SAN DIEGO - It was a simple story about a simple defense.
Tony Dungy's cover-2 scheme led the sad-sack Tampa Bay Buccaneers to competence in the late 1990s, producing 20 defensive Pro Bowlers from 1997-2001 and ranking in the top 10 in defense each of those years.
The high-scoring Rams were so impressed after edging the Bucs, 11-6, in the NFC Championship Game three years ago, they hired a Dungy assistant, Lovie Smith, to bring the system to St. Louis in 2001.
Players quickly learned it, and the Rams vastly improved on defense and landed in the Super Bowl.
Now it is the Buccaneers who are in the Super Bowl at last. To no one's surprise, they got here with a defense that ranked No. 1 and has held two playoff opponents to a total of 16 points.
This is where the plot twist comes in. Turns out simple isn't always better.
With the reins loosened by new, more aggressive coach Jon Gruden, veteran coordinator Monte Kiffin added numerous wrinkles. The fastest, most confident defense in the league suddenly isn't so simple anymore, and the result has been a string of offenses more befuddled than ever.
"It's a whole lot more aggressive," said cornerback Ronde Barber, whose 92-yard interception return finished off the Eagles in the NFC title game. "Monte is a little bit freer than he was. We've got the same calls. The defense hasn't changed too dramatically, but Monte is calling plays he wants to call."
For example, on third downs, the defense might line up man-to-man, with the cornerbacks on the line of scrimmage. "It's fun for us," Barber said.
Cornerback Brian Kelly said: "We still run cover-2, but we throw in a little man, a little zone, a little zone blitzing, a little underneath blitzing, a little underneath man. I don't know why it still is considered just the Tampa 2' defense."
In the cover-2, which is known for its lack of complexity, the safeties split the field to help avoid deep passes, and the cornerbacks are not asked to cover man-to-man all over the field. There is relatively little blitzing, with the front four charged with pressuring the quarterback. The key is closing fast on receivers and tackling surely.
That remains the base scheme, and for all the variations, the most important attribute of the Bucs' defense remains its speed. "It's the fastest I have seen," Gruden said. "It is a very unforgiving defense. ... These men swarm to the football."
Simeon Rice, who led the NFC with 15 1/2 sacks, is a classic speed-rushing end. Tackle Warren Sapp is very agile for a 6-2, 303-pounder. Shelton Quarles is unusually fast for a middle linebacker. Derrick Brooks, the weak-side linebacker, was NFL Defensive Player of the Year after returning three interceptions and a fumble for touchdowns.
Kelly tied for the NFL lead with eight interceptions and safety John Lynch was selected for his fifth Pro Bowl.
The Bucs are relishing the fact that standing in their way of a championship is the Raiders' No. 1-ranked offense. They know that a victory will elevate them into the ranks of the all-time best units.
"We deserve the right to be in the conversation as the greatest defense of all time, along with the Ravens of 2000 and the Bears of '85," Brooks said. "They got it done and obviously if we get it done, we deserve the right to be in the same conversation."
The Bucs are the first defense since the '85 Bears to lead the league in yards allowed per game (252.8), points (196) and interceptions (31). The Bucs also led in opponents' passer rating (48.4), yards per play (4.2) and first downs (236). They have allowed only 87 points in the second halves of their 18 games.
Asked what someone might find inside Kiffin's mind, Barber said: "It'd be a maze of cover-2, three-deep zone, blitz-type schemes. It may be impossible to find your way around."
That is what Gruden wants. Sapp recalled the defense's first meeting with the new coach. "He said, 'You guys have played excellent defense around here,'" Sapp said. "'What you did with Tony was great, but we have got to take it a step further.'"
They did, and here they are. "It's the first time in Super Bowl history where it's No. 1 vs. No. 1 ," Sapp said. "I think the billing is what it is: The best vs. the best."
