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Moore's family grieves for cousin

By ROGER MILLS and RICK STROUD

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 18, 2001

TAMPA -- The expected news came to tight end Dave Moore and his wife, Ann Marie. Her cousin, Neil Leavy, a New York firefighter, was among the dead identified in the World Trade Center wreckage. Leavy, a member of Engine 217, was among those responding to the terrorist attack when one of the towers collapsed. Leavy's body was found Sunday.

"They found him, another guy and a helmet of a third guy," Moore said Monday. "There is still one guy they haven't found, but I think they're getting close to the area where they all were."

Moore said Ann Marie was in New Jersey at the home of Leavy's parents, preparing for a combined memorial service.

"It does bring some closure," Moore said of Leavy's death. "They never had to collect any DNA or dental records. He was in good enough shape that they knew who he was. It was devastating again, to hear the news, but at least now the family can deal with it and try to move on."

Moore, who is from Morristown, N.J., and has had close family ties with the New York firefighters, said, "there are at least two more that I know who are still missing."

RIDING HIGH: The team, which returned to practice, has two weeks to prepare for its Sept. 30 game at Minnesota. That makes the opening win at Dallas even more important, offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said.

"I think you still have two weeks where you walk around and you're an undefeated team," Christensen said. "Even if it's 1-0, people's spirits are good and you get a chance to correct things feeling like a winner. It's a lot easier to correct things when you're undefeated than if you haven't won a game and things are sensitive."

Christensen said the two weeks of practice also will help quarterback Brad Johnson, who missed a week of training camp with a lacerated knee.

"I think it'll be an enormous help for him. I think it'll be really a positive for him. It gives him the two weeks of practice he missed back. And with all the players back and a game under his belt. That's enormous.

"We'll take inventory of where we are. What do we like, what don't we like, what do we want to add, what do we want to pull out?"

BACK TO THE BASICS: The team had a spirited approach to getting back on the field, and a training camp approach to practice.

"It really is (a training camp mentality) right now," coach Tony Dungy said. "We're not game planning. We're just running our basic plays and trying to improve our fundamentals and see if we can get better and more comfortable as a unit. It is a little unusual. I don't think any of us ever had 21 days between games during the season."

HEALTHY RETURNS: Veteran center Jeff Christy, who has been nursing a left knee injury since the second week of the preseason, returned.

"This was the first time I went through a full practice and it felt fine," Christy said. "I did one-on-ones, I did everything."

Added Dungy: "Jeff is pretty much set to go."

Receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who sustained a deep thigh bruise on the fifth play of the game in Dallas, also benefited from Sunday's day off and was back at practice Monday.

"He's doing fine," Dungy said. "In two weeks, he should be just great."

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