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Young Defensive Backs Revel In Key Plays

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By IRA KAUFMAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 15, 2008

TAMPA - On a sultry afternoon when Sabby Piscitelli and Aqib Talib posted their first NFL interceptions, fellow defensive back Tanard Jackson made the kind of game-turning play often buried in the stat sheet.

Tampa Bay's second-year free safety lived up to his reputation as a stout run defender late in the third quarter, capping an outstanding day for a young secondary seeking redemption from a season-opening loss at New Orleans.

With the Bucs ahead by 14 points, Atlanta faced a third-and-3 from the Tampa Bay 6-yard line as momentum seemed to be slipping away for the home team.

Jerious Norwood ran off left end from the shotgun and Jackson came through cleanly to drop him for a 3-yard loss, forcing the Falcons to settle for a field goal after a 13-play, 75-yard march.

"That was a huge play," said Jackson. "I was sitting on the edge and I had a good read on it. I was unblocked and it was a play I had to make."

Instead of pulling within a touchdown with more than a quarter remaining, the Falcons were deflated and the Bucs went on to complete a 24-9 triumph.

"Tanard's play was real big," said cornerback Ronde Barber, the sage veteran in Tampa Bay's secondary. "That one play could have changed this game completely because we pride ourselves on red-zone defense and they were on a long drive."

Talib, the first-round pick out of Kansas who was victimized on a Drew Brees scoring pass last week, set an aggressive tone early Sunday by picking off rookie Matt Ryan on the third snap of the game.

"I think he overthrew a screen and the ball came right to me," Talib said. "I'm not going to complain. They came out passing, but as you could see, we were ready for it. It felt a lot better than last week. We got the win and I got the interception. I got the first one out of the way - and I got to celebrate in front of our home fans."

Piscitelli's second-quarter interception helped the Bucs overcome 11 penalties as they stretched their record under Coach Jon Gruden to 38-7 when winning the turnover battle.

Tampa Bay led 14-0 when Ryan looked for former Leto High standout Michael Jenkins on third down. With Greg White bearing down on Ryan, Piscitelli registered his first pro pick and returned 22 yards to set up a Matt Bryant field goal.

"We were in Cover 2 and the quarterback threw it a little bit behind the receiver," said Piscitelli, who also forced a fumble on a fourth-quarter kickoff return, recovered by the Falcons. "I broke on the ball and capitalized on an opportunity. Our theme on defense this week was not to allow big plays and make a few big plays of our own."

After yielding 343 yards to Brees at the Superdome, the Bucs were determined to regain their 2007 status as the NFL's top-ranked pass defense.

Atlanta helped the cause with some unexpected play-calling. Coming off a franchise-record 318 yards on the ground against Detroit, the Falcons instead tried to surprise the Bucs by coming out throwing.

Of Ryan's first nine attempts, the only passes he completed ended up in the hands of Talib and Piscitelli.

"Our young players like Sabby and Aqib will make a big difference for this team all year long," said Jackson. "Our goal this week was to get a win and shut down the run. I guess they tried to make a statement on their end by throwing, but it kind of played into our hands. That's a lot to ask from a rookie quarterback, but we'll see him again."

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