Bucs Secondary Has Swagger Back

DETROIT - A collective gasp rose from the fans at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis two weeks ago, followed by several minutes of silence. It wasn't just quiet, mind you - it was the kind of finger-over-the-mouth shushing kind of silence you'd expect to find in a library. No one dared say a word.

Moments before, it had been your typical NFL game. The home team was winning, and the crowd was in a good mood. But then Bucs rookie safety Tanard Jackson slammed into Indy tight end Dallas Clark like some receiver-seeking missile. Clark is 6-foot-3 and weighs 253 pounds, but he went splat like a case of tomatoes falling out the back of a speeding truck on Interstate 4.

'You don't see too many guys falling backward when they get tackled like that. I think he saw me pretty late, and I shot my gun,' Jackson said.

Clark was OK, but he stayed on the ground for a while as the fans contemplated what they had just seen. That hit was brought to you by the new and oh-so-improved secondary of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are playing with a swagger reminiscent of the days when they used to dominate.

They are physical. They are confident.

'These guys just came out and decided to do something this year,' defensive backs coach Raheem Morris said. 'Now they're going out and handling their business. They're paying attention in meetings, they're paying attention on the practice field, and they're doing a great job of executing.'

The numbers speak to how effectively they have buried the futility that surfaced last year, when the Bucs fell to 19th overall in pass defense and allowed 26 touchdown passes; only Washington gave up more in 2006. The scorch marks from a 4-12 season could be seen on the backs of a secondary that was repeatedly burned.

These Bucs are eighth in pass defense and tied for seventh in interceptions.

And they're getting better every week.

'Last year, we just didn't play well as a defense, period. When you see the big plays, it falls on the secondary. No matter what happens up front, the secondary is supposed to fix it. We didn't, and big plays happened,' safety Jermaine Phillips said. 'This year it's more of a whole team, a whole defense. Everybody is just playing better. When that happens, the secondary will stand out.'

Lions Are Big Test

That rediscovered confidence gets one of its biggest tests today when the Bucs visit Detroit. The Lions have the league's fifth-ranked passing game, with big-play receivers everywhere. This is strength vs. strength.

'Those safeties, they jump right out. They have my attention and our staff's. Right now, they have our players' attention. They are something else, by the way they are filling and hitting. It's impressive. Jermaine is back to where he was. A couple of years ago I thought he had a great year, and right now he may even be playing at a higher level, and that rookie Jackson is something,' Lions coach Rod Marinelli said.

'Ronde Barber, you know what he can do. He can tackle, he can blitz, he just has great ball skills. That's the thing that jumps out at me all the time. When you start watching them on tape, all of a sudden you remember their ball skills.'

Marinelli was the Bucs' defensive line coach for years before heading to Detroit last season as the head man. He didn't mention Phillip Buchanon, but he could have. Buchanon, signed last year after he was released by Houston, has stepped in at the corner opposite Barber and played at a high level.

In years past, an injury to Brian Kelly was fatal to the secondary, but not now. Kelly has been hurt for much of this season, but the impact hasn't been noticeable because Buchanon is playing so well.

'Phillip is hungry right now. He has been around a couple of teams, and he has found a place that he really likes,' Morris said. 'He is comfortable here. He has found his niche.'

But maybe no one has found their niche - or best exemplifies this new secondary - more than Jackson.

Fell In Draft

Jackson is looking like the steal of the draft as a fourth-rounder out of Syracuse. He had the talent to go much higher, but as he matter-of-factly says, 'There were character issues.'

As a sophomore, Jackson was stabbed in a fight outside a bar at Syracuse. He was later suspended for spring practice because of another altercation. But he has been nothing but positive with the Bucs.

'Teams looked at some of the instances in college and drew the conclusion I had character issues. Anyone who knows me knows I don't have character issues,' he said.

'That's probably the biggest thing that caused me to drop. Everybody wants to see you on film and how you test at the combine, at the all-star games and all that, but if there are any character concerns about a player, it will hurt them.'

Jackson was a cornerback at Syracuse, but the Bucs quickly shifted him to safety. He earned a starting position in training camp and hasn't looked back. His physical play brings back memories of another safety of some repute - John Lynch.

'Hitting and tackling is a mentality,' Jackson said. 'If you want to stick your face in there and hit somebody, you will. If you come up hesitant, that's how you get hurt.'

That's just the way they used to say it around here. That's just the way they used to play it, too. Looks like they still do.

If you're still not sure, though, just ask Dallas Clark.

Or listen to the silence.

It speaks loudly.