Lesson to Bucs' foes: Red (zone) means stop Hubert Mizell, The St.Petersburg Times, published 13 December 1999 Dead Red! Detroit, ahead 10-9 in the third quarter, made a first down at Tampa Bay's 12-yard line. Pewter muscles went into a deep flex. Bucs defensive pride escalated to full grit. So deafening was the crowd noise, Lions' eardrums had to be painfully vibrating. Three times, Motown got mowed down. Lions managed only a field goal. No knockout. Bucs staying alive. "Our red zone defense was the key," Tony Dungy said. "It's as much mental as physical. It's not giving up. Detroit had shots to maybe put away the win. Our intensity refused to allow it." Dead Red! Early in the fourth quarter, the Lions led 13-9. They drove 70 impressive yards to the home team's 10. First and goal. On that swatch of grass, Bucs' red zone passions again flourished. "Give up a touchdown and we're in real trouble," safety John Lynch said. "Wow, does it help to have really loud fans. We're jacked into a frenzy. Twenty years from now, I'll remember afternoons like this." Sixty-five thousand patrons would scream as though they'd split the $60-million Florida Lottery. Detroit tried three plays, making but a single yard. Field goal again. No kayo. Dead Red! "If you don't want to play 60 minutes, don't come to our house," defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. "We keep winning with old-fashioned, '70s-style football. I love it. "We're in first place, but the real wars are coming. It's like taking the pole position in the Indy 500. We've got a good car. We can drive. But this race has just begun." Heroics in the red zone kept Tampa Bay just close enough. In the fourth quarter, Shaun King's receivers began to consistently catch footballs. What a novel concept. When the Bucs made the red zone, they cashed. No roars from Sunday customers to help Detroit's defense. King was cooking at quarterback. So calm. So accurate. So smart. Mike Alstott would plow into the end zone, making it 16-all. Less than five minutes remained. Overtime seemed likely. By then, Bucs' red zone mentality had spread to the entire Dale Mabry ZIP code. Not just inside the 20. Sapp was having a hot, harassing stretch run. Smacking and dancing. He sacked Frerotte at the Lions 11. Gus was on the ropes. Bucs were going after Detroit's quarterback the way starving dogs stalk a pork chop. Sapp, Brad Culpepper, Chidi Ahanotu and their fellow manhandlers. Frerotte made a panicky throw, going deep for Germane Crowell. No chance. Lynch came across the grass like Junior Griffey going after a fly ball. He intercepted, returning 28 yards to the Detroit 24. "We were in a dogfight," the Stanford man said. "My eyes lit up, seeing that football flying at me. Every week, somebody new seems to make the critical play. "Donnie Abraham has been intercepting just about everything lately. Our red zone work set up my opportunity for the big pick. Our offense did a wonderful job, taking advantage of scoring chances. Shaun King has been amazing." Lynch had an interception against Philadelphia in this season's second week. "I figured, I'm off to a strong start, so maybe I'll get 10 picks this year," he said. "I wrote 'Daddy's First 1999 Interception' on that football and presented it to my son. "Well, until now, I thought I might have to rewrite that inscription, making it 'Daddy's Only Interception.' But with this big one against the Lions, there's finally a second souvenir football for my kid." Lynch's steal put the game in Tampa Bay's mitts. A field goal by Martin Gramatica would've been enough. Nothing wrong with 19-16. But these Bucs went for the jugular. King flicked a screen pass to the ox-like Alstott, who would thunder 22 yards for the winning TD. A half-hour after the 23-16 conquest, Ray-J cheers still echoing in their heads, the first-place Bucs had a locker room glow. "It's one of the great ones I've ever been a part of," said quarterback Trent Dilfer, who's missing December with a busted clavicle. Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin hugged Dungy. Their emotions don't customarily go so fuzzy. "Our crowd's effects cannot be underestimated," Kiffin said. "Red zone was huge. "Louder the crowd became, the better we played. Detroit badly needed touchdowns, not field goals, but that's so much more difficult for the road team. My guys take enormous pride in their red zone work. We practice it hard on Thursdays. "We just saw it pay off." Dead Red!