Offensive Line Plagued By Penalties The Tampa Tribune, published 16 December 2002 Backup OT Lomas Brown admits it's hard watching from the sideline. Things got so rough at one point Sunday, the former Detroit Lion nearly found himself back in action. ``I almost got in, but it didn't get that bad,'' Brown said. Backup C/G Todd Washington did get in, though. He replaced RG Cosey Coleman during the Bucs' first series of the third quarter. Coleman was penalized consecutively, once for tripping and another for a false start. LT Kenyatta Walker made it three in a row when he was penalized for a false start. Early in the third quarter, Bucs RB Michael Pittman appeared to pick up a first down with a 7-yard run, but Coleman's first offense made it second-and-14 at the 20- yard line, instead of first-and-10 from their own 37. His second infraction moved the ball back to the 15-yard line and Walker's made it second-and-24 from the 10. Two plays later the Bucs punted. ``They hurt the team and it was a setback for us,'' Coleman said. ``Penalties kill drives, stop momentum. That's what I did.'' Coleman sat out the remainder of the penalty-laden series and the following series, but eventually returned. ``It was a business move and he [Coach Jon Gruden] felt at the time that I needed to come out of the game and I needed to be replaced,'' Coleman said. ``It wasn't personal at all. It gave me time to calm down and cool down and then get back into my groove.'' Overall, the Bucs were penalized nine times for 67 yards, with the offensive line accounting for six of the penalties - the kind of mistakes that usually result in a loss. ``We didn't play good at all and it showed,'' Brown said. ``It almost cost us. If it weren't for the resiliency of this team and what we had at stake, we could be leaving with our heads down.'' Broken Right Foot Sidelines McFarland Again Sometimes victory comes with a price. Only Anthony ``Booger'' McFarland's teammates, to a man, figured that Booger already had paid in full. But that is not how it turned out in the Bucs' 23-20 win against the Detroit Lions. McFarland, who just returned to nose tackle last week after missing a month with a fractured right forearm, went down again, this time with a fractured right foot, this time probably for the season. ``It's devastating,'' said Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, who wasn't sure how or when McFarland was injured, other than it happened in the second quarter. ``He must have played on it a few plays. That's him. That's Booger.'' ``You lose a great football player, a guy who goes sideline to sideline, an inspiring teammate,'' Bucs coach Jon Gruden said. ``My hurt is something pretty deep right now.'' There were silent tributes, too. After the game, long after McFarland was carted off, interior linemate Warren Sapp walked up to McFarland in the locker room, planted a kiss on his head and walked away. It's harder to walk away from what McFarland, a fourth-year pro, brought to this team. He had hit his stride. His star was shining. He was a force in the middle. The only thing that stopped him was that forearm fracture at Carolina, which sidelined him for four games. ``It's the Sapp, Buck and Chuck show again,'' Sapp said. ``Those two boys have to be ready to roll.'' Sapp referred to backup nose tackles Chartric ``Chuck'' Darby and Buck Gurley, who, along with Ellis Wyms, stood in for McFarland after the forearm injury, with Darby doing the brunt of the work. Darby replaced McFarland on Sunday. The Bucs went 3-1 in McFarland's first absence and Darby, in his only four NFL starts, had 11 tackles and a sack. ``We'll try to step in,'' Darby said. ``We'll do what it takes.'' He added, ``Booger is a great man. He's always there for you. He makes you laugh, he's truly a leader. He deserves only the best.'' Not this. ``It makes me sad,'' Darby said.