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The Final Chapter Of Defensive Dynasty?

Tribune photo by CLIFF McBRIDE

The Bucs' season finale against the Raiders could be Monte Kiffin's last.

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 28, 2008

AMPA - This is not how Derrick Brooks wanted it to end, with his long-vaunted defense trapped in the throes of arguably its worst slump.

This is not how Ronde Barber, Barrett Ruud and Jermaine Phillips wanted it to end, with that defense of theirs the culprit in what could be the worst collapse in franchise history.

This is not how Monte Kiffin wanted it to end, with outsiders wondering if his decision to leave the Bucs after this season sparked this whole defensive breakdown.

No, Kiffin and everyone around him wanted Kiffin to leave his post as Bucs defensive coordinator riding the crest of success he has been riding since he arrived 13 years ago.

Maybe he still will. Though today's game against Oakland could be his last with the Bucs, Kiffin refuses to look at it that way.

"I told the defense when we came back this week that we're going to be back here again on Monday watching tape and getting ready for the next game," Kiffin said. "And I mean it. I really believe that.

"I mean, it's tough to get into the playoffs in this league. But we can do it. All we have to do is win one game. Just win one game and we're in."

It's actually a little more complicated than that. In addition to winning one more game, the Bucs need Philadelphia to tie or defeat Dallas.

It's not how anyone with the Bucs wanted it to unfold, but that is the situation they are in. And it's largely the play of the defense, Kiffin's defense, that has put them in this situation.

Since beating the Saints on Nov. 30, the defense has allowed 564 rushing yards, 643 passing yards and 92 points in three games. It also has allowed opposing offenses to convert 21 of 37 first-down tries in losses to Carolina, Atlanta and San Diego.

"We're all trying to figure out what's gone wrong," Ruud said. "We played extremely well for 12 games. But these last three games, we just haven't played well. Not even in the Atlanta game.

"We go to overtime in that and only lose 13-10, but that was a sloppy game. I mean, we've been practicing the same. And yeah, we've had some injuries, but we got some guys back this past week. I just don't know what it is."

Not even Kiffin, who usually finds a way to pull his defense out of a slump before it starts, seems to know what the problem is. Perhaps that's because the problems have been so varied.

When Carolina ran for 299 yards on the Bucs, it was tackling. The next week, when the Bucs allowed just 13 points but lost at Atlanta, it was getting off the field on third down. The problem last week, when Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 287 yards and a career-best four touchdowns, was the lack of an adequate pass rush.

The Bucs have tried to avoid blaming their troubles on injuries. After all, every team in the league is beaten up to some degree at this stage of the season. It does seem to be a valid excuse, however.

The defensive line was without run-stopping under tackle Jovan Haye against Carolina, and without Haye and nose tackle Chris Hovan against Atlanta, which ran 43 times for 175 yards. Both returned against San Diego, but ends Gaines Adams and Greg White nursed injuries.

Now come the Raiders, who boast the 10th-best rushing offense in the league. The Bucs, though, seem better equipped to stop Oakland, with all but Brooks (sore ribs) near optimum health.

It also figures to be a more focused and inspired defense that the Bucs will throw at the Raiders today. After all, this is their chance to get back in the playoff picture and reshape the final chapter in Kiffin's legacy.

"We really do want to go out on a high note," Ruud said.

It's also a chance to help Kiffin avenge the firing of his son Lane, whom the Raiders fired as their head coach earlier in the season. For his part, though, Kiffin seems more interested in just winning the game.

"I can't let emotion get into it," said Kiffin, who will join Lane at the University of Tennessee after the season ends. "It just so happens that the schedule has us playing the Raiders. Even when I faced former assistant coach Lovie Smith or former Bucs coach Tony Dungy, you have to leave your emotions out of it."

It seems Kiffin has done that. Asked repeatedly this week what he might feel as the game that could be his last for the Bucs unfolded, he said time and again it doesn't feel like it will be his last.

"I plan to see you guys next week," he said. "I mean, I can't even begin to talk about anything else until at least Sunday night around 4:30. And even then, we'll all be whooping and hollering, I hope.

"I mean, we're fired up and ready to go. We're taking the approach that if we win this game we're in the playoffs. Yeah, we went into a little funk there. But we've still got a chance to jump out of it and go on and play again next week."

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979.

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