Defense Cashes In On Third Downs Ira Kaufman, The Tampa Tribune, published 17 October 2005 They call third down the money down, and the Bucs are feeling rather flush. The league's No. 1 defense continued to flourish on third down Sunday, limiting Miami to three of 14 conversions en route to a 27-13 triumph. Coupled with a 180-yard ground game and two takeaways, Tampa Bay's defense in the clutch led to a significant edge in possession time as the Bucs never trailed. "That is one tough defense," said Dolphins veteran safety Lance Schulters after the Bucs sacked Gus Frerotte four times, hounded him throughout and shackled running backs Ricky Williams and rookie Ronnie Brown. "They have great players, a great defensive coach and they're so solid in what they do." Frerotte's 12-yard sideline pass to Marty Booker kept the chains moving on Miami's initial third down, but the Dolphins were then turned away on their next 10 third-down opportunities. By the time their futility ended with 73 seconds remaining, the Dolphins were hopelessly behind. "They're a very sound and disciplined defense, but we just can't shoot ourselves in the foot like that," Brown said, noting Miami's nine penalties and several dropped passes. "They did a good job against us today, but a lot of times we seemed to stop ourselves." With free-agent tackle Chris Hovan serving as catalyst, Tampa Bay's defense entered the game also ranked first against the rush. Once again, the Bucs turned an opponent one-dimensional before unleashing a fierce pass rush. Ends Simeon Rice and Greg Spires each had a sack and a forced fumble and Frerotte's quarterback rating was 55.0 before some fourth-quarter padding. "When you're facing Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown in the backfield and a receiver [Chris Chambers] ends up as Miami's leading rusher with 25 yards, that means you're playing pretty good," Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said. During Tampa Bay's surprising start, opponents are converting only 28.2 percent on third down. The Bucs defense has yielded six touchdowns in six games and the error-prone Dolphins registered only six first downs before falling behind 27-6 through three quarters. "They [Bucs defense] are good, but we really hurt ourselves with penalties," a battered Frerotte said. "They put us in a bad position and we fell behind as a result. When you fall behind against these guys, they are good at pinning their ears back and keeping you down."