Chicago Sun-Times (Sunday)

At ease? No way, Bucs say

Wary of Vikings, Arians scoffs at notion that his team has soft schedule

- BY FRED GOODALL

TAMPA, Fla. — Coach Bruce Arians finds it laughable that anyone would suggest his Buccaneers are entering an easy portion of their schedule, a four- game stretch with playoff implicatio­ns that begins against the Vikings.

Three teams that have non- winning records might stand between the Bucs ( 7- 5) and their first postseason berth in 13 years. The surging Vikings ( 6- 6) are nipping at their heels in a crowded NFC race.

After losing three of four to division- title contenders entering last week’s bye, Arians said the Bucs certainly aren’t in a position to take any opponent for granted, especially the Vikings, who’ve won five of six after a 1- 5 start.

“Minnesota is one game behind us, and they’ll have the tiebreaker,” Arians said. “This is a huge game. We’re not looking past anybody; that’s for sure.”

The Bucs haven’t made the playoffs since 2007, the second- longest drought in the league behind the Browns, who haven’t earned a berth since 2002. Tom Brady was brought in this season to change Tampa Bay’s fortunes. The six- time Super Bowl champion said the focus down the stretch has to be on getting better each week and peaking at the right time as a team.

After facing the Vikings at home on Sunday, the Bucs will finish the regular season with road games against Atlanta and Detroit, as well as a home date against the NFC South rival Falcons.

“What you’ve got to do is have competitiv­e stamina,’’ Brady said. ‘‘ You’ve got to have the ability to compete every day through whatever the situation might be. . . . I know we all wish we were 12- 0. It’s not the reality. We haven’t deserved it. We haven’t played to that level.

“But what we have had is an opportunit­y to learn about each other, what things we’re productive at, what we haven’t been productive at. Hopefully now, having a week off, understand­ing how we need to approach these things going forward, we can play our best football. That’s what December is all about.”

If the playoffs started this week, the Bucs would hold the sixth seed in the NFC. The Vikings are in the seventh — and final — spot, with games remaining against the Bears, Saints and Lions after Sunday.

While Arians has openly talked to his team about the playoffs and the urgency to treat each outing down the stretch as if it were a postseason game, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer has refrained from taking that approach with his players.

“Honestly, we’ve had to fight back so hard from where we started out to get in position to even mention the word playoffs,’’ Zimmer said. ‘‘ I’ve always kind of approached it like, ‘ You know what, let’s go out and put all our emphasis on this one particular game, and let’s count them all up at the end and see how that goes.’

“For a young team like us, I don’t think it’s the way to go when we’re talking about a stretch of four games where if we don’t win a lot of these, then it doesn’t matter anyway.”

Like the Bucs, though, the Vikings relish being in position to control their chances in the race. Win every game, and they’re in.

The Vikings have been breaking in an especially young group of cornerback­s on the fly, with measured improvemen­t after some rough performanc­es earlier. Rookie Cameron Dantzler had his first intercepti­on last week, plus a forced and recovered fumble. Rookie Jeff Gladney and second- year player Kris Boyd are the two other regulars, mere kindergart­ners when Brady won his first of six Super Bowl rings with New England, the last three with Rob Gronkowski.

“These guys are just so focused on trying to do their job,’’ Zimmer said. ‘‘ They can’t worry too much about the aura of the great players that they have. All of our guys, whether it be young guys or old guys, they like to compete. They like to play, and I think that’s what we’re going to have to focus on, not how many Super Bowls Brady and Gronkowski have won.”

 ?? MIKE EHRMANN/ GETTY IMAGES ?? Tom Brady wants the Buccaneers to start playing their best ball in December.
MIKE EHRMANN/ GETTY IMAGES Tom Brady wants the Buccaneers to start playing their best ball in December.

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