Nickerson out, Pack owns middle Rick Stroud, The St.Petersburg Times, published 26 September 1994 Hardy Nickerson had led the Bucs in tackles in every game he'd played in a Tampa Bay uniform. But the reason he is the heart of the defense is the way he pumps everyone up. When Nickerson severely sprained his left ankle on the first play of Sunday's 30-3 loss to Green Bay, the Packers knew they were off to the races. Entering the game as the NFL's worst rushing team, averaging just 56.3 yards, the Packers went after the gaping hole left by Nickerson and ran for 95 yards while their backs caught 17 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. "They attacked the middle after he went down," said Bucs safety Thomas Everett, a teammate of Nickerson's for five seasons at Pittsburgh. "They attacked it. When you lose the heart and soul of your defense, that can affect anyone." In the Bucs' only win this season against Indianapolis, Nickerson recorded 18 tackles and was named NFC Player of the Week. A year ago he earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl and this season - helped by the addition of Everett and linebacker Lonnie Marts - Nickerson had vaulted the Bucs' defense to sixth-best in the NFL. It was allowing 289 yards per game and had given up just one TD in the past two losses. But on Sunday, the Packers had 401 yards and three touchdowns. Defensive coordinator Floyd Peters had to resort to using second-year pro Demetrius DuBose at middle linebacker, and he was steamrolled on several occasions by the lead blocks of fullback Edgar Bennett. So frustrated was Peters that he benched DuBose in the third quarter for free-agent linebacker Jeff Brady. "They just started sinking," said Peters. "Two of those touchdowns in the end came off desperation moves in the middle by inexperienced players. You have to have a lunch bucket mentality. You've got to show up and work your a-- off if the job isn't going right. This emotional swing has got to stop. If you had Hardy in there, he'd really get p----- off and start smacking people around if they start doing that. It would've been nice to have had Hardy in there." Nickerson, who hadn't missed a game in five years, suffered what doctors termed a "syndesmosis sprain" of his left ankle and is expected to miss four to six weeks. By that time, the Bucs' season could be in ruins. "There was a toss wide. I was pursuing and I stepped up in the hole," Nickerson said, describing the play. "He cut back slightly and I was adjusting. The pile came, and there went my ankle. I was looking forward to a big game. Going out on the first play is really disappointing and frustrating - there's not much else to say." Everett predicted that Nickerson will be back earlier than doctors expect. "I know the competitor he is, it's going to eat him up just sitting there not doing anything," Everett said. "I think he'll be back quicker than they think." Green Bay center Jamie Dukes said not even Nickerson could've slowed the Packers. "He's a good player, don't get me wrong," Dukes said. "But Nickerson was not going to make the difference today. Somebody over there might make those kind of excuses."