By GLENN MILLER
The (Fort Myers, Fla.) News-Press

SAN DIEGO - Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp isn't humble. "I'm the best the game has to offer," Sapp said. "No doubt about it. If you tell me there's a better defensive tackle in the game, show him to me."

Sapp isn't afraid to share his thoughts with the media, even this week at the Super Bowl, where more than 3,000 reporters of various sorts are slinking around town.

"You didn't travel out here just to watch us run around with pads and shorts on and not talk to me did you?" Sapp told a throng of reporters. "No. That wouldn't be fun."

Sapp, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, isn't worried that the Bucs will relax too much in San Diego and get sidetracked from focusing on the Oakland Raiders, their opponents in Super Bowl XXXVII.

"We aren't here for vacation," Sapp said. "I live on the only peninsula in the United States of America and if I want vacation time, I live it every day of my life."

OK, we know Sapp isn't humble or afraid or distracted. What is he then? A certain future Hall of Famer. A cornerstone of the NFL's best defense. A 303-pound man with the footwork of a cornerback and the speed of a linebacker.

"Twinkletoes," said Tampa Bay defensive end Greg Spires.

Sapp is many things. A great player. A very smart guy. Nearly every Wednesday, when the Bucs open their locker room to reporters, somebody slips on a statistical question, off by a yard on a running back's rushing totals or the score of a game in 1996. Sapp knows the stats. Always.

He's a man unafraid of challenges on the field or elsewhere.

"He's going to tell you exactly how it is," Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden said.

"Whether you like it or not, you are going to hear about it. So you better have some thick skin. Just understand this is one of the more vibrant people you will ever meet. To me, that's the kind of guys I like to hang around with the most. Guys that love every aspect of competition.

"If you are not going to pull the oar like you are supposed to, you're going to get some peer pressure from Warren Sapp. Sometimes it's in good humor and sometimes it's not."

This is Sapp's moment. This is his showcase. He played in national championship games for the University of Miami. He's been in the NFL since 1995. He relishes the spotlight. He's part ham and all football player.

The Super Bowl, a national secular holiday observed by nearly every American, was made for Sapp.

"This is crazy," Sapp said. "They talk about the thousands of credentials from around the world of people who will be here. And it is what it is. It's the Super Bowl. Wow! I'm just in awe. ... There's nothing like the Super Bowl. I'm a witness now."

The Bucs selected Sapp on the first round of the 1995 draft. Although Tampa is close to his hometown of Plymouth, Sapp wasn't happy. He left one of the nation's elite college programs for one of the sports world's sorriest franchises.

Sapp was with his brother in New York City on draft day.

"We're going to a graveyard," Sapp said. "Then when I got there, it was a third-world country."

Sapp helped turn the Bucs around, from third-world despair to NFL superpower. They've won their two playoff games this month by a combined 58-16 score.

Tampa Bay defensive line coach Rod Marinelli joined the team in 1996 and has seen Sapp mature.

"There's life to him," Marinelli said. "I mean he's got some energy and life. He's obviously got great talent. And what really makes it fun is to see a great talent become a great player. There's a lot of great talent that doesn't become great players."

On Sunday, in Qualcomm Stadium, Sapp and the rest of the league's No. 1 defense will face the league's No. 1 offense. One of the men across the line of scrimmage from Sapp will be offensive guard Frank Middleton, a former Buc who didn't always agree with Sapp.

"It is like getting two fat boys in the ring and whoever wins gets to eat," said Middleton, a 330-pounder.

Sapp is ready for Middleton.

"Me and the big fella have been grinding since he got here," Sapp said. "I watched him develop into the player he is now. I just consider him a mauler.

"That's the way he likes to play the game. He's just a big old country boy from Texas. We used to always talk about it being Texas football going against Florida football. He would always say that Texas football is better than Florida and you know I'm not having that."

Now, a Florida team has a chance to win a Super Bowl. The Bucs will go into Qualcomm Stadium with Sapp leading them. He won't be shy. He may twirl around like a little boy pretending to be an airplane. He may talk some smack with Middleton.

Hostile Raiders fans shouldn't intimidate him. The Bucs went to Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium last week and beat the Eagles 27-10. A Philadelphia newspaper put a picture of Sapp on the front page with the words "Send in the Clown." An Eagles' fan held up a sign proclaiming Tampa Bay's No. 99, "Sappy the Clown." Sapp insists he loves Philadelphia.

"I really do," Sapp said. "The Sixers are my basketball team and the Phillies are my baseball team. I just hate the Eagles and the Flyers."

On Sunday, Sapp will see Raiders' fans, who may be as over-the-top as Philly fans.

"They're nothing compared to the Vet," Sapp said.

Sapp won't be intimidated. This is his time. This is his stage. This is his world.

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