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Bucs Get Back To Basics

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By ROY CUMMINGS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 30, 2007

Updated: 09/29/2007 11:44 pm

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - They tell you time and again that it's not rocket science. When you break it down, you realize they are right. Success in the NFL is usually rooted in concepts that are very simple.

Take the Bucs. Travel back to 1996 and Monte Kiffin's arrival as defensive coordinator. A simple foundation was laid that year. It still exists today, as strong as ever.

That's not to say cracks haven't formed in the cornerstones. A couple of big ones showed up last year. Kiffin discovered them during the offseason, and the Bucs spent the preseason repairing them.

Three weeks into the regular season, the hustling and the hitting are back, as strong as ever. You see it on game day - 11 players flying to the ball, 11 players trying to make one tackle, 11 players working as one.

'It's something we've always been defined by,' linebacker Derrick Brooks said of the simple swarming concepts Kiffin preaches. 'It's one of those things that Monte talked up early on; it's what we built our defense on.'

The Bucs are starting to build a case for the playoffs this year. Their offense has plenty to do with that, but it's the play of the defense that has most everyone thinking the Bucs could get there.

Even Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia sees it that way. Giveaways have decreased and touchdowns have increased under his watch, but it's the defense, he says, that has made the difference.

'Just as in years past, the tone is being set by the defense,' Garcia said. 'When you look at Tampa Bay and remember the good years, you remember the defense.'

Most remember a defense that included Pro Bowl players Warren Sapp, John Lynch and Shelton Quarles. It was a unit that was considered one of the best ever. Already, this one is drawing comparisons to it.

Even Kiffin has gone so far as to compare the play he has been getting from the latest edition of the defense to the production he used to get from the more storied editions.

'It feels like old times,' he said following a recent victory. 'We've got guys flying to the ball and hitting. This isn't flag football, you know. You've got to hit guys.'

There were times last year when it seemed as if some of the Bucs had forgotten that. There were also times when it seemed as if some of them had forgotten how to tackle.

Kiffin noticed it all while watching tape during his offseason evaluation. So he started early this year re-emphasizing the basic principles he instilled when he got here 12 years ago.

The results are what Kiffin was hoping for. Forget about feeling like old times. Check the standings and the league statistics and you'll see that it also looks like old times.

After falling to 17th in total defense last year, the Bucs enter today's matchup with co-NFC South division leader Carolina tied for 10th in that department, and they are tied for fifth in takeaways.

That top 10, of course, is a place where the Bucs once took up permanent residence, finishing there every year from 1997 to 2005, with first overall finishes in 2002 and 2005.

'They're very similar to the defenses of the past,' Panthers coach John Fox said of the Bucs. 'They're a very fast, run-to-the-ball kind of defense; always have been.'

The difference this year is the makeup. A lot of those perennial Pro Bowlers have been replaced. Think of Van Halen with Sammy Hagar singing lead instead of David Lee Roth; or AC/DC with Brian Johnson singing lead instead of Bon Scott. Different lineup, same sound. That's the Bucs defense.

'That's always been the code here - fly to ball, gang tackle,' secondary coach Raheem Morris said. 'They're cliches, but not in our room. In our room, that's what we believe in, and we believe that if we do it every day, we have a chance to be not just good, but great.'

Middle linebacker Barrett Ruud's play has bordered on great. He leads the league with 35 tackles. Same goes for strong safety Jermaine Phillips. A liability a year ago, he has been one of the Bucs' most fearsome hitters this year.

'Those guys are leading the charge, and everybody else is following suit,' veteran cornerback Ronde Barber said. 'I mean, look at the way Brooks is playing and some of the other guys. It's contagious.'

It's a standard that was set years ago when Kiffin arrived. He has been raising the bar ever since. The Bucs fell under it a year ago. They're getting over it again now.

'You can credit the coaches for redefining all the things that were part of our foundation again,' Brooks said. 'It's just one of the things that's been emphasized here, and it's one of the things that's sticking out on tape.'

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or at rcummings@tampatrib.com.

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