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Rick Stroud, The St.Petersburg Times, published 24 December 2006
The football hung in the air for what seemed to be an eternity before Derrick Brooks wrapped his gloves around it. It took him a little longer to gather his feet and get the motor started, but eventually, he lumbered 21 yards for the eighth touchdown of his career.
Maybe Brooks should've kept going another 58 miles to Canton, where he is someday likely to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brooks' pick was one of four the Bucs used to beat the Browns 22-7 on Sunday.
"All of a sudden, we're not at the bottom of the league anymore," cornerback Ronde Barber said. "I wanted to go out and have a championship effort even though we're not playing for one. It didn't feel like the Browns were going to score."
Brooks' interception was a sight seldom seen this season. Entering the game, Tampa Bay ranked next-to-last in interceptions with seven. Safety Jermaine Phillips, who hadn't had one since Nov. 7, 2004, intercepted two passes in the first half. In the spirit of the holiday season, all the Bucs made a contribution.
Tim Rattay, making his first start, completed two or more passes to five different receivers. Mike Alstott had 22 carries for 56 yards, his most carries since the Super Bowl season of 2002. Michael Pittman gained 86 yards on 16 carries, including only the Bucs' sixth rushing touchdown of the season, an 11-yarder during the third quarter.
"I think everybody in the locker room begged for it," Barber said of the running back by committee approach. "What those guys did, and it was really noticeable, was those guys were running the ball downhill. They weren't messing around in the hole. Tough, hard-nosed running is what you need in December, and we saw it."
At one point, Alstott carried five times during an eight-play drive, including four in a row. "I got a little winded. But it really did feel good contributing and making things happen," Alstott said. "I just really wish I would've broken one of those runs. But it was a great effort by everyone. It was like the (Super Bowl) season. Pitt was involved. I was involved. Earnest (Graham) was involved. Jerald Sowell. We're not selfish, and we feed off each other."
Even the special teams pitched in with seldom-used guard Jeb Terry blocking a 31-yard field goal by Phil Dawson during the third quarter to keep the score 12-0. The victory snapped an eight-game road losing streak and four-game overall losing streak. But no good deed goes unpunished. By beating the lowly Browns, the Bucs (4-11) fell from the third pick in April's draft to as low as seventh.
None of that mattered Sunday. The Bucs defense was dominant, keeping the Browns out of the end zone. Cleveland's only touchdown came when Rattay fumbled as he was being sacked by Kamerion Wimbley and Daven Holly returned it 40 yards.
The Browns' second-year quarterback, Derek Anderson, finished with a 12.3 passer rating. He was sacked twice by Greg Spires and once by Chris Hovan and intercepted four times. "(Interceptions) come in bunches," Barber said. "Jermaine Phillips can't catch a cold, and he gets two today. We took advantage of our opportunities. It was a young quarterback, and he was just throwing balls out there. We made a couple of good plays on the ball."
The first half saw the Bucs waste opportunities. They reached the Browns 10 four times but mustered only a 6-0 lead on field goals of 23 and 24 yards by Matt Bryant. For the half, Tampa Bay held a big edge in total yards (211-109), first downs (12-6) and time of possession (18:25-11:35). One drive, early in the second quarter, ended when Alstott was stopped on fourth and 1. Another ended during the final minute on Holly's interception at the goal line.
But the Bucs put the game away by taking the second half kickoff and driving 74 yards in nine plays, capped by Pittman's 11-yard touchdown run. "We moved the ball in the first half, but we've got to score touchdowns when we get down there," said Rattay, who was 16-of-26 for 212 yards. "That kept us in the situation we were in. That's why the first drive of the third quarter was so big. It was fun to be out there. It was fun to get hit, fun to see guys making plays again."
The victory was the 100th of the regular season during the ownership of Malcolm Glazer. The victory's only other significance was, for a day, the Bucs had fun again. They cracked on each other in the locker room. Coach Jon Gruden talked about catching a walleye on Lake Erie. And a 33-year-old linebacker reminded everyone in the NFL he can still get it done. That was important for Brooks, whose streak of nine Pro Bowls ended last week.
"I'm going to heed my own advice when I tell guys that don't make it. I'm not going to take a bite of the bitter pie," Brooks said. "I'll accept what it is, and the only way you can make a statement is to go out and play. As I've said before, I'm still setting the standard at this position."
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