1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
Encyclopedia
The 1981
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
season began with the team trying to improve on an 5-10-1 season. The team was considered to be superior to the 1979
team that finished the season one game shy of the Super Bowl
. With the running game and special teams ineffective, the Buccaneers depended heavily on the pass, and particularly on the big play. Jimmie Giles
returned to form, establishing numerous team receiving records. Doug Williams became (with Jim Zorn
) the second active quarterback to need only four seasons to reach the 10,000 career passing yards mark. The defense improved over the previous season, a change that McKay attributed to less reliance on blitzes, and a general improvement in speed due to changes in the secondary and the drafting of Hugh Green. Their defense allowed the fewest touchdowns of any NFL team, and was described by opponents as "outstanding" and "almost awesome". The team was dogged by inconsistent play throughout the season. Players and coaches believed the Buccaneers to be a playoff-worthy team, but a tendency to self-destruct kept them on the edge of the playoff race, thanks in part to a failure of any other team to take control in either the NFC Central division or the NFC wild-card chase. "We make more mistakes at crucial times than any team I've ever been associated with", said ex-Buckeyes
, -Raiders
, and -Dolphins
safety Neal Colzie
. Opposing coach Dick Vermeil
said, "I'm not sure they know how good they are", after his Philadelphia Eagles
team beat the Buccaneers despite having been outplayed. Nevertheless, the team developed a maturity through the season which allowed them to remain competitive instead of collapsing when behind or when being outplayed.
Late-season coaching adjustments improved the effectiveness of the offense and cut down on opposing teams' ability to control the ball against the defense. This resulted in their playing with more confidence, and less predictability. It also resulted in a three-game winning streak that put them in control of the division race. The regular season culminated in a season-finale matchup between the Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions
, two 8-7 teams vying for the division lead in the Pontiac Silverdome
, where the Lions had gone undefeated all season. The Buccaneers won and entered the playoffs as the number three seed in the NFC, where they lost to the Dallas Cowboys
in a 38-0 rout which tied the NFL record for largest margin of victory in a playoff game.
, for guard Greg Horton. Their fifth-round pick had been traded to the Oakland Raiders
in 1978 as part of the trade for quarterback Mike Rae
. Their sixth-round pick was traded to the New Orleans Saints
in 1979 for punter Tom Blanchard. Finally, their seventh-round pick went to Dallas as part of the previous season's trade for Dave Stalls.
defensive end Hugh Green was a surprise selection, as the Buccaneers were considered to need help in the secondary, and were expected to pick either USC safety Ronnie Lott
or UCLA
safety Kenny Easley
(who had already been taken by the Seattle Seahawks
by the time of Tampa Bay's selection). Green's Pittsburgh team produced eight NFL starters, believed to be the most by far from any single college team. By contrast, the Georgia
team that finished ahead of them in the national championship race produced only two NFL players, neither of them a starter. Personnel director Ken Herock
described Green as "dominating...a heavy hitter...an impact player" and said that there was no choice but to draft him. Scouting services described him as a 220-lb linebacker with the lateral movement of a 180-lb cornerback. It was doubly surprising that, considering their fondness for ex-USC players, the Buccaneers would pass over Lott to select a player at a position at which they already were so deeply stocked with talent. However, the staff did not deliberate long before calling his name, and soon felt him worthy of Rookie of the Year honors. With no premier defensive backs available in the second round, and with running back having been identified by the coaching staff as a problem area of the team, they selected Missouri
running back James Wilder
. Wilder's selection and subsequent training camp performance made starting fullback Johnny Davis expendable, and he was traded to San Francisco for James Owens. With their middle-round picks traded away, West Texas A&M
cornerback John Holt became the Buccaneers' last selection of the first day of the draft. When McKay saw cornerbacks Holt and Johnny Ray Smith return punts, he immediately cut original Buccaneer Danny Reece
, who had handled nearly every punt return in the team's first five years. Reece, who had set a league record by calling for fair catches only twice in the previous two seasons, had fallen out of favor due to several fumbles during the previous season, and never had the speed expected of a return man. Smith did make the team, but was immediately placed on injured reserve. Eighth-round pick Denver Johnson
left camp unexpectedly shortly before the first preseason game, despite strong prospects of making the squad. It was later revealed that he had been accepted to law school, and chose that over a football career.
