Columns

Aging Bucs defense gets younger, but that doesn't mean better

By JOHN ROMANO
Published August 2, 2007

LAKE BUENA VISTA - The moment was late in arriving. Successfully delayed by more years than anyone had a right to expect.

And now that it has finally appeared, you understand it is what Tampa Bay has both needed and feared.

For the first time in close to a decade, the Buccaneers defense is growing younger. There are players with more days ahead of them than memories behind.

Oh, there have been changes through the years. You might recall Anthony McFarland once replaced Brad Culpepper, and Brian Kelly took over for Donnie Abraham. Change is a constant in the NFL, and not even this defense was immune.

But now, for the first time, the Bucs will begin a season with less than half of the starters from their Super Bowl defense of 2002. And, for the first time since 2000, the average age of the defensive starters will grow younger from one year to the next.

If it isn't closing the book on Tampa Bay's past, it is at least beginning a new chapter.

"I don't know about this changing of the guard stuff," defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said, sitting in a golf cart after a recent practice. "But I do know I didn't come back here to go a dang 4-12 again, and not play good defense, I'll tell you that."

So, bottom line, is this a happy development in Tampa Bay? Absolutely not.

Who wouldn't want to see Simeon Rice chasing quarterbacks or Shelton Quarles leveling running backs? For that matter, who doesn't wonder how Warren Sapp or John Lynch might look today in Bucs colors?

But is this a necessary development? Regrettably so.

This defense may have terrorized the NFL longer than any other, but it was aging. And it was slipping. It had gone too long without fresh blood and too far on weary legs.

The pass rush was lacking, the run defense had troublesome moments and the secondary was no longer making big plays seem routine.

The last big-name free agent brought in on defense had been Rice in 2001. The last first-round draft pick had been McFarland in '99.

When the Bucs defense was among the best in the league, the status quo was all you ever wanted. Sure, there were a few hiccups along the way, but the defense could usually stand proud by the end of the day.

Last year, that was no longer true. And it was apparent that it was likely to get worse unless changes were made.

"When you start a game, the guy across from you isn't asking how old you are," Kiffin said. "It doesn't matter to me. I'm not here to sing happy birthday. I just need to know if you can play. That's the only thing that matters."

It is painful to see an athlete age. To see him grow less confident and relevant, before eventually fading from view.

The decline can show up in a number of ways. A player is not the same at crucial moments. He is a step slower. His body breaks down more often, and takes longer to heal.

The Bucs have seen it all. Some players have been better than others in putting it off, but growing old is a game's one inevitability.

So, right or wrong, Lynch and Sapp left after 2003. McFarland departed during 2006, and Rice and Quarles followed in the off-season.

The Bucs threw millions at Cato June, 27, to add speed to the linebacking corps, and used a first-round pick on Gaines Adams, 24, to beef up the pass rush. Barrett Ruud, 24, is getting a chance to replace Quarles, and Jovan Haye, 25, could end up at under tackle. Changes in the secondary are not imminent, but are not far behind.

In each case, the Bucs will be younger and, possibly, quicker. But, alas, that does not guarantee they'll be better.

"I liked the players we've had here. I would have them here forever if I could," Kiffin said. "But you do have to move on, and you're going to lose some of those good ones. Then you have to hope the rookies are ready to step up. We do have a good rookie class, but it's a question of how soon are they ready to play."

For Tampa Bay's sake, they had better be ready to play now, because the alternatives have all left town.

John Romano can be reached at romano@sptimes.com or 727 893-8811.

[Last modified August 2, 2007, 07:53:16]