What The 'backer Sees

Three more tendencies: Frerotte's only downfield throws went to wide receiver Bernard Berrian. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe—who would be Brooks's assignment on occasion—ran patterns almost exclusively up the seam, and Minnesota didn't run behind him. And when fullback Jim Kleinsasser was on the field, Peterson always ran to his side. No decoying there.

Brooks found himself fascinated not only by the way Peterson ran but also by when he ran. "Now they're down 10--0. What'll they do?" he said during the second-quarter footage. Here came Peterson: around left end for seven, behind left tackle Bryant McKinnie for two, up the gut for two and a first down, jiggling around left end and avoiding three tacklers before lunging ahead for six. Minnesota was rolling. "You see most teams mix it up. But this one comes out throwing, and when they get in trouble, they run. How many teams do that?"

Ditto versus the Lions on Oct. 12: The Vikings called eight passes in the first 12 plays. "It shows me they've got confidence in Frerotte, and Childress wants to make an explosive play early."

On one 13-yard run by Peterson against Detroit, Brooks saw clearly why the 23-year-old back makes yards: He probes for a hole, and if he doesn't find an opening, he's quick enough to pull back and hit other holes until he gets one he likes. And unlike Sanders, who annually led the NFL in rushes for a loss, Peterson knows when to plunge for two instead of gambling that he'll discover a better route by looking longer. Over and over Brooks watches a play in which Peterson tests two holes and then bursts through a five-yard-wide gulf to gain 13. "See, Ernie [Sims, the Lions' linebacker] lost the ball here—you can't do that against Peterson. And man, look at this cut upfield by this kid. Just look. But no color. The kid runs from color. He'll find the hole. That's why we've got to tackle his outside leg. Don't let him get that push upfield."

There's a principle in the NFL that doesn't come up much on the TV studio shows, but Brooks knows its importance against Minnesota: gap discipline. It means that the players on the defensive front—most often, Tampa would have seven or eight men near the line against the Vikings—must fight to keep from getting pushed out of their assigned lanes. If in his video study Brooks saw Peterson probing until he found an open gap once he saw it 30 times. The Bucs' goal would be to erect a wall against Peterson. Let him juke all he wants, but don't create an opening by being a hero and lunging to make a one-on-one tackle. Stand firm and let the system work.

The Vikings had won four of their last five. Tampa Bay was 6--3 but inconsistent on offense. Brooks knew this would be a tight game, and one play could win or lose it. The Bucs couldn't afford to make a big mistake against Peterson.

GAME DAY. Brooks, the defensive captain, stressed two themes to his troops: They'll come out throwing. And Peterson runs from color.

The first five Vikings plays were passes. On the fifth Brooks, running with Shiancoe just outside the right seam, got a hand on the tight end's torso as a Frerotte pass settled in. Brooks couldn't wrestle the ball free. Good throw, good catch, but the Tampa Bay linebacker knew his defense was counting on him to make that play. Gain of 23.

Two plays later the system worked. On second-and-six, with eight men in the box, Peterson tried a simple dive through the gap between center and right guard. It was just a probe, not a commitment, and the presence of linemen Kevin Carter and Chris Hovan and linebacker Cato June in the space of two gaps made Peterson pivot hard on his right foot and sprint straight left. He thought he saw the makings of a hole between left guard and tackle, the B gap. Brooks, spying Peterson, tried not to get caught up in the traffic. As the back lunged through the hole, right end Gaines Adams came off McKinnie to hit him low, and Brooks smashed him high from the side. Gain of six. Could have been worse.

Later in the first quarter Peterson showed why he's peerless. The Bucs had eight men in the box on first down at the Vikings' 35. Ronde Barber's responsibility was the gap outside right end. Peterson took a handoff and ran straight up the gut. In rushed Barber. Instead of diving at his outside leg, which would have forced Peterson back into the jam in the middle, Barber went for his waist. Not many backs could have done what Peterson did next. Sanders for sure, Gale Sayers maybe. Peterson spun out of Barber's grasp, did a 360 without so much as a stumble and steamed around left end, where he had no one in front of him. Gain of 22.