden said. "Obviously, you feel that there's others that should be named to the Pro Bowl. But we're happy for the guys who got selected and hopefully next year we can have a lot more guys participate in that game."
Brooks and Sapp will make their seventh consecutive appearances, surpassing Lee Roy Selmon's franchise records for total and consecutive appearances of six (1979-84). Rice will make his third appearance, second with the Bucs.
All three finished first at their positions in NFC voting by fans. The NFL is the only pro league to combine the vote of fans, coaches and players in selecting its all-stars, with each counting one-third.
The Bucs defense, which surrendered late scores in six of seven losses, remains the league's stingiest in points allowed (14.4) and ranks third in total defense (275.4 yards per game).
"Not just our defense, but our team has been through a lot," said Brooks, last season's NFL defensive player of the year. "We didn't finish off some games early in the season as we should have, but we're still ranked very high as one of the best in the league."
Brooks, a ninth-year pro, leads the Bucs with 136 tackles and has three forced fumbles, two interceptions and one sack. He returned an interception for a touchdown in a victory against the Redskins.
Rice, an eighth-year pro, leads the league with 15 sacks. He also has a team-high six forced fumbles and leads the defensive line with 55 tackles.
"I expected it," Rice said of the selection. "But it's still a privilege to be voted for, for guys to think that much of you to pick you for an honor such as this one."
Sapp, a ninth-year pro, is second on the team with five sacks and three tackles for loss. In 13 games, he has 48 tackles and two forced fumbles. He also has four catches, including two touchdowns, as a tight end.
"Seven straight Pro Bowls - that says a lot about our team and what kind of defense we play around here," Sapp told the Associated Press.
While Brooks, Rice and Sapp have established reputations, Rice said including fans in the voting process might work against a player such as McCardell, who performs on the field but does not draw attention to himself in the media.
"Fans only know what they see on television," Rice said. "If you're a hard-working, hard-nosed guy who plays week to week and doesn't make a lot of press for yourself, you go about your business in quiet and stealth but your numbers rank among the best in the league, then (it might not help)."
NFC receivers selected ahead of McCardell, who reached 1,000 yards for the fifth time in his career, were the Vikings' Randy Moss, the Rams' Torry Holt, the 49ers' Terrell Owens and the Cardinals' Anquan Boldin, five catches shy of the rookie record of 90 by Terry Glenn in 1996. The Panthers' Steve Smith is first alternate.
McCardell has a team-high 77 catches for 1,049 yards and seven touchdowns.
"(That's) pretty flashy, if you ask me," Gruden said. "I'm sure the men that were selected also distinguished themselves. I'm not an expert on who's had what kind of year. Certainly, in my opinion, Keenan has had a Pro Bowl-type season."
McCardell has made critical receptions for the Bucs, including an acrobatic, one-handed catch in the end zone Nov.9 against the Panthers. Several times, McCardell scored late, tying or go-ahead touchdowns, but the games all were lost.
"My attention is going to be brought to me on the field when I make plays," McCardell said. "And that's all I did this year, make plays. I just go about my business."
Barber, a Pro Bowl player in 2001, has two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown against the Colts, and a career-best 100 tackles, three shy of the team record for a cornerback set by Jeris White in 1978. Tupa, a Pro Bowl punter in 1999 with the Jets, ranks third in the NFC with a 43.6-yard average.
