Trench warfare no last-ditch effort Jim Carson, The St.Petersburg Times, published 7 September 1992 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used a new tactic in trench warfare Sunday that helped bring about the 23-7 victory over the Phoenix Cardinals. The Bucs attacked with two platoons of offensive lines, and wave after wave of pounding Bucs linemen say they wore down Phoenix's defenses at hot and humid Tampa Stadium. "They were sucking some air," said Bucs left guard Bruce Reimers. "We were able to take a breather when we needed it, and they were hurting," said right guard Tom McHale. "What's good for the goose is good for the gander," said right tackle Charles McRae. "They brought in fresh pass-rushers, and we had fresh linemen to go up against them." The Bucs decided to go with the platoon system to combat the heat and help keep their linemen fresh in coach Sam Wyche's no-huddle offense. The platoons responded by allowing just two sacks of quarterback Vinny Testaverde, who took advantage of the protection to complete 14 of 25 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. Testaverde was not intercepted. "We used the wholesale substitutions just to keep them fresh," Wyche said. "Maybe we were a little fresher than them late in the game." The Bucs began using the system on their second possession when they drove 49 yards on 13 plays and Kevin Willis finished with a 40-yard field goal. Then throughout the game, the Bucs would substitute four of their five interior linemen with no apparent loss in continuity. "I just substituted them when they looked tired," said offensive line coach Bob Wylie. "It didn't matter if it was a passing situation or running, or where we were at on the field. Of course, I think there is always room for improvement, but I thought we looked pretty good out there today. And pretty fresh." The positive result was surprising to right tackle Rob Taylor. "It worked real well - better than I expected," Taylor said. "When we got tired, a new line would come in with no dropoff in hustle or intensity. We sustained our momentum." Only the Bucs' platoon leader, Paul Gruber, was in on all of the offensive plays. That pushed Gruber's streak of consecutive offensive plays to 3,920 through 65 games. The effectiveness of the system also won over Gruber. "Initially, I thought it would be a problem, but both groups did real well," the left tackle said. "We were able to tire out their defensive line and keep pounding at them." As for his streak, Gruber said, "The streak is irrelevant; I just want to help the team win. If I'm tired and need a breather, I'll come out. It depends on the weather." Only an injury likely would prevent Gruber from playing. The temperature was 95 degrees Sunday, and it was 110 on the field. Wyche hopes the Bucs can keep the heat on the Packers next week. "Maybe (the heat) will affect Green Bay more," Wyche said. "I hope."