Quick Kicks
Got you cornered
Some teams use the run to set up the pass. Others use the pass to set up the run. On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers used their corners to set up a 41-0 blowout of the Chicago Bears.
The Bucs duo of Ronde Barber and Donnie Abraham combined for eight tackles, 2 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, one touchdown and three passes defensed in thrashing the Bears worse than any opponent in Tampa Bay’s 25-year history.
“We just played hard and fortunately the turnovers came to us,” said Abraham, who accounted for two interceptions and a fumble that Barber returned 17 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. “If you have 11 guys going in there saying, `I got to make a play,’ then nine times out of 10 one of us is going to make the play.”
Added Barber: “No matter how much you watch our defense or prepare for our defense, you just can’t brace for our speed.”
A win with attitude
Somehow, it’s very appropriate that the New Orleans Saints delivered rookie coach Jim Haslett with his first NFL win in the matter they did on Sunday.
After bumbling and stumbling to a 14-10 loss against Detroit in last week’s season-opener, the Saints were anything but mistake-free in beating the San Diego Chargers 28-27 at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday.
But they displayed heart and refused to quit - a pair of traits which marked Haslett’s successful playing career back in the 1980s with Buffalo - to battle back from a two-touchdown deficit and edge the Chargers on a Jeff Blake-to-Joe Horn touchdown pass in the final minute.
“They fought more than any team I’ve been around today,” Haslett said minutes after his first NFL coaching victory was in the books. “We came in trying to play physical and smart. We did play physical at times, but we weren’t very smart at times.”
Sidelined
Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair was taken to the hospital for tests after injuring his chest on a hit by Kansas City defensive end Duane Clemons. … Denver kicker Jason Elam hurt his lower back trying to make a tackle on Darrick Vaughn’s 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
The numbers game
Cleveland’s Chris Gardocki set an NFL record, extending his streak of punts without a block to 630. He averaged 48 yards on seven punts in the Browns’ 24-7 victory over Cincinnati. … Tennessee tight end Frank Wycheck threw his second career TD pass, a 30-yarder to Kevin Dyson in the Titans’ 17-14 overtime victory over Kansas City. Tampa Bay had five sacks in its 41-0 victory over Chicago, giving the Bucs 11 in two games. … Detroit has not scored an offensive touchdown in its two victories.
Simms needs relief pitcher
Phil Simms, the CBS analyst and former NFL quarterback, had an emergency appendectomy Saturday, forcing him to miss the Indianapolis-Oakland game. Simms, 44, was replaced by Todd Blackledge, the network’s top college football analyst.
They said it … “The stats are good, but it doesn’t matter when you don’t win.” - Jacksonville’s Jimmy Smith, who had a career-high 291 yards and three touchdowns in the Jaguars’ 39-36 loss to Baltimore.