Bucs Own Special Place In SpyGate Lore

LAKE BUENA VISTA - There was no perfect season, and SpyGate has been tossed on the trash heap of history. What Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots did or didn't do is neither here nor there.

But Big Bill and the boys visit Tampa on Sunday for exhibition football, and, well, some of us delight in the Bucs' apparent place in SpyGate history.

You see, one thing that came out of the SpyGate investigation before NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said enough was enough (though not enough for us) was a Patriot snitch alleged that New England first taped opponents' defensive signals Aug. 20, 2000, in a preseason game at Foxboro Stadium against:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"A fascinating side note," Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber said.

The Cradle Of Cheating

Barber isn't accusing anyone of anything. Neither is Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.

"You're still talking about this?" Kiffin asked with a laugh.

But it is fascinating.

The Bucs are apparently the Tigris and Euphrates of Patriots cheating - the cradle of cheating, if not civilization.

As the story goes, two weeks after that preseason game, the Patriots allegedly used what they knew when they played the Bucs in New England in the 2000 regular-season opener.

It didn't turn any tide, since the Bucs won 21-16. And the Bucs defense sacked Drew Bledsoe six times.

Have you ever wondered if Bucs coaches and defenders have wondered about that game in 2000?

I have.

Bet there's lots of that around the league since SpyGate broke.

I was at that game, and I've wondered.

I remember just how many times the Patriots went no-huddle.

And there was a play in the fourth quarter. The Bucs were ahead 21-10 and brought a cornerback on the blitz.

"It was me," Barber said.

The Patriots picked it up, Bledsoe threw deep and Terry Glenn beat Bucs corner Donnie Abraham for a touchdown.

Maybe it was nothing.

How do you not wonder about that?

The Patriots are a great franchise. The only time they played the Bucs in the regular season after 2000 was in 2005. They won 28-0 and could have won if they'd showed the Bucs their playbook.

But we'll always wonder.

That's the real legacy of SpyGate.

The wondering.

Didn't Matter To Old Bucs

Funny, but the old Bucs defense didn't care if you knew what they were about to do. Stopping them was the hard part.

"I'm not saying anyone ever knew anything, but we'd beat you just the same," Barber said.

Funny, but last Super Bowl the Patriots were stunned by the Giants.

Funny, and I know it's just a coincidence, but it's hilarious that the year after SpyGate comes the NFL debut of transmitters in defensive helmets. One defensive player on the field will wear a "live" helmet with communication capabilities.

Sunday, Bucs linebacker Barrett Ruud will wear the fancy helmet for the first time in a game. He'll listen to play calls relayed from the sideline - all against the Patriots.

"Ironic, I guess," Ruud said with a grin. "But it's nothing. They're a great team."

More irony: Ruud's brother, Bo, a linebacker trying to make the Patriots, probably will be wearing a radio helmet, too.

They won't be able to walkie-talkie each other. The NFL says that, as with quarterback helmets, "the 'live' defensive helmets will use a frequency system that has 268 million different encryption codes, making it indecipherable to anyone trying to listen in."

Hear that, Big Bill?

I'm sure he's working on it.