Kelly's injury leaves big void

Recent history shows the Bucs defense struggles when the cornerback doesn't play.

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER, Times Staff Writer
Published September 15, 2007

Bucs cornerback Brian Kelly was downgraded from questionable to doubtful. According to the league definition, he has only a 25 percent chance of playing in Sunday's home opener against the Saints because of a groin injury sustained at Seattle.
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TAMPA - It was a minor change on the injury report, but the fallout could be far-reaching.

Bucs cornerback Brian Kelly was downgraded one step, from questionable to doubtfulFriday.According to the league definition, he has only a 25 percent chance of playing in Sunday's home opener against the Saints because of a groin injury sustained at Seattle.

Historically, that has been very bad news for the Bucs.

In games Kelly has missed or played sparingly because of injury the past six seasons, the Bucs are a woeful 9-18, including 4-10 last year when he missed 14 games because of foot surgery. That's not to say his absence was the lone reason for those losses, but Kelly's impact often is overlooked because he frequently makes receivers nonfactors with airtight coverage.

"You know what you're getting out of him on every play," said cornerback Ronde Barber, who starts opposite the 5-foot-11, 193-pound Kelly. "The plays that we watched from before he pulled his groin, you could see it. It's consistency; hard football. He does everything right, and he's a physical presence out there. We've missed that in the past."

No kidding.

Maybe the best example came Oct. 6, 2003, on Monday Night Football. That's when Kelly strained a pectoral muscle in the first quarter against the Colts. Little-known Tim Wansley took over, and the bottom fell out.

Peyton Manning hit Marvin Harrison for a 37-yard touchdown on Indianapolis' first drive of the second half.

And during a late 21-point comeback, the Colts got another touchdown from Harrison - a 52-yarder also at Wansley's expense. The Colts went on to win in overtime.

To this day, Harrison's 176-yard performance stands as the best by a Bucs opponent. As a point of reference, consider Harrison had 19 yards at halftime.

Kelly, who has not commented on his current injury, appeared in only one more game that season, and the Bucs finished 7-9.

Think they missed him?

"He's a shutdown corner. There's nothing else to say after that," defensive end Greg Spires said. "He brings a confidence level to this team."

Kelly, 31, plays a critical position for the Bucs. Though they typically play a zone defense, Kelly often finds himself isolated in a one-on-one matchup with premier receivers. And he plays left cornerback, which is important to remember.

"Being on that side, you get the majority of the work," Barber said. "The one year when he was down 2003, we didn't really have anyone else capable of playing on the left side, so I played the left side. That's the hot corner because most (quarterbacks) are right-handed."

If you thought you saw little-used safety Kalvin Pearson playing slot cornerback in the nickel defense last weekend, you weren't hallucinating. That's what the Bucs were left with.

"He came into the league as a corner, so he has the skills," Barber said. "But we just simply didn't have another person to put at corner. In the slot, it's a little more maneuvering in there and a little less track meet. So he went in there, and I stayed outside. We didn't want to put him in a track meet."

With Torrie Cox serving a four-game suspension, the Bucs re-signed fifth-year cornerback Sammy Davis this week. Tanard Jackson could play nickel back, but defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is reluctant to overwhelm the rookie, who spends his time mostly at safety.

Expect former first-round pick Phillip Buchanon to start for Kelly. When the Bucs go to their nickel defense, which requires a third cornerback, the drop-off begins.

"(Kelly) really played good last week after missing a whole year," Kiffin said. "But this is just part of the deal.

"We have to step up."

Very valuable cornerback

Cornerback Brian Kelly, a second-round pick in 1998, has been a major part of the Bucs' success since becoming a starter in the fifth game of 2001:

Bucs when Kelly is healthy: 37-27

Bucs when Kelly has not played or played sparingly because of injury: 9-18

[Last modified September 14, 2007, 21:46:58]