The END
of an ERA
M O N T E K I F F I N
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive Coordinator
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On December 28, 2008,Monte Kiffin will coach his
last regular-season game as the defensive coordinator
of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Following the 2008
season – which hopefully will include some additional
work in the playoffs – Kiffin will leave the team to join
the University of Tennessee football staff under his
son, Lane Kiffin, the Volunteers' new head coach.
Kiffin's departure will truly be the end of an era,
not just in Tampa but across the league. Tampa Bay's
defensive coordinator since 1996, Kiffin is one of the
defining figures in the NFL over the last two decades.
Primary architect of one of the most consistently
excellent defenses in league history, Kiffin has made
the words "Tampa Two" an enduring part of the
game's lexicon.
Watching Kiffin move on to a new challenge is a
bittersweet experience for his Buccaneer colleagues
and for Tampa Bay fans everywhere. It is an undeniably
special opportunity for a football man of more
than four decades to join forces with his own son as
that son embarks on what could be the defining challenge
of his career. Obviously, everyone in Kiffin's
Buccaneer family appreciates the draw of that opportunity
and wishes him well. Still, it's hard to imagine
the Buccaneers without Kiffin walking the sidelines
next fall.
What has Tampa Bay's defense accomplished
with Kiffin on the sideline? By most measures, the
Buccaneers have been the NFL's best defense over
that incredible 13-year span. Beginning with the franchise's
turnaround season of 1997, Kiffin's second with
the team, Tampa Bay has allowed the fewest points
and the fewest yards of any team in the league since.
The Buccaneers' pass defense has been particularly
stingy, allowing a league-low opponent passer rating
over those dozen years. Tampa Bay has pitched seven
shutouts since 1998, second most in the NFL to
Baltimore's nine. Since the 2000 season, the
Buccaneers' defense has picked off 187 passes and
scored 30 touchdowns, both second during that time.
See the charts to the left for all the details.
During his Buccaneer tenure, Kiffin has coached
eight different defensive players to the Pro Bowl for a
total of 35 all-star trips. He joined the team as one of
Tony Dungy's first hires in 1996 and stayed through
the change at the top when Jon Gruden arrived in
2002. Gruden found a perfect football partner in
another grinder who devotes himself fully to the team.
"Monte has made a real impact on me," said
Gruden. "I'm just thankful that I've had the chance to
work with him. He's a great, great person, an outstanding
teacher and a heck of a coach. The best
word I can use to describe him is 'passionate.' He is
passionate about his job every hour of every day. He
will be sorely missed around here, but at the same
time we're all truly happy for him."
Monte Kiffin joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
as defensive coordinator in 1996. Over the next 13
years, he directed 10 defenses that finished in the top
10 of the league's rankings (it will be 11 if the Bucs
maintain their current ranking through today's game).
He helped the Buccaneers win Super Bowl XXXVII
after the 2002 season, with a 48-21 victory over the
Raiders that included five sacks, a Super Bowl-record
five interceptions and a Super Bowl-record three
defensive touchdowns. He has helped the team to
seven playoff appearances and 107 victories (perhaps
one more of each after today's game) and made too
many friends to count in the process. The Buccaneers
wish Kiffin the same kind of unparalleled success at
his next stop, the University of Tennessee.
NFL FEWEST POINTS ALLOWED
SINCE 1997
Rank Team Points Allowed
1. Tampa Bay 3,254
2. Pittsburgh 3,354
3. Baltimore 3,387
4. New England 3,507
NFL OPPONENT PASSER RATING
SINCE 1996
Rank Team Rating
1. Tampa Bay 71.1
2. Green Bay 73.2
3. Baltimore 73.4
4. Pittsburgh 73.6
5. Washington 74.8
MOST DEFENSIVE TOUCHDOWNS
SINCE 2000
Rank Team TDs
1. Baltimore 32
2. Tampa Bay 30
2. Green Bay 30
4. Tennessee 29
5t. Chicago 27
5t. New England 27
MOST INTERCEPTIONS SINCE 2000
Rank Team INTs
1. Baltimore 187
2. Tampa Bay 185
3t. Cleveland 164
3t. Green Bay 164
5. New England 163
(all stats through week 15)