BillsFever
08-11-2003, 09:23 PM
LAKE BUENA VISTA - The defense finished No. 1 overall in the NFL thanks in part to the life new coach Jon Gruden breathed into the offense. Better competition on both sides raised the bar.
Six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Warren Sapp stressed Sunday that former coach Tony Dungy's groundwork was a part of the team's 2002 success and will impact any future successes.
"We went to lunch one day and it was weird sitting with him," Sapp said. "There's my creator, as I know it. There's my creator. He took the handcuffs off of me and allowed me to be me. In every way shape and form, he allowed me to be me. I'm forever grateful and I think he knows that. I'm not the one to hide how I feel about somebody. I love that man."
The Bucs fired Dungy after the team's 31-9 first-round playoff loss Jan. 12, 2002, in Philadelphia. Dungy was immediately hired by the Colts. Sapp expects a tremendous outpouring of emotion when the Colts come to Tampa for a Monday night game on Oct. 6.
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/08/11/Bucs/Sapp_thanks_Dungy_for.shtml
Six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Warren Sapp stressed Sunday that former coach Tony Dungy's groundwork was a part of the team's 2002 success and will impact any future successes.
"We went to lunch one day and it was weird sitting with him," Sapp said. "There's my creator, as I know it. There's my creator. He took the handcuffs off of me and allowed me to be me. In every way shape and form, he allowed me to be me. I'm forever grateful and I think he knows that. I'm not the one to hide how I feel about somebody. I love that man."
The Bucs fired Dungy after the team's 31-9 first-round playoff loss Jan. 12, 2002, in Philadelphia. Dungy was immediately hired by the Colts. Sapp expects a tremendous outpouring of emotion when the Colts come to Tampa for a Monday night game on Oct. 6.
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/08/11/Bucs/Sapp_thanks_Dungy_for.shtml