NEXT: GREEN BAY (2-0) Packers' rush buries Bucs Monday, September 14, 1998
BY ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Sports Writer
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Reggie White's farewell tour is starting out a lot like his grand entrance into the NFL 14 seasons ago.
Reggie White gets one of his three sacks on Trent Dilfer.
(AP photo)
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The 36-year-old defensive end was in vintage form Sunday, getting three sacks and leading a pass rush that harassed Trent Dilfer all day as the Green Bay Packers beat Tampa Bay 23-15 for their 29th consecutive home victory.
Dilfer was sacked six times, losing the ball on three of them, as the Packers (2-0) put the Bucs (0-2) in an early hole in the NFC Central.
But the news wasn't all good for Green Bay.
Pro Bowl halfback Dorsey Levens, who missed all of training camp in a contract holdout, sprained his left ankle midway through the fourth quarter and was helped off the field. His status for next week's game at Cincinnati is uncertain.
Unable to run the clock down, the Packers watched the Bucs make it interesting.
Trailing 23-0, the Bucs finally scored when rookie Jacquez Green returned a punt a team-record 95 yards for a touchdown with 6:03 left, and Dilfer hit Patrick Hape for the conversion.
The Bucs pulled to 23-15 on Dilfer's 2-yard TD pass to Dave Moore with 1:57 left. But Bill Schroeder recovered the onside kick, redeeming the Packers special teams, which muffed two punts in addition to giving up a TD return for the second straight week.
White, who retired briefly in the offseason because of his bad back, increased his record sacks total to 179 1/2 despite the hot, muggy day that sent several players to the sidelines with cramps. "When it's a big game, Reggie has that ability to go from a great player to the greatest player in the NFL," teammate Santana Dotson said. "We're kind of spoiled because we expect him to do those things regardless of back or age or whatever."
But White, who even hurdled Warrick Dunn in the second half, surely surprised a lot of people.
"Are you crazy?" said Bucs star defensive tackle Warren Sapp. "He's the best. This guy has 179 1/2 sacks. You don't get to that level being make-believe."
"Nothing much he does surprises me anymore. He's an amazing individual," Packers coach Mike Holmgren said.
"Reggie never ceases to amaze me," Brett Favre agreed. "He's an unbelievable player. I was so happy when he came back to this team simply because he can be 50 years old and still it's going to be hard for people to stop him."
White, whose bad back prompted a brief retirement in April, had three sacks in a game for the first time since 1997 Super Bowl. Asked how he felt, White smiled.
"It's sore off and on," he said. "But, couldn't you tell? I'm fine."
He's more than that.
His first sack, against right end Jason Odom, caused Dilfer to fumble, ending a drive that had reached the Green Bay 21. It was the 29th forced fumble of his career.
White burned Odom again to bury the Bucs at their own 1 and force a punt, and then he beat Jerry Wunsch on the Bucs' next possession. Not to be outdone, Dotson and Keith McKenzie both had sacks that forced fumbles.
In the first quarter, Dotson stripped Dilfer and rookie right end Vonnie Holliday recovered at the Tampa Bay 14. Two plays later, Favre hit tight end Tyrone Davis with a 10-yard TD pass for a 10-0 lead.
McKenzie forced and recovered a fumble to end a fourth-quarter drive that had reached the Green Bay 13.
Favre, who bruised his left hand late in the first half on a hard hit by Sapp, was blindsided by Regan Upshaw early in the fourth quarter, but bounced up and exchanged words.
Favre had the last laugh two plays later with a 38-yard scoring strike to Antonio Freeman, who spun away from safeties John Lynch and Charles Mincy at the 5 and dragged cornerback Rhonde Barber into the end zone for a 23-0 lead.
Ryan Longwell kicked field goals of 38, 27 and 20 yards, the last one coming with no time left in the first half after the Bucs made a critical mistake.
Out of timeouts, Levens was stopped three yards short of the end zone as the final seconds ticked away. But Bucs defensive end Chidi Ahanotu held him down and was whistled for a delay, allowing Longwell to kick a chip shot for a 16-0 halftime lead.
"It's very disappointing not only to be 0-2, but really to be paying the way we're playing," Bucs coach Tony Dungy said. "The thing that's hurting us is we keep self-destructing."
Notes: Dilfer has just two career TD passes against the Packers. ... Green Bay tight end Mark Chmura strained his right Achilles' tendon. ... The Packers' home winning streak includes four playoff games. ... White has a team-record 55 1/2 sacks for the Packers. Tim Harris held the old record, 55 from 1986-90.
BENGALS 34, LIONS 28
