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Stingy defense makes its return

The unit looks like its old, dominating self, holding Minnesota to 192 total yards.

By GREG AUMAN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 29, 2001

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TAMPA -- The 28 points on the scoreboard at halftime Sunday were surprising, but just as unexpected was the 0 next to Minnesota.

One of the league's top offenses had been held without a first down and limited to 44 total yards on 13 plays. All-Pro receiver Cris Carter had been held to one catch for minus-2 yards, and Randy Moss had been shut out.

"Everybody tightened up their bolts, said I'm going to hold my gap, get my man, hold my post," defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. "We made a statement this week on the (defensive) line: You're going to hold your post or, if you don't, we'll cut your head off."

There would be no headless Bucs, but Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper came close on Minnesota's first drive. Culpepper scrambled for a 4-yard gain but took a hit from linebacker Derrick Brooks that prompted a Vikings timeout to stop the bleeding in the quarterback's nose , which turned out to be broken. "When Daunte ran out and they hit him and he came up bleeding, you know how it is when you get a nosebleed," Sapp said, "Your eyes are watering and things just don't look good for you. We just kept the pressure on him all day long and gave him nobody to throw to."

By the time the Vikings gained a first down, the Bucs held a 34-0 lead, and two harmless second-half touchdowns didn't change the message the Tampa defense had sought to send. "That's our style of football," said cornerback Ronde Barber, who had one of Tampa Bay's four sacks on the day. "I think we kept them off-balance. We were dictating the style of play."

For five games, the Bucs' style of play had included a weakness on third down, as opponents were converting a league-best 51.6 percent against them. The Vikings went 0-for-4 on third downs in the first half, including two stops on third and 2 on the first two drives.

"When we got to third downs, we got (determined), and there's no more important part of the game than that," Barber said.

That third-down stinginess, combined with the Bucs converting five of their own seven third-down chances in the first half, allowed Tampa to hold the ball for 22:49 before halftime, three times as much as Minnesota.

"The combination of weather and 13 plays, I felt like I hadn't done anything. I hadn't even broken a sweat at halftime," safety John Lynch said.

In the second half, even when Culpepper was able to throw to Carter, the results were mixed. One third-quarter pass was tipped by Carter into the hands of safety Dexter Jackson to set up Martin Gramatica's second field goal.

"It just comes from hustling to the ball," Jackson said. "Everybody knows that if you take away the deep ball from Minnesota and make them drive, they get frustrated, doing things they don't like to do."

The Vikings finished 3-of-12 on third down and missed on two fourth downs, including one at the Tampa Bay 2. The same offense that dismantled Green Bay in a 35-13 win last week was a non-factor Sunday, thanks to the Bucs defense reverting to the kind of play it used to be known for.

"This was one of those days where it's just us, playing our game," Sapp said. "When we play our game, it doesn't matter where it is, who it is, we win. That's what we have to get back to."

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