Beleaguered Buc defenders refuse to fault offense Tom Zucco, The St.Petersburg Times, published 1988 Imagine what it must've been like to play defense for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. You do your job, trudge off the field, pry your helmet off and find a nice, cozy spot on the bench. It's break time, and you've earned it. Smoke 'em if you've got 'em. But before you're halfway through your Gatorade or whatever it is they drink down there - some coach comes rushing up, waving his arms and screaming that you've got to get out on the field again. Right now. It goes on like this all afternoon, and it's all because your teammates on offense - well, one in particular - keep losing the ball. Pretty soon, you start feeling like somebody who has an embezzler for a business partner. You're making money, but the register is always empty. Three of Vinny Testaverde's six interceptions led to Minnesota touchdowns Sunday. He also fumbled once, and that also led to a score. The final was Vin-kings 49, Bucs 20. The best defense in the NFL would've had trouble overcoming seven turnovers, but when the game was over, did the Bucs' defense blame the offense, even though it was clearly their fault? No, and if you're looking for anything positive about the Bucs, that's probably it. They all witnessed the crime, but nobody came forward to name the guilty party. At least they know not to squeal. Instead, the defenders blamed everything else - the heat, those pesky Vikings, and their own shoddy play. They probably even blamed Bill Akins, the Elvis impersonator who performed at halftime and has a new Halloween spectacular entitled, “Elvis Rises As The King of The Undead.” (Or maybe that was Elvis out there. He's rumored to be alive. Maybe The King wants to make Tampa Stadium his new home. He can call it Dis-Graceland.) Anyway, the defense didn't fault the offense - at least not directly. “You can only take so much after all those turnovers and after staying on the field so much,” said linebacker Winston Moss. “We kept getting deeper and deeper in the hole. But we can't start pointing fingers. It's a two-way street. Sometimes we'll play just as bad.” Good point. Sunday, the Bucs' defense didn't do much defending. At best, they were erratic. The Vikings converted on nearly half of their third downs (6-of-14) and nearly all of their fourth downs (2-of-3). The Vikings also amassed 433 total yards on 76 plays, which averages out to almost 6 yards a play. Plus, as a bonus, Wade Wilson completed 73 percent of his passes. No wonder it was 49-20. The Vikings showed how much they feared the Buccaneers' defense by electing to go for a first down on a fourth-and-1 at the Tampa Bay 7-yard line. It was early in the second quarter and the Bucs were leading 10-7. Most teams would have kicked a field goal in that situation. It's the safe, smart play. George Bush would've called it. Instead, Vikings coach Jerry Burns, a quiet, crusty sort who looks like George Burns and doesn't pay attention to conventional wisdom, sent tailback Allen Rice into the left side of the Tampa Bay line. Rice got 4 yards, 3 more than he needed, and he almost scored. Three plays later, Minnesota's Rick Fenney did score and the Vikings took the lead for good. “We made some terrible errors on defense,” said Bucs defensive coordinator Doug Graber. “I thought we were progressing fairly well. This was a not a step forward. There are going to be turnovers in any game, but there's also a tremendous lift you can give your team by shutting the other team down after a turnover. We didn't do that.” “We weren't mediocre today,” added Bucs defensive end Ron Holmes, who had two sacks. “We were horrible. We came out here today looking for respect, but we just gave away a ballgame. “They ran on us on that fourth-and-1. I'd rather have them pass if they're not going to kick a field goal. But they thought they could run it, and they did. That's not the kind of reputation we should have. We played the first quarter, not the second. As for the third and fourth, I don't know. Did the Bucs come out and play the second half? I don't know. I do know I want people to respect us.” But before that happens, the defense needs a pass-rusher who not only can rush the passer, but actually catch up with him and tackle him once in a while. And a cornerback who doesn't get all turned around and lost out there. And an offense that at least gives them a fighting chance.