The Panthers line earlier proclaimed itself the best in the NFL. Now it has believers. Just ask the Bucs' Warren Sapp.
By RICK STROUD
Published January 31, 2004
HOUSTON - It turns out Brentson Buckner was right. The supersized Panthers defensive line is the best in the NFL.
The 32-year-old tackle made that bold pronouncement before Carolina played the Buccaneers in September, and the world champions took great offense.
But it was the Panthers who played greater defense, sweeping Tampa Bay during the regular season. With a victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII on Sunday, they can make an argument for being one of the best of all-time.
"We're the best defensive line in the NFL, point blank, by far," Buckner said again this week.
But Buckner, who continually strokes his long goatee, wasn't just trying to get the Bucs' goat this time. In fact, he found an unlikely ally in Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp, who came to media day at Reliant Stadium as a reporter for the NFL Network.
The funny thing is Sapp no longer questions the Panthers defensive line. He even picked Carolina to win it all.
"I didn't say what I said to be controversial just because most people are picking the Patriots to win," Sapp said. "I consider myself a pretty good judge of talent when it comes to defensive linemen, and the Panthers' biggest strength is their defensive line. You win the battle of the trenches, and that goes a long way toward winning the game."
In some ways, Super Bowl XXXVIII could look like an episode of Trading Spaces.
Instead of (Simeon) Rice, this year's Super Bowl watchers will be fed a steady diet of (Julius) Peppers. Mike Rucker, who led the team with 12 sacks, is the Panthers' other defensive end. And defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, who filled in for an injured Sapp in the 2003 Pro Bowl, is in position to do it Sunday in the biggest game of the season.
"He's better than Warren Sapp, and he's the most integral part of our defensive line," Buckner said. "Usually, you have guys who are categorized as run stoppers or pass rushers. He's big enough to be one of the most dominant run stoppers, but he's also athletic enough to rush the passer. So that makes him very unique."
Meanwhile, the Patriots offensive line appears overmatched.
While Carolina's front four is made up of first- and second-round picks, making gobs of money, New England's blockers are a collection of undrafted free agents and veteran castaways.
Russ Hochstein, a former practice squad player for the Bucs, replaces injured center Damien Woody and made just his second career start in the AFC Championship Game.
"I've seen Russ Hochstein block, and he can't. So this is a mismatch, plain and simple," Sapp said.
Undrafted free agent Tom Ashworth, the Pats' right tackle, will face Peppers, the second overall pick in 2002.
Quarterback Tom Brady swallowed hard before answering what impressed him most about the Panthers D-line.
"Their size, their strength, their speed," Brady said. "They have the second-most sacks in the league this year, and they are relentless. They are as tough as any defensive line we have faced. Kris Jenkins is one of the best defensive tackles in the league.
"Rucker and Peppers are two of the best ends. It is an impressive group. They're fierce. They're tough. They fight all day, and it's going to be a challenge for our offensive line. I don't think they compare to too many defensive lines we have faced. I think they have all the attributes of a great line."
New England, which has not allowed a sack in two playoff games, will spread the field and use three-step drops and quick passes to try to neutralize the rush.
But the Patriots haven't faced the likes of the Panthers, who have 10 sacks in three playoff games and 40 during the regular season.
"We will have to try to get to him in some way," Peppers said of Brady. "It will be difficult. His release is so quick. He gets the ball out so fast. It is hard to get a hit on him. We will have to do something to slow him down."
The scary thing about the Panthers is they could be dominant for many years. At 6 feet 4, 335 pounds, Jenkins is a mountain of a man Bucs fans remember blocking two kicks, including a winning extra point, in a 12-9 overtime loss. Since becoming a starter at the end of the 2001 season, Rucker has 31 sacks. Peppers, who was athletic enough to play on North Carolina's basketball team that reached the Final Four, is only 24.
"He's like the younger brother of the group," Buckner said of Peppers. "He has all the abilities, size, speed, strength. He really keeps us going because he's so funny. The guy doesn't understand how good he is. He just thinks he's doing his job."
Buckner didn't play football until the seventh grade because he was too big for the youth leagues. Now he is the old man of the group with a childish demeanor and good with a quote.
He made the Bucs' bulletin board this season. But nobody disputes what he said anymore. "(Tampa Bay) laid the blueprint," Buckner said. "Those guys went out there and showed the world that you can win with a dominant defensive front, like in the old days. Just watching those guys play and what they meant to their team, we were like, "Hey, we want to be like those guys.' They led their team to a championship. If we do the same thing, hopefully, it can lead us to one.
"So if we go out there and win a championship, we can be mentioned with the Tampa Bays of last year, the Steel Curtain and those guys because they won a championship. That cemented them with being among the top defensive lines of all-time. You don't get that permanent stamp on you unless you win that championship."
