Sports: Last season's rally irrelevant to team

Last season's rally irrelevant to team

By ROGER MILLS and ERNEST HOOPER

TAMPA -- The Bucs were 3-4 last season and made it to the NFC Championship Game. But history, at least in the NFL, finds it hard to repeat itself.

"It's hard to expect a team to come back from a 3-4 record in two straight years," offensive guard Frank Middleton said. "That's asking a lot. That's what's ahead of us."

Coach Tony Dungy, who has stressed that his conservative, detail-oriented approached to the game always has enabled the Bucs to finish strong, said his team cannot afford to draw too much from last season's turnaround.

"Every year is a different year, every team is a different team," Dungy said. "The guys who are here have to get it done now. They can't say that because we did it in the past everything is going to be okay. If we don't get things turned around, everything won't be okay. But, what we have to draw on is that we can play well when we're doing things right and when we're on top of the details."

Added linebacker Derrick Brooks: "I think right now we have to guard ourselves and don't let anything break our mold. We've been here before, it's just that this time around we got here by losing four in a row. We have a very talented ballclub, and we're playing hard. ... Really, the only way I know how to pull out of this hole is to stay together and come out of this hole together."

INTRODUCING MR. JONES: After his four-sack performance Thursday, defensive end Marcus Jones, left unprotected in the expansion draft before the 1999 season, leads the Bucs with 10 sacks.

Jones is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season and is playing himself into an attractive position. The Bucs hope they can stay in the market.

"We would love to have him," Dungy said. "He's done a great job over the last year and a half and is getting better and better. Hopefully we'll be able to figure out a way to keep him."

Jones, along with Warren Sapp and Anthony McFarland, were particularly effective against the Lions, sacking quarterback Charlie Batch seven times.

"That is the one thing we're doing well right now is rush the passer," Dungy said.

Said Jones: "The most important thing was the win, and we didn't get it. It doesn't matter if one or two people shine. We play this game to win and we didn't win."

STRONG LEG: Except for a safety, kicker Martin Gramatica accounted for all the Bucs' points against the Lions. Dungy said Gramatica had a strong warmup and said he felt good about the game. He ended up making four field goals, one a 50-yarder and another a career-high 55-yarder.

"When he's swinging well, he usually lets us know," Dungy said. "So we felt he could make those. But usually when he says it doesn't matter, I can make it from anywhere, any distance, any hash (mark), then you know he's feeling very good."

Of course, the day wasn't perfect for Gramatica. He drew a 15-yard personal foul for kneeing Desmond Howard in the head on a kickoff return.

TIME FOR REFLECTION: Mired in their longest losing streak in years, the players and coaches get the weekend off and return to practice Monday. Dungy said he felt the team needed some time for reflection and added that having played the Vikings Oct. 9 should give the Bucs a jump-start on game preparation for Oct. 29 against Minnesota.

"I think we need to get away," Dungy said. "We're playing Minnesota again and there's not a lot we need to reanalyze there. We should be able to put in a normal week and be fine. I think we do have to take a little bit of time and evaluate what we need to do to change things around. I don't think we need to stay here all weekend and beat a dead horse."

INJURY REPORT: Offensive guard Randall McDaniel slightly strained his right quadriceps but is expected to return to practice on Wednesday, as is strong-side linebacker Shelton Quarles (groin), who was inactive against Detroit. There is a possibility that punt returner Karl Williams (left knee sprain) could return for the game against the Vikings.