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Ira Kaufman, The Tampa Tribune, published 24 November 2008
For the third time this season, the Bucs erased a huge deficit on the road and posted a victory. Tampa Bay rallied from 10 points down late in the fourth quarter at Chicago and overcame a 24-3 hole at Kansas City en route to a pair of OT wins. On Sunday, facing the winless Lions, the Bucs spotted Detroit a 17-0 advantage after one quarter. "We were out of whack at the start," said LB Barrett Ruud, who led the Bucs with six tackles. "Once we tightened up our run fits, we were fine. When it was 17-0, there was frustration ... but no panic."
Perhaps most impressively, Tampa Bay overcame a combined 10 giveaways in the three comeback road victories. "We're sitting there down 17-0 and I'm thinking, 'Hey, we've been here before,'" DT Chris Hovan said. "One thing we've learned the hard way is that this team keeps its poise, no matter the situation. The guys in this room are going to stay the course."
Reversal of fortune
In his third start for the Lions, QB Daunte Culpepper enjoyed early success, finding Calvin Johnson for a 41-yard gain and a 15-yard TD pass on Detroit's second possession. That got the attention of the NFL's No. 5 defense, which made Culpepper's life miserable the rest of the way.
After throwing for 85 yards in the opening quarter, Culpepper was hounded so relentlessly that Coach Rod Marinelli benched him for second-year pro Drew Stanton. When Stanton suffered a third-quarter concussion, Culpepper came back in to finish with a passer rating of 37.7 and renewed respect for Monte Kiffin's swarming unit.
"That is one very solid defense out there," said Culpepper, who was sacked four times. "They bank on the fact you're going to make mistakes. They play the percentages - that's why they've been so successful over the years."
Buc notes
The Lions had scored only 21 points in the opening quarter all season until Sunday's dynamic start.
With the city of Detroit and its pro football team both struggling, there were thousands of empty seats at Ford Field and the game was blacked out locally.
Tampa Bay's 21-point second quarter tied for the third-most points scored in a quarter in franchise history .
Since being benched after the season opener at New Orleans, Jeff Garcia has returned under center to complete 72 percent of his pass attempts.
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