Cause no one says it quite like Bucs defensive end Simeon Rice:
"My motivation right now is knowing the position I'm in, knowing my team is 0-3, knowing I haven't had a stellar performance. That's my motivation and I don't run from it."
47 FOREVER?
Raymond James Stadium likely will be filled with No. 47 jerseys today as fans pay tribute to safety John Lynch, who wore that number for 11 seasons with Tampa Bay. Lynch, in his first season with the Broncos, returns to face his former team.
"I know there were a lot of clearance sales when I left, so there could be a lot out there," Lynch said.
In 28 seasons, the franchise has retired only one jersey: the No. 63 of Hall of Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon, whom the Bucs drafted No. 1 overall in 1976. But how strange would it be to see someone other than Lynch wear 47 for the Bucs?
A 99 other than Warren Sapp?
A 55 other than Derrick Brooks?
For a few short days in April, one month after Lynch was released, fullback Darian Barnes had the misfortune to be assigned jersey No. 47. He accepted only after being told the number would otherwise go to a rookie. Fans saw the roster on the Bucs' Web site and logged their disapproval. Barnes, who was later traded, quickly switched to No. 46.
No one on the Bucs roster currently wears No. 47.
"Right now, nobody in that locker room would want to put it on," safety Jermaine Phillips said. "Nobody wants to put that on. They respect it. They know what John has meant to this team and his legacy here."
ONE EXCEPTION
Bucs safety John Howell donned a No. 47 jersey last week - a black mesh one - to pose as Lynch on the "look squad." He certainly turned heads. "The offense has to get used to the numbers of the safeties rolling down," Howell said. "You've got No. 28 Kenoy Kennedy and No. 47 John Lynch. I said, "Well, give me Lynch.' "
OLD FRIENDS
For several seasons, Lynch and Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson were travel companions. They were roommates on the road and drove to the stadium together for home games.
Mischief typically ensued.
"We used to have a little ritual," Lynch said. "If I saw a Brad Johnson jersey we'd roll down the window and I'd say, "Brad Johnson s--,' and people would turn. And if he saw a 47 jersey, he'd do the same. So we used to get a lot of fingers on the way to the game thinking we were the opposing crowd."
Cooped up in a hotel room with little to do, the two read one another's media guide bios aloud to get psyched up for games. They also debated who was the better athlete or bigger hometown hero: Lynch, who grew up in San Diego, or Johnson, from rural North Carolina.
"I think he only had 10 people in his town," Lynch said. "I had a little more competition. It's tough to compare yourself to Black Mountain, North Carolina."
QUOTABLE
"John is one of those players you have to account for on the field because he is such a ferocious hitter." - Bucs receiver Tim Brown on Lynch
