It's fight or die between the vicious rivals

The Bucs can clinch a playoff spot with a win and the Falcons are still very much in the race as well.

By RICK STROUD
Published December 23, 2005

TAMPA - Eyes gouged. Legs chop blocked from behind. A quarterback whose offensive line goes dead. A coach and general manager who don't speak. Game balls for P.R. guys.

For a Bucs-Falcons series that never had much sugar, there is more spice: Saturday's game at Raymond James Stadium carries enormous playoff implications for both teams.

"It's going to be a playoff atmosphere," Falcons quarterback Michael Vick said. "Both teams have a lot at stake."

So much that Vick doesn't like to be reminded of his 2-4 record against Tampa Bay, including a 30-27 loss in Atlanta last month in which his fumble led to the winning field goal in the final seconds, spoiling one of his better performances.

Vick abruptly ended a conference call with Tampa Bay reporters this week after less than three minutes when he was asked about his struggles against the Bucs. He has completed 49.6 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and four interceptions. Twelve of his 16 sacks against the Bucs have come in the last three games.

But Vick isn't the only one to have a hang-up in this series.

Both teams have accused the other of using dirty tactics to draw personal foul penalties. The Falcons got the worst of it in the last game after coach Jim Mora's pre-game warning to his team about the Bucs' cheap shots.

"You definitely have to be aware because they'll take shots at your legs and we pride ourselves on staying up on our feet and being able to chase the ball," Bucs defensive tackle Ellis Wyms said. "You have to be aware and watch film to see what kind of situations they like to cut you. They definitely want to get us on the ground so Warrick (Dunn) can get through. The holes are a lot easier when everybody is on the ground. But we pride ourselves on not getting cut."

Not all the bad blood has been spilled on the field. The rivalry mushroomed after general manager Rich McKay left the Bucs for the Falcons with two games remaining in the 2003 season.

That never sat well with Bucs coach Jon Gruden, who doesn't hide his contempt for McKay. However, many Tampa Bay players are caught in the middle of the divorce, like quarterback Chris Simms, who was drafted by McKay.

"I've got tremendous respect for Mr. McKay," Simms said. "He's just an extremely knowledgeable football person. He's put togther a great team up there. He helped put together a great team here. I'll always have a tremendous amount of respect for him, but I'm a little more loyal to the Bucs than to him right now."

Gruden insists he has let bygones be bygones.

"To be honest with you, there's a song by the Eagles that says get over it. Well, I've been over it a long time," Gruden said. "These players, the Falcons, have had a very good team for a long time. They were in the playoffs with Vick. I remember them beating Green Bay and winning 10 games a few years ago. They've been on the cusp for some time. I don't get into, "Gee, I remember you used to call me a dolt,' or anything like that. I don't even think about it."

Or does he? Last year, when the Falcons beat the Bucs in Atlanta, Mora handed game balls to McKay and Reggie Roberts, the Falcons vice president for communications who used to hold a similar position in Tampa Bay.

Last month, when the Bucs defeated Atlanta in the Georgia Dome, Tampa Bay officials decided to award a game ball to Jeff Kamis, the team's director of public relations.

"We gave it to him out of sarcasm," Gruden said. "How did you hear about it? That wasn't my idea. Some of our guys had an idea. That was a sarcastic gift. No offense."

In this series? None taken.

Besides, much more is at stake today. The Bucs (9-5) can clinch a playoff berth for the first time since winning the Super Bowl with a victory Saturday over the Falcons (8-5) and a combination of losses by the Cowboys, Vikings and/or Redskins. The Falcons need a win to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Both teams are trying to rebound from lopsided losses in cold weather - the Bucs lost 28-0 at New England and the Falcons fell 16-3 at Chicago.

"I think this week, at least in our minds, and I can't speak for Tampa's minds, but in our minds it's not anything other than this is a game we have to win," Mora said. "Maybe if this game wasn't so dang meaningful, some of that other stuff would slip into your thought process. But we don't have room in our brains, in our emotions, to think about anything other than to win this game. It just feels a little different than it did that first game.

"That first game felt like there was a little grudge thing going on. This one doesn't feel that way to me."

[Last modified December 23, 2005, 19:57:21]