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Pat Yasinskas, The Tampa Tribune, published 22 December 1997
With plenty of playoff mystery surrounding the final regular-season game in Houlihan's Stadium, The Truth came out. Karl Williams and the Bucs took away the false thought that they might be playoff pretenders. Once and for all, they put to rest the panic of the past few weeks - not to mention the previous 14 seasons - and firmly showed they're ready for prime time. Williams set the tone with two touchdowns and the Bucs clubbed the Chicago Bears 31-15 to seal their first home playoff game since 1979. The Bucs will play host Sunday at 4 p.m. to the Detroit Lions, who reached the postseason with a 13-10 victory against the New York Jets.
The Bucs finished 10-6 to match the franchise record set by the 1979 squad. More importantly, they snapped a two-game losing streak and regained crucial momentum for the playoffs. "I think this is a day I'll remember my entire career," quarterback Trent Dilfer said. "We've defied the odds and proven a lot of people wrong and made a whole lot of people happy. I'm proud to be a Buccaneer. This city and I have had a weird relationship the last four years. These fans deserve the opportunity to line up [today] at 10 o'clock and get those tickets."
Start with the fans. In the hours after the victory, several thousand of them lined up at the stadium ticket office to be the first to attend the Bucs" first playoff game since 1982. Playoff tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. today. But no one made the fans and the Bucs more proud than Williams. The second-year receiver and return man ignited a surge that led to one of the greatest days in franchise history. From a spinning 61-yard punt return for a touchdown at the end of the first quarter to a diving catch at the back of the end zone 15 minutes later, Williams made possible a slew of Big Sombrero rarities.
There was maligned owner Malcolm Glazer running off the field to applause from 70,930 fans. There was stoic Coach Tony Dungy smiling after being doused with a cooler of Gatorade and a soon-to-be-retired stadium rocking in late December. And, oh, have we mentioned, at least one more game in the old yard? "This city needs a playoff game and they really deserve it for all the support they've given us," defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. "The crowd was wild. It was lovely, but it's just a prelude to what we'll see next week."
Besides pulling off only the third punt return for a touchdown in franchise history, Williams (who also had the second) had a record-setting day. With 116 yards in punt returns, Williams shattered his own team records for a single game and season. "It feels great to go into the playoffs with a victory like this," said Williams, who draws his nickname from former boxer Carl "The Truth" Williams. But the truth is the Bucs hadn't played like a playoff team the last two weeks. Against the Bears, they did. "You want to go into the playoffs with momentum," Williams said.
That's exactly what the Bucs established as they dominated the Bears (4-12), who finished with their least number of wins in a non-strike season since 1975. Williams, who finished with four receptions for 47 yards, was spectacular and the rest of the Bucs weren't far behind. "I didn't necessarily think we had to win big, but I knew we had to play well," Dungy said.
The running game, which was stagnant in losses to the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets, returned to life. Warrick Dunn gained 119 yards on 16 carries, and Dilfer (10 of 18 for 94 yards) was sharp. The defense held Chicago to 203 yards of total offense, forced two interceptions and recorded three sacks to set a season record with 44. Put it all together, which the Bucs did, and the outlook for the postseason suddenly is bright. "We're feeling good," Sapp said. "The sky is the limit."
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