Bucs/NFL

Ravens bully Bucs on first drive

Baltimore grinds out a 9-minute, 16-second touchdown drive that saps the swagger from the defense.

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published September 11, 2006

	[Times photo: Carrie Pratt]
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TAMPA - It lasted 9 minutes, 16 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. It covered 80 yards, but it seemed like 80 miles. It featured five first downs, but it may as well have been twice that.

As the Ravens started Sunday's season opener with a systematic drive down the Bucs' collective throats, it became clear this was not what Tampa Bay had in mind. In fact, it was hard to imagine a worse way to start the 2006 campaign.

"They hit us before we hit them," defensive end Simeon Rice said. "They got off to a better start. They were ready. They were up for this game. For some reason, we were flat. And it showed."

Defensive end Greg Spires said: "That first drive was a beast. We set the tone for the whole day."

Indeed, before the Bucs offense took the field to begin its own dreadful day, the defense yielded an uncharacteristic opening drive that fueled the Ravens' confidence and had Tampa Bay on its heels. The Bucs' first offensive play came with 5:36 remaining in the first quarter.

Taking possession at their 20, the Ravens ran the ball at will, with Jamal Lewis rushing six times for 35 yards. That included his 4-yard touchdown run on the drive's 14th play. And not to be overlooked was the consistency of newly acquired veteran quarterback Steve McNair, who completed 4 of 5 passes for 43 yards, including a 15-yard strike to Derrick Mason on third and 7 from the Bucs 38.

But it wasn't just a matter of the Ravens' apparent mastery of the Bucs defense. The Bucs bore plenty of blame, from missed assignments to missed tackles. The Bucs couldn't say they were surprised with what the Ravens showed them.

"They didn't get fancy," defensive tackle Ellis Wyms said. "They just came out and went 5 yards, 6 yards, 7 yards, a run here, a pass there. But it all accumulated."

Cornerback Ronde Barber said: "They didn't do anything that we didn't expect. Just give them credit for not making mistakes."

Unlike the Bucs. The missed tackles were an issue. There were several on the first drive and more throughout the afternoon, even though the defense's play stabilized as the game wore on.

"I think tackling had a lot to do with what happened," tackle Chris Hovan said. "That's the first rule of football: no missed tackles. But you'll see it every Sunday around the league."

The key was whether the defense would allow any carryover from that first drive. There was no absolute answer, really. The Ravens finished with 271 yards but were just 5-for-14 converting third downs.

"On the first drive, they did some things on us, but after that, you didn't really see a lot except for the last seven (points)," Hovan said. "Now, there were times where we could have gotten the ball back and given (the offense) better field position. We didn't do that."

Case in point: On third and 10 from their 6 in the third quarter, the Ravens converted when McNair ran a bootleg pass, faking a handoff to Lewis and throwing a dart to tight end Dan Wilcox for a 35-yard gain. Strong safety Jermaine Phillips was sucked in by the fake, allowing Wilcox to run by him and into the soft spot in the zone defense.

Granted, that play hurt. Just not nearly as much as the first drive.

[Last modified September 11, 2006, 05:07:50]