Pressure Is On Defensive Line

TAMPA Monte Kiffin couldn't curb his enthusiasm. The Bucs had put a big dent in the New Orleans Saints' plans to repeat as NFC South champions, and their defensive coordinator wanted everyone to know his defense had as much to do with the victory as anyone.

"Man, that feels good,'' Kiffin said late Sunday as he bounced through the Bucs locker room. "It was like old times again."

In a lot of ways, it was like old times. In one way, it wasn't. In the old days, a dominant defensive performance such as the one the Bucs threw at the Saints always included a handful of sacks from the defensive linemen. This one included two.

"It's not good enough at all," defensive end Greg Spires said. "We have to get more sacks. It's something we talk about every day here.''

It's something Bucs coach Jon Gruden has been talking about since the start of training camp. Sparked no doubt by the still-questionable decision to release Simeon Rice, Gruden seemed to sense even then that his line was going to have trouble pressuring the passer this year.

Through two games, the Bucs have four sacks, one of which belongs to safety Jermaine Phillips.

That's a problem, because the Bucs defense is predicated on the four down linemen applying most, if not all, of the pressure on the quarterback. Any help the line needs from blitzing linebackers or defensive backs creates holes that quarterbacks such as the Saints' Drew Brees tend to exploit. Brees exploited those holes, completing 26 of 44 throws for 260 yards and a touchdown.

"They were getting four to five guys out on every route, and [Brees] was able to set his feet, slide in the pocket, [look] at the second receiver and find the third receiver,'' Gruden said. "That's not a pass rush that's going to win you a championship.''

It won't win you a lot of games, either. And the worst thing about it is it could be weeks, if not months, before the situation improves.

The reason: inexperience. Though the corps of defensive linemen is made up of a strong contingent of veterans and youngsters, the players being counted on most to get to the passer are either young players who are new to the NFL or veterans who are new to the Bucs.

"You look around, and last year at this time we had Simeon Rice and Booger McFarland and Greg Spires,'' Kiffin said. "But now, we're just so new. Gaines Adams is going to be a heck of a football player, but he's still young, so every snap's a new experience for him. Greg White's never even played in the NFL before, so he's just finding out what it's all about. And [veteran] Kevin Carter is new to the situation here.''

Carter, who came from the Dolphins as a free agent in the spring, doesn't like to make excuses for the line's poor pass-rushing performance.

"From a chemistry standpoint, it takes a while to jell and realize what guys are doing,'' Carter said. "It's an excuse, but we're just struggling to find that chemistry sooner rather than later.''

Chemistry is not the only thing the pass rushers are struggling with. Some of the young ones, Adams and Jovan Haye in particular, are struggling to develop the moves necessary to get to the quarterback. Coaches and scouts say both players have the speed and quickness needed to get to the quarterback, but both need to develop better handwork to make the kind of impact the Bucs need.

"It's just not connecting for me right now,'' said Adams, the 2007 first-round draft pick whose presence led to Rice's release the day training camp opened. "I just have to focus a little bit more, crank it up a little more.''

According to Kiffin, Adams and the other linemen need to crank it up in a hurry. They have Marc Bulger coming to town Sunday. Bulger is a master at picking defenses apart if given time to throw.

"It really doesn't matter who the quarterback is, if you give him time he's going to find someone open,'' Kiffin said. "But when you're talking about a guy like Bulger, that can be tough.''

Spires remembers when the Bucs' pass rush was tough. He played alongside Warren Sapp, Rice and McFarland. He's not sure these Bucs can be as good as those Bucs, but he knows they can be better than they have been.

"It's a matter of putting them in a position where we dictate what they do and then we execute,'' said Spires, who along with Haye and White has one sack this year. "I mean, I should have five or six sacks right now.

"I think we are doing a better job as far as getting pressure and getting our hands up on short, quick passes and batting balls down. But overall, in terms of the pass rush, we're not satisfied.''

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or at rcummings@tampatrib.com.