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Prepared for what they thought was a short-gain offense, Bucs DBs get burned long three times.
By ROGER MILLS
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 19, 2001
TAMPA -- It has been a tremendous season for Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber, last week's NFC defensive player of the week.
Barber entered Sunday's game against the Bears with a team-high five interceptions to go with 39 tackles, 14 passes defended and a sack.
It also has been a coming-out season for fourth-year defensive back Brian Kelly. After a stunning tackle of Emmitt Smith in the opener, Kelly has emerged as such a solid player that he has usurped Pro Bowl cornerback Donnie Abraham in the starting lineup.
And third-year pro Dexter Jackson's three interceptions have justified the decision to promote him to starter in the offseason.
How, then, could a secondary anchored by Pro Bowl safety John Lynch seem so mortal, so ordinary, so vulnerable to the deep ball?
In a crucial 27-24 home loss to the Bears, how could one of the NFL's most productive backlines, playing a cover-two zone designed to prevent the big play, give up touchdown passes of 28, 44 and 66 yards to receiver Marty Booker?
"I guess we did look vulnerable," Barber said. "They got some stuff on us. Two or three plays beat us, and that's a shame. We played pretty well against the run. But you can't take away those plays."
Added defensive backs coach Mike Tomlin: "We don't offer any excuses or explanations. They made plays and we didn't make enough."
Some of it might have been the element of surprise.
Lynch said the Bucs saw little evidence on film of Bears quarterback Jim Miller throwing deep. He said the film showed the Bears using mostly the short passing game and the run.
"This was a team that really hadn't been taking the ball downfield," Lynch said. "As a result, we were playing aggressive and they beat us. Possibly (we were surprised). It was a team that has been throwing a lot of crosses and managing the game, and we were up and they beat us."
The beating came in the third quarter. Trailing 9-7, the Bears found Booker deep twice.
On Chicago's first possession of the half, Miller threw a perfect pass down the left side into Booker's waiting hands. Barber, who was trailing Booker, seemed to stop for a second to catch his bearings. It was all Booker needed to catch the pass behind Barber and race in for a 44-yard score.
"I didn't see the ball," Barber said. "I lost it."
"They've got to respect us downfield," Miller said. "Teams are loading guys up in the box. Ronde Barber didn't know what to do. He couldn't cover Marty."
The Bucs secondary, which has 12 interceptions, had one other dark moment. After Booker's second score, Tampa Bay punted after three plays. Chicago, possibly recognizing that the Bucs defense had not had enough time to rest, went for the jugular.
Booker outsprinted Kelly and Jackson down the middle and comfortably snared the 66-yard touchdown for a 21-9 cushion.
"They were just some great calls at the right time," Abraham said. "They caught us in the perfect defense for each call. It was almost like they knew what we were going to be in and they had the perfect play for it."
Jackson, whose job as free safety is to roam the backfield to prevent those breakdowns, didn't shrug off his accountability.
"I was watching the quarterback too much and that one is on me," Jackson said. "I should have been helping my cornerback over the top. Instead, I didn't get there in time and (Miller) got it in there."
Abraham said it mattered little that Booker was the one Bear they couldn't seem to contain and added that as defensive backs, they are well aware of how conspicuous their mistakes seem.
"It comes with the territory," Abraham said. "When we make a mistake back there in the secondary, it's big. It's either going to be all good or all bad. Today, you saw maybe two or three plays that were all bad."
Added Lynch: "It's a shame. It's a good effort that's wasted defensively. We played a lot of good football, but those defensive plays put us in situations where we didn't play good enough defensively to win."