Tampa Bay Defense: From Sure Bet To Bloody Noses Mick Elliott, The Tampa Tribune, published 17 November 2003 The Buccaneers Cheerleaders wore army fatigues to perform at halftime. That, at least, was something different. Otherwise, it was pretty much the same old tired stuff Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. You know, the Bucs did not return a kickoff for a touchdown and their defense had sand kicked in its face. And its nose bloodied. With the exception of rain and an occasional asteroid, you just don't see anything fall so fast and so far as the plunging Buccaneers defense. Mystery Science Theater didn't write fiction this shocking. When the game was there for the Bucs defense to take by the throat and squeeze, the Packers went 98 yards for the winning score. The drive began in the third quarter and went six minutes deep into the fourth period. It took 17 plays and almost 10 minutes - 9:42 to be exact, which in football time is longer than most celebrity marriages - and said just about everything about the Bucs' sagging defense that it does not want to hear. The question no longer is whether the once-proud Bucs defense has gotten soft, it's how soft: Pillsbury-biscuit or touch-of- Charmin soft? The big hurt in Green Bay's winning drive will be remembered as a 23-yard Brett Favre pass to Robert Ferguson on third-and-nine from the Green Bay 3. That's the play guaranteed to live late into this week on television replays and in Buccaneers' bad dreams. ``We had them penned down there,'' Bucs safety John Lynch said. ``Had them in a big third down, and Brett makes one of those throws.'' Of course, a future Hall of Fame quarterback should make at least one good throw per game, and that was Favre's Sunday. Otherwise, still plagued by a broken thumb on his throwing hand, Favre wouldn't have dented a carnival kewpie-doll booth with a roll of $50s in his pocket. So the Packers ran. And ran. And made no secret that they were going to run some more. Then did just that. Ahman Green went 109 yards on 21 carries. Najeh Davenport added 70 on 13 carries. Ah, the power of cheese. Favre comes into Ray-Jay and completes 13 passes for 92 yards and the Packers win? The Bucs might as well have been trying to stop a Wisconsin winter. ``We didn't make plays when we needed to,'' said safety Dwight Smith. ``They made a few third downs we needed to stop that we didn't.'' There were a lot of things the Bucs defense didn't do Sunday, among them record a sack. After last week setting the NFL record of 69 consecutive games with a sack, the streak ended Sunday, but that's going to happen when most of the day's tackles are made in the secondary. Ronde Barber was the Bucs' leading tackler with 13. Lynch had eight, followed by linebackers Derrick Brooks and Shelton Quarles with seven. And look where the Bucs are now. ``It's hard to believe the reality of where we're at,'' Lynch said. ``It's hard to believe this team is 4-6.'' Even more exasperating is how they got there. Whatever Happened To ...? The defense that once saw itself among the NFL's best of all time, is being pushed around like it's on roller skates. In a big game between two 4-5 teams, each on the brink of playoff elimination, when it was a battle of heart vs. heart, the Bucs defense played with all the electricity of a penlight battery. ``As a team we are not getting it done right now,'' Lynch said. ``That's in every facet of the game. It's unfortunate with the collection of talent in this room. And with the collection of heart that we are not able to get it done.'' Again. Jon Gruden brought back the rock this week. He put together a motivational video, centered on the best closers in sports. Tiger Woods doesn't give up leads; Gruden remembered when the Bucs defense was as sure a bet. Now the defending Super Bowl champions are 4-6. ``The only way to stop the bleeding is to come back and fight,'' Brooks said. ``It's been a long time since we've been in this situation. I'm not going to cry about it. I'm not going to complain about it. That's the easiest thing to do. Sit up here and say how disappointed I am, how frustrated I am. Who cares? Right now the imitation rock pounders are going to get found out quick. It's tough times like these that determines what kind of team you got, what kind of character.'' Maybe those camouflage fatigues at the half weren't such a bad idea.