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Roy Cummings, The Tampa Tribune, published 10 September 2001
Maybe all that talk of this being a "fifth preseason game" was wishful thinking. Maybe what the Bucs really were trying to say with their facetious comments last week was that they needed another week to prepare for the really good teams. It sure looked like it Sunday, when the Bucs barely made it out of Texas Stadium alive. In an opening-day effort that will convince few they are destined for a Super Bowl finish, the Bucs squeezed out a 10-6 victory against a Cowboys team many consider among the three worst in the NFL.
That's the good news. The bad news is that the Bucs start playing varsity teams like the Eagles next week. And if they continue playing as they did against the Cowboys, they might not be as fortunate as they were Sunday. "Obviously we're going to have to play at a higher level if we're going to beat teams like Philadelphia," said John Lynch, who locked up the victory with a last-minute interception of a poorly-thrown Quincy Carter pass. "But I think we'll do that. We're still not where we want to be, but we're getting there."
Consider that last comment a blanket statement. For while the Bucs limited Dallas to just 127 total yards (the third fewest ever allowed by the Bucs) and just one third-down conversion, their defense missed several tackles and blew a couple of opportunities to put away the game with interceptions.
But it was clearly the play of the offense inside Cowboys territory and the play of the Bucs' special teams all over the field that raised cause for concern. The offense failed to produce points after moving past the 50 on three occasions, including one in which it got as far as the Dallas 20.
The Bucs converted 50 percent of their third-down tries (8-for-16), but three of those were the result of Cowboys penalties. "We definitely have to do a better job of finishing drives," Tony Dungy said. "We need to convert our third downs, and we've got to perform better in the red zone."
They've got to perform better on special teams, too. One year after allowing a 66-yard punt return touchdown in their opener against the Patriots, the Bucs gave up a 77- yard kickoff return that set up the Cowboys' first score. The special teams also failed to adequately cover an onside kick, and mistakes on punt coverage forced the Bucs to start two critical fourth-quarter drives from their 11 and 1.
As it has so often in the past, though, the defense picked up the slack. And it did so, as usual, by forcing turnovers. A fumble recovery by Donnie Abraham snuffed out the Cowboys' second drive, which started with recovering the onside kick. Two others drives were stopped by interceptions from Dexter Jackson and Lynch. "One of the big things was that we came up with some big plays when we needed them," Dungy said.
None may have been bigger than Brian Kelly's key tackle early in the game. After Reggie Swinton's 77- yard kickoff return put the Cowboys at the Bucs 17, Dallas moved to the 1 in four plays, one of which was a 17-yard scramble by Carter. From the 1, though, Kelly stopped Emmitt Smith for a 3-yard loss on third down. "That's when we come together and bond together as a defense," Kelly said, speaking of the red zone. "We don't let anybody come in there in the red zone."
The Bucs had trouble inside the red zone, too, but at least they showed the ability to get there. And they did so in a rather unique manner. Knowing that the Cowboys were intent on stopping the run, which they did rather well, allowing Warrick Dunn to gain just 56 yards on 22 carries, the Bucs chose to move the ball through the air.
They did so, though, not by going deep (they only threw the ball 20-plus yards downfield twice) but by throwing quick, short passes that took advantage of Cowboys cornerbacks lining up eight yards off the line of scrimmage. "I know there are going to be bad times - times like in the second quarter when we couldn't get any first downs. But we just have to keep fighting," said Brad Johnson, who completed his first nine passes and 17 of his last 26. "So I'm happy with what we accomplished today. Because after today, there will be 14 teams that are undefeated and 14 teams feeling sorry for themselves."
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