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The St.Petersburg Times, published 1 November 1999
He has been promised a long journey as the Bucs starting quarterback. It began Sunday night at Detroit and hopefully will not end until the playoffs. Nobody knows how far Eric Zeier will lead Tampa Bay. Maybe all the way to the end zone. The much-anticipated switch at quarterback did not exactly change the Bucs' fortunes. Even with Zeier at the helm, Tampa Bay extended its streak to eight quarters without a touchdown in its 20-3 loss to the Lions at the Silverdome.
Playing a team that no longer has Barry Sanders and was without injured receiver Herman Moore, the Bucs still could not tame the Lions. Running back Greg Hill gained 123 yards on 16 carries, becoming the first player to rush for the century mark against the Bucs in almost a year. The loss dropped the Bucs to 3-4 overall, 1- 3 in the NFC Central, two games behind the surprising first-place Lions. It was the eighth time in nine games the Bucs have lost on the road to a division opponent.
Dissatisfied with the play of the offense after last week's 6-3 win over Chicago, the Bucs benched quarterback Trent Dilfer, ending his streak of 70 regular-season starts. If Sunday's game proved anything, it's that the Bucs' biggest problem might not be at quarterback. Zeier played perhaps as well as any Tampa Bay player on the field. But his offensive teammates and the Bucs defense provided the banana peels for him to slip on in his debut. He was 28-of-43 for 248 yards and no interceptions.
If there was one question Zeier had of Dilfer, it was this: How did you ever stay healthy enough not to miss a start in five years? Zeier was sacked five times and whacked on just about every pass attempt. Zeier also had trouble getting his offense lined up properly and was forced to burn timeouts or get flagged for delay of game penalties. Meanwhile, fullback Mike Alstott's fumble at the Detroit 1 on the first play of the fourth quarter erased any chance of a comeback. The Bucs trailed 17-3 just a minute into the third quarter after Zeier was sacked by linebacker Chris Claiborne. His fumble was scooped by Allen Aldridge and returned 21 yards for a touchdown.
Tampa Bay's long TD drought appeared to have ended with 1:11 left in the third quarter when Warrick Dunn took a third-down pass from Zeier and raced 12 yards into the end zone. But the Lions asked for a review of the play on instant replay, and referee Neil Gereb took the points off the board when he reversed the call, ruling that Dunn's knee hit the turf before he crossed the goal line. It was the Bucs' fault the reversal ever occurred. Tampa Bay had only 10 men on the field while lining up for the extra point. They opted to take a delay of game penalty, giving the Lions an extra chance to ask for a review.
It got even worse when Alstott fumbled on second down at the 1 and Claiborne recovered. The Bucs defense might have been just as responsible for the defeat. It allowed Hill, the Lions' No. 2 running back, to look a lot like Sanders. Hill had runs of 44 and 27 yards, the longest against the Bucs this season.
Zeier was welcomed as a starter by beginning the Bucs' first series backed up at his 10. It was a gift from the defense, which allowed the Lions to gain field position after Batch hit tight end David Sloan with a 22- yard pass on the first play of the game. On his first play, Zeier drilled a slant pass to Jacquez Green for 9 yards. Alstott carried for 9 more and a first down on the next play.
Then the wheels came off. With tight end Patrick Hape helping tackle Jerry Wunsch, Lions defensive end Robert Porcher still managed to sack Zeier with help from defensive end Tracy Scroggins, effectively killing the drive. On his next series, Zeier and the Bucs made good use of Dunn, who had 32 yards rushing and 12 receiving, including a nifty shuffle pass from Zeier for a first down. But on third and 5 at the Lions 20, the Bucs had trouble lining up in the shotgun and Zeier burned a timeout.
It didn't help. Before Zeier could finish his cadence for the next play, the Bucs were penalized for delay. The drive ended when Lions safety Ron Rice blocked Martin Gramatica's 36-yard field goal. It was Gramatica's third miss in two games. Detroit took a 3- 0 lead on Jason Hanson's 47-yard field goal. But Gramatica topped him with a 49-yarder that tied the score with 8:02 remaining in the first half. Not only did the Bucs have the Lions to contend with, they were a little unlucky. One decision by coach Tony Dungy cost them field position.
The Bucs took over possession at their 15 after Green called for a fair catch of a punt by John Jett. But the Lions were flagged for holding and the Bucs opted to accept the penalty and make them punt again. This time, Jett appeared to get off a shanked punt, but it took a friendly bounce and rolled to the Tampa Bay 1. The Bucs were unable to move from there, and a 30-yard punt by Mark Royals enabled Detroit to get the ball at the Tampa Bay 37. Two plays later, Hill ran through a hole for 27 yards to the Bucs 2. Running back Sedrick Irvin swept right for a 2-yard touchdown run on the next play, the first rushing touchdown the Bucs have allowed.
Zeier finished the first half 9-of-13 for 96 yards. He was sacked twice, pressured on several others and victimized by a dropped pass. He underthrew Green on a go route that could have produced a score, but the 38-yard completion matched the longest play of the year by the Bucs. But nothing Zeier did was good enough to ignite Tampa Bay's offense. His record as a starter in the NFL is 4-8, and he has not beaten a team with a winning record. Now Bucs coaches just can't focus on the quarterback position. They have to take a closer look at themselves.
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