Phillips highlights defense's big day Stephen F Holder, The St.Petersburg Times, published 24 December 2006 Jermaine Phillips had to pause before recalling his last interception. Forgive him if his memory is foggy. Before Sunday, it was Nov. 7, 2004. But the Tampa Bay strong safety won't soon forget this performance against the Browns. Phillips had two of the team's season-high four interceptions. Phillip Buchanon snatched his second of the season and nearly snagged another. And Derrick Brooks darted 21 yards to the end zone after his to put the game out of reach. "It's just a matter of waiting for your opportunities," Phillips said. "There have been some passes that have come my way, and I dropped the ball. I just keep trying to tackle good, force a fumble here and there. If the interceptions come, they come." Phillips' drought has become almost infamous, with teammate Ronde Barber joking "Phillips can't catch a cold, and he gets two today." It was no coincidence they came on a day when the front seven consistently pressured Derek Anderson, whose quarterback rating after leaving the game late with a separated right shoulder was 12.3. Jon Gruden said he had been disappointed in the inability to pressure quarterbacks this season, pointing to an opposing quarterback rating hovering near 100 entering the game. "That's almost unheard of," Gruden said of the statistic. "We did a good job rushing." Phillips' first pick came on a nifty play, scooping the ball a few inches off the turf after it ricocheted off Kellen Winslow's fingertips in the second quarter. On the Browns' next series, Phillips grabbed an overthrown pass intended for Winslow. The Bucs entered Sunday with seven interceptions, second fewest in the league. But the basic elements of the defense showed up, with ends Greg Spires (two sacks) and Dewayne White flying in from the edges and tackle Chris Hovan burying Anderson with the sack that knocked him out of the game. "The pass rush helped a lot," Buchanon said. "I don't care who you are. You have to have that." But it works both ways. "I thought we had great coverage in the back, and that's what lets the defensive linemen make a second move," Hovan said. "Overall, I think it was our most complete (defensive) performance of the season." And for Phillips, who has been criticized this season for issues such as missed tackles and taking bad angles, Sunday offered a bit of redemption. "Tough times come and go," he said. "Tough people don't. I always pride myself on being a tough guy who's always going to be there in the end. Regardless of what adversity came my way, I stood up and faced them."