In their face

Kiffin is on a one-man mission to re-energize the Bucs defense.

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER, Times Staff Writer
Published September 7, 2007

After a disappointing 2006 season, which saw a typically stingy Tampa Bay defensive unit fall to the 17th-ranked defense in the NFL, Monte Kiffin has responded with a tougher preseason that brings accountability to both players and coaches.
	[Brian Cassella | Times]

TAMPA

The fire inside Monte Kiffin has not stopped raging. Even at 67, his intensity rubs off on players a third his age.

You can see it on the field, where the Bucs defensive coordinator is a ball of relentless energy. Players see it in the meeting room, where Kiffin is renowned for fire-and-brimstone messages.

But Kiffin admittedly has let some things slide over the years. After leading one of the league's stingiest defenses, which finished in the top 10 for nine consecutive dominant seasons, who wouldn't let his guard down at least a little?

"I've told the players, 'Man, you set the bar too high,'" Kiffin joked this week while taking a break from intense preparations for Sunday's season opener. "They've spoiled everybody around here. But you have to live up to it."

The 17th-ranked 2006 unit did not. And the fallout is a refocusing, starting with the man who calls the shots.

"He's responded for sure," linebacker Derrick Brooks said of Kiffin. "He turned the notch up on accountability. He's coaching a lot tougher than usual. He's bringing up all those little things that we've let slip up. It might be something you know you can get corrected, but to him, right now it's a real big, big deal."

As cornerback Ronde Barber noted, this isn't the defense of 2002, a veteran-laden group that practically coached itself. The defense that lines up in Seattle could have six new starters. All the transition and the less-than-stellar results have made it imperative to get back to basics.

"You have to do that," Kiffin said. "You have to make sure you get the players channeled the right way. When you have a veteran group, it's very simple to say, 'They know it.' But what I've told them is the three most dangerous words is, 'I've got it.' You don't got it yet. You never really do because offenses are always coming at you. I think it goes back to zeroing in on the details."

Even Brooks, 34, the franchise-record 10-time Pro Bowl player, has been given the message.

"We didn't just ignore last year," he said. "Kiffin and I talked about it, but we talked about how we planned to get better. He challenged me during the offseason about things he wanted me to concentrate on."

Brooks said the emphasis on accountability was addressed among assistants and has "made its way down to the players," who in turn have seen Kiffin take a more active role in preparations.

"I think he was much more involved (during the offseason) in what was going on, making sure each position was being taught the right things," defensive end Greg Spires said.

Kiffin, entering his 12th season with Tampa Bay, demanded increased performance from his coaches, and played a leading role in the dismissal of line coach Jethro Franklin and secondary coach Greg Burns in February.

He "had some definite issues with some of the personnel decisions that were made here ... , " Barber said. "He felt like we needed to get better in that area, and we feel like we did."

To Kiffin, the standard must be met. And what is that standard?

"Hustle, get off the ball, start fast, maintain. That's what he wants on every play," Spires said.

"Nothing less."

Stephen F. Holder can be reached at sholder@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3377.

[Last modified September 6, 2007, 22:43:50]