Veteran Receivers Step Up, Provide Big Plays Ira Kaufman, The Tampa Tribune, published 18 December 2006 Led by the fourth-quarter exploits of two veteran wide receivers, the Bucs did more than make a game of it Sunday. They made 60,000 Chicago fans hold their breath. Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard caught long scoring passes less than three minutes apart to highlight a furious late comeback that forced overtime at Soldier Field against a 13 1/2 -point favorite, the longest odds on the Week 15 board. "It all starts with No. 84, he's our guy," Hilliard said after the 35-year-old Galloway hauled in a 64-yard bomb from Tim Rattay with 6:13 remaining to pull Tampa Bay within 31-24. "Coach [Jon] Gruden made a great call and there's not many people in this league who can run with Joey." Bears safety Danieal Manning closed late as Galloway approached the end zone, but it was too late to prevent his 70th career touchdown reception. After a Chicago punt gave the Bucs possession at midfield, Rattay found rookie Maurice Stovall for 6 yards before hitting Hilliard in stride on a 44-yard slant for the tying score with 3:44 left. "We got down early, but we stuck to our game plan," said Bucs middle linebacker Shelton Quarles, who led all players with 15 stops. "It was great to see Joey and Ike running in the open with the football like that. Those guys made some unbelievable plays." Hilliard's 30th career touchdown reception marked the first time all season he and Galloway scored in the same game. "Tim took a three-step drop and hit me in a perfect place," said the 30-year-old Hilliard. "I ran out of gas, but I was fortunate enough to outrun the safety, who took a bad angle on the play. This game shows the resolve in our locker room … we have a lot of leaders here." Facing the NFC's premier defense, the Bucs gained 293 yards after halftime of a 34-31 overtime loss that dropped them to 3-11. "We shut those fans up for a little while," Bucs defensive end Dewayne White said. "Our offense scored a lot of points and I'm already excited about next week. Rattay sparked us and Joey and Ike made big catches when it counted. We're going to finish off this year on a good note." Galloway finished with 107 yards on his three receptions; Hilliard gained 55 yards on three catches. Galloway declined comment after the game, but teammates appreciated the effort. "We are what we are this year," said defensive tackle Chris Hovan, "but we faced a tremendous gut-check down 24-3. We didn't get the victory, and there are no moral victories, but our fight [Sunday] can't be questioned." His team trailing by 21 points in a hostile environment, Rattay relied on the experience of Hilliard and Galloway to turn a potential laugher into serious business. Once the Saints lost at home to Washington, Chicago fans knew the Bears had an opportunity to secure homefield advantage through the NFC playoffs. But the Bucs refused to roll over, unleashing a deep passing attack that has been missing for much of the season. "Every week you learn something about yourselves, especially in these dark times," linebacker Derrick Brooks said. "We aren't going to accept moral victories, but we see the effort we put forth [Sunday] and we're going to build off of that. We're not that far away."