Building Momentum...

Bucs Try To Build Momentum
By ROY CUMMINGS rcummings@tampatrib.com
Published: Nov 26, 2003




TAMPA - At One Buc Place on Tuesday, the talk was all about next week, not next year.
The difference is significant. Next week is what you talk about when the playoffs remain within reach. Next year is what you talk about when the playoffs have escaped you.

The Giants know the difference. After losing to the Bucs and falling to 4-7 on Monday night, they were talking more about next year than next week on Tuesday. At Giants Stadium, concern ran rampant.

At One Buc Place, concern remained. One victory does not erase it. Especially when that victory makes you all of 5-6 and is as pock-marked by penalties and turnovers as the Bucs' 19-13 victory against the Giants.

``The glass is still half empty,'' receiver Charles Lee said when asked to sum up the Bucs' feelings in the wake of their first victory in a month. ``Now we've got to pour some more water in and keep that water level rising.''

The task may be easier than some realize. The Bucs face nothing but teams with losing records the next month, and if Monday's victory did anything, it proved they can win when they don't play their best football.

``We did not play an excellent game,'' Warren Sapp said late Monday. ``We had our sloppy spots here and there. But overall, we got the win and that's what we needed.''

Now they need to maintain the momentum. The Bucs have so far found that an impossible task this season, but Coach Jon Gruden believes his team may be on the verge of breaking out of that rut.

The play of the defense may be the biggest reason for his renewed sense of optimism. Asked to preserve a lead, which it failed to do repeatedly in recent weeks, the defense shut down the Giants on each of their fourth-quarter drives.

And they did so in convincing fashion, stuffing Tiki Barber on a third-and-one to end the first drive, intercepting quarterback Kerry Collins to end the second and sacking Collins on a third-and-10 to end the third.

``Those guys have been scrutinized a lot of late and rightfully so,'' Gruden said of the defense. ``But they did a great job out there this time.''

Somehow, the defense seemed to know it would excel. That, at least, is the sense Gruden got from listening to his players on the sideline.

After his decision to have the offense go for it on fourth- and-one at the New York 12- yard line failed, Gruden said he could hear defensive players cheer the blown conversion attempt.

``I heard six or seven of the defensive players saying, ``Good, we need this. We need to make this shot,' '' Gruden said. ``That's the demeanor of a champion. That's what we're looking for and they went out and delivered [Monday] night.''

What the Bucs delivered was a pop. Dwight Smith, in particular, delivered one when he separated Amani Toomer from the ball and his helmet with a devastating hit in the end zone in the second quarter.

Smith wasn't alone. In what may have been his best game of the year, Sapp forced two fumbles and recorded two sacks to move within two sacks of the Bucs all-time record, held by Lee Roy Selmon.

And then there were the turnovers. The Bucs intercepted Collins twice, including once in the end zone, and recovered two of the five fumbles they forced.

``It was a collection of energy, solid tackling and turnovers,'' Gruden said. ``If we continue to play like that and can build on that performance and put back-to-back consistent games together, we're going to be a handful.''

To do that they'll need to eliminate some nagging mistakes. As they've done all year, the Bucs moved the ball well at times against the Giants but they let penalties and turnovers derail potential scoring drives.

``Had we not turned the ball over in a couple of key situations and stayed away from penalties, we might've had a real big night,'' Gruden said.

There were some areas offensively that Gruden did feel good about. The play of quarterback Brad Johnson, who completed 22 of 32 passes for 269 yards, a touchdown and an interception, was one.

``You take away the interception and any time you get 22 of 32, it's a good night,'' Gruden said.

Most of all Gruden seemed much happier knowing he had to dedicate himself to beating Jacksonville this week and not to deciding who will be on his team in 2004.

``A win is a great healer,'' he said.