's desire to play in California, but were unable to work out a trade. The contract of Jerry Eckwood
, who had received much criticism for fumbling at key moments the previous season, was renegotiated in accordance with his 1979
production, rather than his 1980
production. His agent's statement that "he will either play and do well, or he's not gonna be here" was interpreted to mean that Eckwood would be paid too highly to remain as a backup, but would not feel underpaid should a Bell trade place him in a starting role. The decline in Bell's performance was such that Eckwood moved ahead of him on the depth chart. The existence of the muscle disease that would soon lead to Bell's retirement and death was not yet known. Bell cited McKay's criticism as a reason for requesting a trade, but smoothed over differences in a meeting with McKay. Defensive line became an area for concern during preseason, as Reggie Lewis and two rookies walked out of camp. This was the second year in a row that the highly-regarded Lewis left camp, but this time he sent word of his retirement through his agent. Extra security had to be assigned to Neal Colzie
during camp, as his life was being threatened by anonymous phone calls believed to be related to the gangland-style slaying
of his two stepsisters in Atlanta.
Injuries quickly became a challenge, as the team lost more players to injuries in their first preseason game than they did during the entire 22-game (preseason through playoffs) 1979 season. The secondary, particularly the safety position, was hit especially hard. Mark Cotney
was lost for the season with a knee injury, Curtis Jordan
suffered a broken collarbone, and Cedric Brown
missed some time with a bruised shoulder. Cotney was expected to have lost his starting role to Colzie, but was valued as a backup. Jordan was lost to the team when, upon being activated from injured reserve later in the season, he was claimed off of procedural waivers by the Washington Redskins
. An injury to Dave Reavis
during the same game required arthroscopic surgery that left him sidelined into the regular season, and left the team with only two offensive tackles. As the team had opened training camp with a small roster, McKay had to trade draft picks to the Philadelphia Eagles
and Los Angeles Rams
to augment the roster with safeties Zac Henderson and Jeff Delaney, and tackle Rick Dozier. Ray Snell
was also sidelined, for the second consecutive year, with severe headaches which were attributed to high blood pressure. Rick Berns, the 1979
third-round draft pick who was a capable runner but ineffective as a blocker and passer and who had never been able to recover from McKay's public criticism the previous season, was released late in camp. An unexpected shakeup of the receiving corps took place when ex-Steeler Theo Bell
and ex-49er James Owens, both among the NFL's leading returners, were brought in with an eye toward improving the special teams. This resulted in the displacement of former FSU
star Mike Shumann
and original Buccaneer Isaac Hagins
, who were promptly released with the hope that they would still have time to catch on with another team. Owens, an Olympic sprinter, came to the team in a late trade, as did Dallas Cowboys
starting cornerback Aaron Mitchell
, a tough tackler brought in to fill Cotney's role in run support. Adjustments were made to the team's defensive philosophy, with the secondary moving to a more aggressive style of play intended to cut down on opponents' success in the short passing game. The secondary also benefited from an improved pass rush, with Hugh Green's presence preventing blockers from concentrating their efforts on Lee Roy Selmon. James Wilder emerged as a reliable receiver, leading the team in catches during the preseason. McKay reported being happy with the team's preseason performance, saying that they were playing with the intensity and enthusiasm that had been missing the previous year.
in which the Buccaneers achieved only 12 yards rushing and the special teams "completely collapsed". He promised changes, which could mean either personnel changes or scrapping their balanced offense in favor of a passing-dominated attack. The offensive line was unable to block effectively on running plays, with both starting tackles injured. Changes came after week 3, with Garo Yepremian
's release resulting in an acrimonious dispute in which Yepremian accused the Buccaneers of lacking organization, compared the move to "taking your car to get the tires changed when the transmission needs fixing", and said that "they must know what they're doing, they're in first place" (a point of ridicule, as the entire division was tied at 1-2). McKay in turn accused Yepremian of acting childishly, asking "what is he, 12 or 37?" Coaches had soured on Yepremian due to his short kickoffs and low, easily-blocked field goals. Punter Tom Blanchard
was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury the same week. The two kickers were replaced by ex-Cardinals and -Lions punter Larry Swider
, and kicker Bill Capece
, holder of FSU
's single-season scoring record. There was a measure of irony in both signings, as Swider had at one time been on the Buccaneers' roster, but was claimed by the Lions off of procedural waivers when the Buccaneers tried to activate him as Dave Green
's injury replacement during the 1979
season, while it was Yepremian's mentorship a decade earlier that had given Capece the encouragement to pursue professional football. After some undisclosed discipline problems, Dave Lewis was replaced by Andy Hawkins
, who played well enough to take Lewis' spot permanently.
