Inspired third quarter key to Bucs' win at Seattle

After a halftime speech in which he implored his team to get busy, Coach Raheem Morris looked on admiringly Sunday as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got the message and went to work on the Seattle Seahawks.

The Buccaneers had scored only 20 third-quarter points all season before Sunday and trailed 7-3 at halftime in Seattle before coming out of the locker room with a rare sense of urgency.

"I just told those guys there's no reason for us to wait around until the end of the football game to try to win it,'' Morris said Monday after the Bucs reeled off 18 points in the decisive third quarter en route to a 24-7 victory. "There's no rule that says we can't go out there and dominate - and that's what they did. The defense really responded, as well. I told them it's on us ... if they don't score anymore, we win. That's the end of the story.''

A Tampa Bay club that had gone 11 quarters without scoring a touchdown rolled up eight first downs in that third quarter, silencing a noisy crowd at Qwest Field that began leaving the stadium in droves as the Bucs maintained possession for 20:26 minutes after intermission.

An offense struggling on third down converted four of five in that pivotal third quarter as Seattle was limited to only 25 yards. It was quite a departure from Tampa Bay's previous third-quarter doldrums.

"(Sunday) was completely the opposite,'' Morris said. "It's how you want to react, how you want to come out.''

The Bucs ran the ball effectively for most of the soggy afternoon, finishing with 134 yards on the ground to complement rookie quarterback Josh Freeman's solid play. Tampa Bay ran on 34 of its 60 snaps, a sharp misdirection from an attack that had been throwing 60 percent of the time.

"I'm guessing it just takes time,'' Morris said of the dormant running game. "It didn't happen as fast as we would have liked. Hopefully, that's who we are. Hopefully, we can continue those types of performances with the run and with the play-action pass. That's who we are - that's what we've got to be.''

Morris said he was happy for offensive coordinator Greg Olson, who had the Seahawks off balance a week after the Bucs trudged their way through a dispiriting 26-3 home loss to the New York Jets.

"Anytime you come off a game like that, you feel bad about it and you take too much upon yourself,'' Morris said, referring to Olson. "I'm not the finger-pointing type of guy. I told Greg all week that I've got complete faith in the plan. We just weren't able to execute the week before. It was a good feeling for all of us.''

The Bucs improved to 2-12 heading into Sunday's game at New Orleans and a final home matchup against Atlanta Jan. 3. The Saints were 13-0 before dropping a 24-17 decision at home to Dallas Saturday evening.

New Orleans, leading the league in total offense and scoring, has yet to clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

"I don't think (Saints coach) Sean Payton is the type of guy that will rest people,'' Morris said. "He's all about staying hot. I think (quarterback) Drew Brees is the same type of guy. They're going to want to absolutely take it out on us. The only dynamic is they may be a little more angry. If you want to define yourself, see how well you're playing on defense, then go play the Saints. They'll let you know pretty quickly where you are and what you are.''