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A Tampa Bay win Sunday would drop usual Central power to a nearly insurmountable 0-3.
By RICK STROUD
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 25, 2001
TAMPA -- They watched as the Minnesota Vikings dropped their second game in a row. They watched as the sideline became a sideshow. They watched Randy Moss plant his finger into the chest of Daunte Culpepper. They watched Cris Carter bicker with coach Dennis Green.
On Sunday, they watched them lose a game to the Chicago Bears 17-10 and lose their composure.
And the more the Bucs watched, the more they couldn't wait to add to the Vikings' misery.
"We've got to take our shot at the wagon, too, while it's got wobbly wheels, and make sure we go up there and be ready to play our game," offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said. "We're going to get their best shot. They can't afford to go 0-3, and we can't afford to go up there and lose the football game."
Not only is the Vikings' 0-2 start their worst in 17 years, when Les Steckel was coach, but no team that lost its first two games has made the playoffs the past two seasons. The last team to win a division title after losing its first three was the '92 San Diego Chargers.
A win Sunday at Minnesota would give Tampa Bay (1-0) at least a share of first place in the NFC Central. Considering that the Vikings have won the division two of the past three seasons, knocking them out of the race so early would be appealing.
"It's a contender," Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber said. "You expect Minnesota to be one of the top teams every year, especially in this division. But with them 0-2, we're in a prime situation. We have a golden opportunity to knock them out of their seat real early in the season. If we can do that, we're doing us a favor and lot of the teams in the league a favor."
There are many reasons for the Vikings' sudden demise. Start with the emotional loss of tackle Korey Stringer, who died of heatstroke in August. Minnesota also lost defensive tackle John Randle, offensive tackle Todd Steussie and linebacker Dwayne Rudd to free agency. But the biggest blow to their offense might have been the retirement of running back Robert Smith.
But Tampa Bay has not won at the Metrodome since '97, and Christensen says it's too early to write the Vikings' obituary.
"I wouldn't write the Vikings off," he said. "One thing that Coach Green has always done is right when you think they're wobbling and shaky, they steady that thing and really play well, and I think that's what he's done best in the five years that I've been in the NFL. He's done it better than anybody. You think he loses two quarterbacks and they're going to be shaky, and he comes back and goes 15-1. Counting him out is the wrong thing to do."
As for the sideline antics, the Bucs have seen it all before.
During wins over Minnesota at Raymond James Stadium, Moss has quit running routes and Carter has become confrontational on the sideline.
"It's really nothing new. I've seen that a lot in the past," safety John Lynch said. "For a lot of teams, that's a recipe for disaster. But you've learned to kind of expect with those guys, it's nothing out of the norm. Those guys are so competitive, they want the ball so much, even during the course of a game when they're having success, they really want the darn ball and they're going to let you know about it."
Said Barber, "With those guys, who knows? They've all got their ideas on what should get done. When it doesn't get done, it kind of shows. Maybe that's how they motivate themselves. I don't know. I don't think we'll see that on our sideline too often."
Even demonstrative Bucs receiver Keyshawn Johnson is at a loss to explain the Vikings' behavior, considered unprofessional by many in the NFL.
"That's on them if that's the way they play football. I've never stuck my finger in the chest of coach or a quarterback in the public eye," Johnson said. "I don't get into that. If that's what they choose to do, he's a veteran on the team, (Carter) is a Hall of Fame guy, he can do as he pleases. He's the best receiver in the league so he can do as he pleases. I don't see where it helps my team, so I don't worry about it. If I need to scream and yell, I know how to scream and yell. But I don't have to get into the coaching and stuff like that."
In two games, the Vikings are averaging 11.5 points, as opposed to 21.5 this time a year ago. Once the Vikings start scoring, their demeanor will change, Bucs coach Tony Dungy said.
"That part isn't any different. They just haven't gotten the ball in the end zone as much as they used to and that's what's going to determine it," Dungy said. "If they start making the catches and making the throws that they're capable of, then they'll come out of it.
"No doubt about it, we're going to see their best game. The best game that they're capable of. They don't want to go 0-3 and lose two home games, obviously. We've got a chance to really put ourselves three games ahead of them in the loss column, so it's going to be a big game from that standpoint."