Playoffs?? Playoffs!

The good and the bad. Remember this? Also a memorable day in Philadelphia for different reasons.

 

“The most definitive play in Tampa Bay's history occurred on Jan. 19, 2003, but it took several years of construction.

The Bucs were on the road against Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game. They had been defeated in consecutive years by the Eagles in the playoffs (21-3 in 2000 and 31-9 in 2001), the latter leading to the firing of Coach Tony Dungy.

Add Tampa Bay's history of poor cold-weather performances (temperature at kickoff was in the 20s with a wind-chill of 16 degrees) and it being the last game played at Veterans Stadium, and this setting was supposed to be more like the Colosseum with the Bucs being fed to the lions.

All those factors led to Barber's franchise-altering day.

"If you ever have a chance, go watch the tape. Ronde Barber was unbelievable that day in Philadelphia ... That was one of the greatest individual games you'll ever see," Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said.

Barber terrorized quarterback Donovan McNabb the entire game. He defended four passes and had three tackles, one sack and a forced fumble, but what Barber did late in the fourth quarter sealed his legacy.

Tampa Bay led 20-10, but it appeared to be just a matter of time before Philadelphia reminded its opponents they were the Bucs. McNabb had driven his team into scoring position with 3:30 remaining and three timeouts left. When McNabb attempted to throw a pass to Antonio Freeman, Barber intercepted and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown, sealing Tampa Bay's 27-10 victory.”