|
|
 |
Pat Yasinskas, The Tampa Tribune, published 21 September 1998
Just when it looked like the world's newest pirate ship was the second coming of the Titanic, Dave Moore, Trent Dilfer, Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott grabbed the wheel and steered the team to safety. What was supposed to be one of the greatest days in franchise history lived up to its billing.
The Bucs (1-2) scored 27 unanswered points in the second half as they defeated the Chicago Bears 27-15 Sunday before a sell-out crowd of 64,328 at the opening of Raymond James Stadium. "Hopefully, we'll look back and say this is the turnaround for another wonderful season," Dilfer said. "Our backs were against the wall and it was much needed. Oh-and-three would have been really, really hard to come back from."
That almost was a reality. Only a furious second-half rally, in which the Bucs found their missing running game, prevented a celebration for a team and a community from turning into a disaster. The brand new ship in Buccaneer Cove was silent as the Bucs fell behind 15-0 in the first half. So was the crowd. But there was gunfire and cheers in the second half as Alstott and Dunn ran wild and Dilfer and Moore came through in the clutch. "The last thing we needed to do was make history by going 0-3 and fighting back to make the playoffs," linebacker Derrick Brooks said.
That's no longer an issue because Alstott and Dunn woke from a 2 1/2-game slumber. After averaging just 2.8 yards a carry in the first two games, they exploded for 185 yards. Running with the punishing style that earned him a Pro Bowl berth last season, Alstott gained 103 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown. Dunn added 82 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. "I thought [offensive co-ordinator] Mike Shula did a great job of staying with the run and not getting impatient," Coach Tony Dungy said.
That may not have been easy as the Bucs allowed a punt return for a touchdown, two field goals and a safety in a first half that strongly resembled what happened in losses to Green Bay and Minnesota. But the Bears (0-3) squandered a halftime lead for the third consecutive week. "We were so pathetic in the first half," Dilfer said. "To be down only 15-0 is a miracle."
But the biggest miracles came in the second half. For the record, they weren't the result of any fire and brimstone halftime speech. "A lot of coaches would've come in ranting and raving and throwing things," safety John Lynch said. "Tony didn't do that. The gist of it was, "If you're looking for something magic to happen to turn this thing around, it's not going to happen." It's going to have to come from within."
After gaining only 63 yards in total offense in the first half, the Bucs showed signs of life for the first time this season. Dilfer's 44-yard scoring strike to a leaping Moore with 1:33 left in the third quarter might go down as one of the prettiest plays in franchise history. That cut the Chicago lead to 15-13, and Dunn and Alstott and a dominating defense took care of the rest.
"We had to have this one," defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. "We didn't give the fans much to get off their hands about in the first half. But once we got it going, it was great. It got deafening out there in the second half and that's what you want from your home field. I love this place already."
|
|
|
| |
| |
|