The coaching began to be criticized after a pair of midseason losses to the Minnesota Vikings
and Denver Broncos
. Denver players stated that shutting down Jimmie Giles was all it took to stop the Buccaneer offense, while the defense was still vulnerable to a short-yardage, ball-control attack. McKay felt that the team had become an "aerial circus" and that Williams' performance was being affected by trying to do too much, and so made a decision to establish a running game, taking over playcalling responsibilities on running plays. Having lost 4 of their last 5 games, there was concern that, about to face a Green Bay Packers
team on a three-game win streak, the Buccaneers were about to repeat the late-season slides of the last three seasons. After breaking their two-game losing streak by routing the Packers, the Buccaneers demonstrated a newfound ability to continue to stick to and execute their game plan when playing with a deficit. Quarterbacks coach Bill Nelsen
correctly predicted that the Buccaneers' performance against the Packers would cause the Vikings to underestimate the Packers, and thus lose their matchup the following week. Nelsen admonished the team not to miss a chance to take charge of the division, and they responded with an uncharacteristic rebound from a 14-point deficit against the Saints. A Week 14 last-minute victory over the Atlanta Falcons
, combined with upset losses by the Lions and Vikings the same day, left the Buccaneers needing to win only one of their last two games to make the playoffs. They were one of only five teams in Week 15 who were capable of winning a division championship without help from another team. The season ended with a matchup against the Detroit Lions
in front of a Pontiac Silverdome
-record crowd of 80,444, with the Buccaneers and Lions tied for the division lead at 8-7. A season-ending New York Giants
win against the Dallas Cowboys
left the Giants at 9-7, guaranteeing that the winner of the Buccaneers-Lions game would win the division (the Packers were still in contention, but required an improbable set of circumstances that included a Buccaneers-Lions tie), while the loser would miss the playoffs entirely. Although the Lions outplayed the Buccaneers in most statistical categories, numerous Buccaneers stepped forward with key plays at crucial moments in the game, resulting in an upset victory. A crowd of over 8,000 gathered at team headquarters to greet them on their return from Detroit. The Buccaneers traveled to Dallas for a matchup with the Cowboys, where they suffered an embarrassing 38-0 shutout.
A Saturday-evening game left the Buccaneers as the first winners of the 1981
season. The Buccaneers scored on a 55-yard pass from Doug Williams to Kevin House
, and a 10-yard Williams run. The Buccaneers' rushing attack struggled, although Jerry Eckwood had an apparent 39-yard touchdown run that was called back due to penalty. Williams was held to 8 completions on 22 attempts for only 108 yards, but was able to lead a 76-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter, after the Vikings had closed to within 7-6 on a pair of Rick Danmeier
field goals. The Vikings answered with a 72-yard drive of their own that ended in a 4-yard Steve Dils
touchdown pass to Joe Senser
. With Tampa Bay holding a 14-13 lead, Neal Colzie sealed the victory by returning his second interception of the day 82 yards for a touchdown, preventing the Vikings' potentially game-winning field goal attempt. McKay later said, "Neal pulled us out of the fire. As I was watching him run it back, I could only think how glad I was we picked him up last year". Dils passed for 361 yards on 62 attempts, still the most pass attempts against the Buccaneers in a game. The Buccaneers set several team records which still stand, including most passing attempts, completions, and first downs, and Dana Nafziger's 6 special teams tackles.
, Kansas City, Missouri
A bad snap resulted in punter Tom Blanchard
being tackled at the 14-yard line, setting up the Chiefs' only touchdown of the day, an 8-yard Ted McKnight
run. The Buccaneers answered with a drive culminating in a 2-yard James Wilder touchdown run. The game was marked by breakdowns of the Buccaneer special teams. Blanchard kicked an 18-yard punt after bobbling the snap, and J.T. Smith was allowed to return a punt 62 yards. The defense held the Chiefs to 59 first-half yards, with the score tied 10-10 at halftime. The Kansas City offense controlled the ball for 23 of 30 minutes in the second half, sidelining a Buccaneer offense that was able to manage only 12 yards rushing. Buccaneer offensive and defensive collapses were seen to coincide with the departures of tackle Charley Hannah
and defensive end Lee Roy Selmon
, respectively, both with hamstring injuries. Chiefs coach Marv Levy
opted for a conservative offensive strategy, twice settling for field goals when stopped on the 2-yard line. Nick Lowery
's four field goals were the most by the Chiefs in a game since 1976
. McKay, speaking of his team's performance, said "It will take them a long time to get the smell out of this stadium". The 2-0 start was the Chiefs' best since their Super Bowl
season of 1969
.
