Gramatica Gets No Cold Feet

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. â€”  The Tampa Bay Buccaneers get a mighty nice reward for finally winning a game in cold weather: A first-round bye, and a week to recuperate in the Florida sun.

With their playoff fate in their hands and the game-time temperature at 34 degrees Sunday night, the Buccaneers hounded the short-handed Chicago Bears incessantly, setting up all but one of Martin Gramatica’s five field goals on the way to a 15-0 victory.

The Buccaneers secured the No. 2 seeding in the NFC with their franchise-best 12th victory, giving them a bye next weekend and a home game in the second round.

“How about that? That’s really something,� Coach Jon Gruden said. “A milestone tonight, winning 12 games, first time we’ve been able to do that. We made sure the thermometer was accurate and we accomplished something tonight. Hopefully, we can put some of those streaks to end and maybe start some new cold-weather streaks.�

The warm-blooded Buccaneers had a long record of ineptness in the cold, losing 21 in a row when the temperature was 40 degrees or below. But they could have passed for penguins Sunday, with the temperature dipping into the low 30s as the night went on and the southeast wind making it feel even chillier.

“I’m a 30-year Florida boy. I hate this stuff,� tackle Warren Sapp said. “It’ll always be brought up, but at least we got it off our resume.�

The Buccaneers (12-4) had already locked up the NFC South title. But after losing last Monday night to Pittsburgh, they needed help from the New York Jets to get the first-round bye.

The Jets did their part with a 42-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers about two hours before the Buccaneers and Bears (4-12) kicked off. The Buccaneers were well aware of the outcome of that game -- the end played on the scoreboard at Memorial Stadium -- and took the field knowing their fate was in their hands.

“The situation we let get away from us Monday was put right back into our laps. You can’t ask for anything better than that,� Sapp said. “We had the table set for us with a nine-course meal. All we had to do was sit down and eat. We ate.�

Feasted is more like it. Tampa Bay’s offense was hardly impressive, with Rob Johnson getting sacked five times -- four times in the first half -- and mustering only 134 yards passing.

But the defense more than made up for the offense, abusing Bear third-string quarterback Henry Burris, who was making his first NFL start because of injuries to Chris Chandler and Jim Miller.

Tampa Bay intercepted Burris four times, setting up four of Gramatica’s field goals.

Just how ferocious were the Buccaneers? Chicago’s first five plays in the fourth quarter were passes, and Tampa Bay picked off three of them. Burris completed only seven of 19 for 78 yards.

The Buccaneers lead the league with 31 interceptions, and extended their streak of games with at least one takeaway to 41. It was the second shutout this season for the league’s stingiest defense, which has given up only 196 points.