The starting cornerback's injury in Week 5 last season was a key factor in the defense's demise.
By JOANNE KORTH
Published August 10, 2004
LAKE BUENA VISTA - Safety Dwight Smith just shook his head. So did corner Ronde Barber. So did defensive backs coach Mike Tomlin when asked what, precisely, the Bucs lost last season when the muscle in Brian Kelly's chest tore.
"Brian Kelly, just that," Tomlin said.
The Bucs' season unraveled slowly, but much of the undoing can be traced to the Monday night of Week 5 when Kelly's left pectoral muscle ripped against Indianapolis. Two weeks later, Kelly was on injured reserve and the secondary was in tatters.
"I think he was our biggest loss last year," Barber said. "It disrupted everything we had going on. We had guys who weren't ready to step up and try to play, and they didn't get the job done. Now he's 100 percent, and he's what we need in the secondary."
Kelly, a seven-year pro, is a physical, bump-and-run presence on the left side of a defense determined to rebound from an embarrassing 2003 in which it surrendered several winning drives in the fourth quarter. The Colts, Panthers, Packers and Jaguars all picked on second-year backup corner Tim Wansley in come-from-behind victories.
"We lost our best one-on-one defender," said Smith, who moved back and forth between safety and corner to help fill the void. "When you lose that, it's big."
Kelly tried to play through the injury, but he was unable to lift his left arm above the shoulder. He lasted one play against the 49ers and was put on IR on Oct.21. He had surgery to repair the torn muscle.
"It was hard to watch your teammates and know that at crucial parts of the game, if I was in there, it could have had a different effect," Kelly said. "When teams start throwing the ball in the fourth quarter and it's third and short and they start attacking positions where we're vulnerable, it's tough to watch."
Now, when opponents send their best receiver to the right side of the formation, as most do, Kelly will be waiting. Wansley is no longer with the team, and the Bucs addressed their lack of depth by signing free agent Mario Edwards, a fifth-year player who started the past three seasons for the Cowboys.
"Your depth at corner is so important in the NFL," defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said. "I'm just telling you because every Sunday they're going to line up and throw the football and they're going to go three-wide and four-wide, so you have to match up.
"If one corner gets hurt, a top-three corner gets hurt, the fourth corner becomes the starter. The fourth tackle does not become a starter. The fourth defensive end does not become a starter. But the fourth corner becomes a starter with one injury. They'll find you. They know jersey numbers in this league."
Coach Jon Gruden finds it much more comforting to watch the secondary with Kelly's familiar No.25 back in the mix.
"He's a great corner," Gruden said. "I think he and Barber are very, very underrated. They might not get the recognition because I think there's a perception that we play nothing but Cover 2. These guys play a lot of man coverage."
Kelly, 28, had a breakout season in 2002, his first as a starter. He tied for the league lead with eight interceptions and set career highs for passes defensed (23) and tackles (78) on the NFL's top-ranked defense and Super Bowl champion. Tomlin expects a healthy Kelly to do more than pick up where he left off.
"He's better," Tomlin said. "Brian is having a heck of a camp. He's a little edgy, and for good reason. He's a guy who loves to play football and that was taken away from him, so he's got a little edge to him. But at the same time he's using that energy for good. He's focusing on techniques. He's preparing himself to be a technically sound football player, and if he continues to do that, he's going to have a great football year."
Kelly, 5 feet 11, 193 pounds, said he usually sets goals for himself at the end of training camp, but expects this season's will be higher than ever. He grinned at the suggestion 10 interceptions might be within reach.
"Maybe," said Kelly, a second-round draft pick in 1998 out of Southern Cal.
He was less amused at the notion that he and Barber, an eighth-year player who starts on the right side and plays the slot in the nickel package, are underrated by league analysts.
"By whose standards?" Kelly said. "We look at ourselves as the best. We go out there to prove we're the best. We can't control other people's thoughts. We just put it out on the field and the film talks. Maybe we're not rated as high as we should be by the raters, whoever they are, but we feel comfortable about our play."
Having gone most of last season without Kelly, so do the Bucs.
