DT Warren Sapp helped the Bucs keep their 2000 sweep alive in Week Three
They've done it again.
In a streak that is becoming preposterous in its length, a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the third straight week. DT Warren Sapp garnered that award today thanks to his three-sack performance in the Bucs' 31-10 domination of Detroit in the Pontiac Silverdome on Sunday.
This is Sapp's second NFC Defensive Player of the Week award. He was also so honored almost a year ago to the day, after he had his last three-sack game, at Philadelphia on September 19, 1999. Sapp was also named NFC Defensive Player of the Month last September and, of course, rounded out the season as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year.
That the Bucs' ultra-quick lineman walked off with another weekly award is not terribly surprising. That a Tampa Bay player has been the choice every week of the 2000 season is remarkable. Moreover, the awards have gone to one player each from the Bucs' defensive line (Sapp), linebacking crew (Derrick Brooks, Week One) and secondary (Ronde Barber, Week Two).
Sapp's effort in Detroit tied a career high in sacks, and he added four tackles as the Bucs allowed only one touchdown on a bizarre 'Hail Mary' pass. Sapp helped the Buccaneer defense register seven quarterback sacks and hold the Lions to just 17 net yards rushing, tied for the third-best single-game performance in club history. In addition, Detroit converted on only 2-of-12 third down tries.
A sixth-year pro out of the University of Miami, Sapp is tied for the NFL lead with 5.5 sacks and has totaled 12 tackles overall.
The last time a team won three consecutive Player of the Week awards in any category was the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, who won three straight offensive awards from Weeks 11-13 (Randy Moss, Randy Moss, & Randall Cunningham). The last team to win three consecutive defensive awards was the 1990 Chicago Bears, who won four awards in a row from Weeks 9-12 (Mark Carrier, Richard Dent, Mike Singletary, & Mike Merriweather).
Click here to get locker room reaction to Sapp's award.
