Welcome to the sack club, guys

By JOANNE KORTH and STEPHEN F. HOLDER, Times Staff Writers
Published September 17, 2007

Bucs defensive end Greg White flies on top of Saints running back Aaron Stecker as he is taken down by Ronde Barber in the second.
	[James Borchuck | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Brendan Fitterer | Times] Jovan Haye sacks Drew Brees in the third quarter

TAMPA - The Bucs defensive line got much-need pressure on Saints quarterback Drew Brees in Sunday's victory against the Saints, and it came from unlikely sources.

Greg White and Jovan Haye.

White was credited with one sack and two hurries, Haye with one sack and one hurry. It was the first career sack for each.

A year ago, White was in the Arena League and Haye was on the Cleveland practice squad. Haye is now the starter at undertackle, the position Warren Sapp played, and White is a key reserve able to play tackle or end depending on the formation.

Orlando Predators coach Jay Gruden, brother of Bucs coach Jon Gruden, recommended White, who signed with the team one week into training camp. White is a natural pass rusher, but must adjust to 11-man, outdoor football. Conditioning and learning the Bucs' defensive alignments are his biggest challenges.

"In the Arena League, it's see ball, get ball. That's it," said White, the Arena League's defensive MVP last season. "When I was trying to learn these plays and go full-speed at the same time, practices were tough."

White, 28, has spent time on the practice squads of four other NFL teams and played in NFL Europe. He played two seasons in the AFL before finally making the Bucs roster.

"Everybody probably said, 'Oh, he's from the Arena League,' " veteran end Greg Spires said. "But that guy showed that he can play on this level."

GAME BALL FOR GLAZER: Owner Malcolm Glazer attended his first game since sustaining a pair of strokes in the spring of 2006, watching from the family's private suite.

The state of his health remains unknown. Team security barred reporters from having any interaction with Glazer, who is believed to be in poor health. He left in a vehicle with dark tinted windows, preventing any view of the inside.

His presence was acknowledged by the team.

"I'm going to (go) up and say hello to him," Gruden said. "It's been a long time since I've seen him. I've told our players and I want them to understand, we've got the best facility in the league. ...The stadium, and what he has done from a visionary standpoint with his family, is something that we should all understand. While he's here today, we give him a game ball."

TICKETS, TICKETS: A handful of tickets remained Sunday morning, and some upper deck rows were unoccupied well into the game, raising questions about the team's claim that more than 100,000 are on a waiting list for season tickets.

A team spokesman said the tickets were extras that weren't used by the Saints or tickets retained by the team for department heads to distribute.

But the team took out newspaper and radio advertisements Sunday, offering individual tickets for all remaining home games. A check of Ticketmaster Sunday night showed numerous tickets remaining for next week's Rams game, which the team also said could be the result of unused tickets.

The team said season tickets and individual tickets come from two pools, and that they limit the number of season tickets the team sells.

INJURY REPORT: The Bucs did not report any injuries during the game.

[Last modified September 16, 2007, 21:35:35]