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The defense shines but the offense sputters in a 7-6 loss to the Browns.
By RICK STROUD
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 19, 2001
CLEVELAND -- If you are charting the Bucs' progress, it's safe to say they have almost made it all the way back to last year.
You can believe in the mighty defense that can force turnovers. Put your faith in the All-Pro placekicker who connected on a field goal from just outside Akron.
Just don't trust the offense, which still hasn't penetrated the red zone, let alone the end zone, this preseason.
Martin Gramatica kicked a career-high 58-yard field goal and had another from 43 yards. Unfortunately, that was all the points the Bucs could muster behind free-agent quarterback Brad Johnson in a 7-6 loss Saturday night to the Browns.
"I think after last week's performance, we just wanted to line up right," Johnson said. "So we did better from that standpoint. Obviously we'd like to score some points. But we're going to score a lot of points this season. It just didn't quite go as well as we wanted it to."
To make matters worse, the offense lost Pro Bowl center Jeff Christy from 4-6 weeks with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He was injured on Gramatica's 58-yard field goal and will be replaced by third-year pro Todd Washington.
"It certainly doesn't help," Bucs offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said of Christy's injury. "But the guy behind him has played extremely well.
"I don't think anyone is hitting the panic button. Three weeks is a long time. We'll get it going."
At least the Bucs defense atoned for its poor showing against Miami in the preseason opener by sacking Cleveland quarterback Tim Couch twice, intercepting him once and holding the Browns to 6 net yards.
But it wasn't enough to win.
"Hey, c'mon, it's the Cleveland Browns," Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. "C'mon. It's not exactly the Vikings juggernaut."
With the Bucs' first-team defense out, quarterback Kelly Holcomb threw a 1-yard touchdown to tight end Aaron Shea on fourth and goal, the final play of the first half, to provide the Browns with their only points.
The victory dropped the Bucs to 0-2 and Cleveland improved to 2-0 under new coach Butch Davis.
"Our first offense was a little sharper," Bucs coach Tony Dungy said. "Didn't punch the ball in and score, but moved it. Then when we put the second group in, we got outplayed on offense, defense and special teams and that was a little disturbing. But we'll take a look at the tape and see if we can get the corrections made and really start from here on in to focus on the guys that can go out there and perform."
Couch went 2-of-6 for 4 yards with one interception and was sacked twice. The Bucs allowed just 11 yards rushing in the first half.
It was an enormous improvement over the first week, when the Bucs' first-unit defense was thrashed for 145 yards in the first quarter.
This time, the defensive line was dominant, stopping the run and putting pressure on Couch.
Anthony McFarland and Steve White recorded sacks while defensive end Simeon Rice contained the run and pressured Couch, drawing a holding penalty.
"We were in a pretty good groove flying around and trying to make things happen," McFarland said. "When this defense does that, good things happen."
Unfortunately, the Bucs were outplayed for the second half. They were outgained by the Browns in total yards 209-148, averaging just 2.6 yards.
The Bucs took a 3-0 lead on Gramatica's 43-yard field goal with 2:23 left in the first quarter.
It was the first points of the preseason for the Bucs under Johnson, who went 7-of-13 passing for 43 yards. Most of it came on a 21-yard strike to Reidel Anthony for a first down at the Browns 31.
But the Bucs failed to do anything from there. "It's an improvement from where we were last week," Johnson said. "We are just a tad off though. But it's the little things that we have to improve on."
That was supposed to be all for Johnson and the Bucs' first-unit offense, which had participated in 18 plays.
But safety Dexter Jackson intercepted a pass from Couch that was tipped by receiver Kevin Johnson at the Browns 41-yard line.
Johnson re-entered the game, but the Bucs could manage only 1 yard in three plays.
At least that gave Gramatica, whose NFL career-high field goal had been a 55-yarder, a chance to kick a 58-yarder that cleared the crossbar by several feet.
Holcomb's touchdown pass came as the result of two costly mistakes by Tampa Bay.
The Bucs had forced Cleveland to punt, but were called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on special-teams coach Joe Marciano for interfering with the side judge.
"We had a penalty on on the coaches this week, so we'll definitely get that corrected," Dungy said. "The official ran into one of our guys and we've got to stay back. If you don't stay back, you get penalized."
Jackson appeared to have ended the threat a few plays later when he intercepted Holcomb and returned it to the Cleveland 20.
But offsetting penalties, including illegal contact on Bucs safety David Gibson, nullified the interception.