There is little by which to remember Monte Kiffin at One Buc Place. He might be in the background of some pictures scattered around the massive facility in Tampa, but the Moment of Victory exhibit in the lobby features life-size statues of nine other Buccaneers, including then-head coach Jon Gruden.
Kiffin, though, has his Super Bowl XXXVII ring to prove he was there.Those men represented in the statues, six of them defensive players, owe Monte Kiffin. But Kiffin owes them more.Coaching is important in the NFL. Players are more important.How else to explain the Cowboys' 1995 Super Bowl season with Barry Switzer as head coach?Which is precisely the moment Kiffin began to make a reputation for himself.Days before the Cowboys won Super Bowl XXX on Jan. 28, 1996, the Bucs announced the hiring of Tony Dungy. Dungy tabbed Saints linebackers coach Jim Haslett to be his defensive coordinator.Haslett turned down the offer to stay in New Orleans, but the Saints then gave Dungy permission to talk to Kiffin, whom Dungy knew from their three seasons coaching together in Minnesota.Dungy and Kiffin were in the right place at the right time when they arrived in Tampa in 1996, where I was in my second season covering the Bucs. Though the Bucs had been 43-111 the previous 10 years, including nine double-digit losing seasons, Warren Sapp, John Lynch and Derrick Brooks already were on the roster.It just so happens that the 3-technique (defensive tackle) that Sapp played, the WILL (weakside linebacker) that Brooks played and the strong safety that Lynch played are the three most important positions in the Tampa 2, according to Dungy."That's what you have to put in place to have that system be great," Dungy said Friday.The Bucs were great on defense. How great? They became a contender with Trent Dilfer at quarterback. They won a Super Bowl with Brad Johnson at quarterback.During Kiffin's 13 seasons in Tampa, his defenses ranked in the top 10 in yards allowed 11 times and were in the top 10 in fewest points allowed 12 times. They averaged 39 sacks, 19 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries."I think what he did was revolutionary on defense in terms of what we did," Lynch said. "I think the beauty of it was the simplicity. We didn't try to trick people. He believed in doing a few things and doing them well, and learning the intricacies so well that it was kind of a deal where, 'Here it is. Go ahead and stop it.' You have to have great players to do that. I know that. At times that seemed to denigrate the role of the coordinator, but I thought to the contrary. I thought that was brilliance of him."The Bucs eventually added Simeon Rice, Booger McFarland, Ronde Barber and Shelton Quarles, among others. But Sapp, Lynch and Brooks always were the catalysts.Sapp is a Hall of Fame finalist in his first year of eligibility. Lynch was eliminated Friday in the cutdown from 27 to 15 modern-era finalists. Brooks is eligible in 2014.And therein lies the problem for Kiffin in Dallas, where he was named the Cowboys' new defensive coordinator Friday. He doesn't have Sapp. He doesn't have Brooks. He doesn't have Lynch."I don't know if he has the players there yet. I hope he does," Brooks said. "I just know what we did to make our defense great. Some would say it's so simple, but at the same time, it's so complex. You always hear about Dallas, 'They've got talent. They've got talent.' Well, now it's time to roost. They can answer the question: Do they really have talent?"The Cowboys have a potential future Hall of Famer in DeMarcus Ware. They have a former Pro Bowl defensive tackle in Jay Ratliff, who missed 10 games with injuries this season. They have up-and-coming linebackers Bruce Carter and Sean Lee, if they can stay on the field.The Cowboys spent a lot to improve their cornerbacks last off-season by moving up in the draft to nab Morris Claiborne after signing free-agent Brandon Carr to a $50.1 million deal. Their best defensive player in 2012, Anthony Spencer, is scheduled to become a free agent this off-season.But for the past eight seasons, the Cowboys have played a 3-4. They drafted for the 3-4. They signed free agents who fit the 3-4."If they do want to [switch to the Tampa 2], they're probably a couple of drafts away," Dungy said. "They've got some dominating players. They've got two corners who are going to be big-time players. They've got two outside linebackers who are tremendous. But they don't have what this system takes. That's why I will be curious to see what they end up doing."The Cowboys couldn't have done any better than Kiffin, considering the circumstances. Jason Garrett goes into next season on the hot seat, and most assistant coaches are looking for more than one year of job security.Kiffin fits right in at Valley Ranch since he is coaching with something to prove. His résumé over the past five seasons, including his final season in Tampa when he left on bad terms, has not been good.But if Kiffin can win with this defense, and save Garrett's job, he is sure to be remembered at Valley Ranch with more than a random picture of him in the background.Charean Williams817-390-7760Twitter: @NFLChareanWhen do you expect to see results from the Cowboys' new defense?
Cowboys defensive coordinator Kiffin could be Garrett's lifeline
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