, Chicago, Illinois
The Buccaneers took an early lead on Mike Washington's 29-yard interception return for a touchdown, after which he left the game with a pulled stomach muscle. Ricky Bell chipped a shoulder bone on his only play of the game. A Gary Fencik
interception set up a Matt Suhey
touchdown run that evened the score at 7-7. The Buccaneers' special teams broke down for the second week in a row. Jeff Fisher
's 88-yard punt return touchdown broke the record for the longest punt return by a Tampa Bay opponent, a record that had been set by J. T. Smith just the previous week. A long Theo Bell punt return was called back for a penalty. The Buccaneers scored again on the first drive of the second half, which ended in a Kevin House touchdown reception. However, the Bears were able to dominate possession of the football for the rest of the game, with Walter Payton
moving into fourth-place all-time in NFL rushing yardage. Despite a game plan that Jimmie Giles described as the best he'd seen against the Bears, the Buccaneers found themselves prone to errors at critical moments. They outperformed the Bears in most major offensive categories, compiling 450 yards of offense. Several players blamed mental errors and the lack of a killer instinct for the failure to put away what they felt to be an inferior team, while others noted that the large number of injuries left the team without enough personnel to do the things they wanted to. The game left all NFC Central teams tied at 1-2.
The Buccaneers played without linebacker Dave Lewis, who was benched for arriving late to a team meeting. New placekicker Bill Capece provided a pair of field goals, the Buccaneers' only offense through the first three quarters. A tripping penalty on Calvin Favron erased a fourth-quarter Neil O'Donoghue
field goal and forced the Cardinals to punt. The Buccaneers scored the winning points on a James Owens touchdown run on the ensuing possession, and scored again on a Jerry Eckwood run shortly thereafter. Owens appeared to have been wrapped up by Favron on the touchdown run, but was able to break free for the score on what was to date his only carry of the season. James Wilder led Buccaneer rushers with 15 carries for 76 yards, and caught 9 passes for 72 yards. Doug Williams completed 17 of 30 passes for 162 yards. Ottis Anderson
led Cardinals running backs with 20 carries for 97 yards, and Jim Hart completed 11 of 18 passes for 91 yards.
In front of the largest crowd to ever attend a regular-season game at Tampa Stadium, the Tampa Bay defense held Billy Sims
, in only his second year the Lions' career leader in 100-yard games, to only 75 yards rushing while forcing six turnovers. Several other potential interceptions were dropped. The Buccaneers were held to only 49 yards rushing, but Doug Williams compensated by passing for four touchdowns. Williams was dazed by a blow to the head from Lions tackle Doug English
, but returned to the game. The Lions' only touchdown was set up by a botched first-quarter punt attempt. Coming after an Eddie Murray field goal, it produced a 10-0 Lions lead that had the crowd cheering when an airplane carrying a "Throw McKay in the Bay" banner flew overhead shortly afterward. Williams then hit Kevin House with two touchdown passes, the second of which was controversial due to replays that showed it inconclusive whether House had both feet in bounds. It was speculated that House was given the benefit of the doubt due to pass interference not having been called on the previous play, when Jimmie Giles was tackled before Williams could even get the pass off. After the concussion, Williams returned to throw touchdown passes to James Wilder and Jim Obradovich
. Gordon Jones
, Ricky Bell and Lee Roy Selmon all missed the game for the Buccaneers, while Jeff Komlo
replaced injured Lions quarterback Gary Danielson
. It was believed to be the first Buccaneer game in which neither Selmon played.
, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Newly-acquired Packers receiver John Jefferson
fell on his rear end while showing off for the crowd during pregame introductions, a display that inspired the Buccaneer defense. After the Packers took an early 7-0 lead on a Gerry Ellis
touchdown run, the Buccaneers scored 21 unanswered points. Doug Williams completed 15 of 23 passes for 199 yards, a career-best 65.2% completion percentage. Green Bay attempted a late rally, as George Cumby
's 68-yard return of a James Wilder goal-line fumble set up a field goal to bring the score to 21-10. After the Buccaneers were forced to punt on the following possession, the Packers drove all the way to the Tampa Bay 7-yard line before Scot Brantley
intercepted a Lynn Dickey
pass to kill the drive. Dickey, under the pressure of a constant pass rush, was also intercepted by Hugh Green, Cecil Johnson, and Neal Colzie.
The Raiders entered the game having set a postwar NFL record of three consecutive games without scoring. Breakdowns on Tampa Bay special teams helped the Raiders to take a 15-0 halftime lead, and eventually to win the game. The Buccaneers could not manage even a first down on offense until Doug Williams' 77-yard touchdown pass to Kevin House in the third quarter. They took the lead on a Jimmie Giles touchdown reception and a Bill Capece field goal. After the Raiders answered with a Chris Bahr
field goal, Tampa Bay drove to the Raider 14-yard line, where Ted Hendricks
deflected Capece's potentially game-winning last-minute field goal attempt. The loss dropped the Buccaneers out of their first-place tie with the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Central.
, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Buccaneers had trouble keeping their footing on a rain-soaked Philadelphia field. Bill Capece missed three field goals, while Neal Colzie's slip while covering Charlie Smith
set up a Tony Franklin field goal. Wilbert Montgomery
suffered a pinched nerve in the first half that was expected to keep him sidelined for a month, but he instead returned in the second half to gain 119 yards on 22 carries. The Buccaneers failed to capitalize on a questionable Philadelphia play-call in the fourth quarter, when the Eagles elected to run on fourth-and-one, despite holding a 13-10 lead. Norris Thomas recovered Booker Russell's fumble on the ensuing play, and if not for Ron Jaworski
's tackle, would have run for a touchdown. Doug Williams' interception two plays later ended any hopes of a comeback. The Eagles finished the game with an NFL-best 7-1 record.
The Buccaneers drew inspiration from pregame comments in which Gary Fencik and other Bears players said that the Buccaneers lacked patience and could only win by the big play. The Buccaneers responded by winning on big plays, touchdown passes of 81 yards to Jimmie Giles and 51 yards to Kevin House. Giles scored his touchdown by outrunning safety Doug Plank
, the player who had notoriously speared him during a meeting the previous year. It was the longest pass play in Buccaneers history, and is still the longest reception by a Buccaneers tight end. The Buccaneers also scored on two Bill Capece field goals, although he missed two others from short range. A third-quarter interception by Hugh Green was considered to be the key play of the game. Walter Payton became only the fourth running back in the history of the NFL to gain 9,000 career rushing yards, the only bright spot for the Bears in a loss that left them with the second-worst record in the NFL. A Minnesota Vikings loss left the Buccaneers tied with the Vikings for first place in the NFC Central. McKay mocked Fencik's comments during his postgame press conference, in which he pointed out the "patience" with which various players performed, claimed to have gotten Patience on waivers from Green Bay, and said that "they've got enough problems with their team without coaching our team".
, Bloomington, Minnesota
John McKay said, "that might be the poorest game we've ever played", after the Buccaneers were able to control the ball for only 19½ of the game's 60 minutes. A 95-yard second-quarter drive gave the Vikings a 13-0 lead and used up 9:04 worth of clock time, while keeping the ball away from the Buccaneer offense and forcing them to stand on the sideline in the freezing wind. The Vikings rushed for 205 yards, led by Ted Brown
's career-high 129 yards on 31 carries.
The Buccaneers' only score came on Cedric Brown's 80-yard return of a Steve DeBerg
interception, which tied the score at 7-7 in the third quarter. Denver responded with an 80-yard drive, assisted by Norris Thomas' two personal fouls against Rick Upchurch
. The Broncos then went on to score on their next two possessions. DeBerg played in relief of Craig Morton
, who left the game with a sprained shoulder in the second quarter. The Broncos were able to efficiently control the ball through short-yardage gains. Their quarterbacks were a combined 20 of 29 for 143 yards passing, while their backs ran 41 times for 153 yards. Jimmie Giles passed Morris Owens
to become the leading receiver in Buccaneer history, while the ground game was held under 50 yards for the fourth time in the season. Despite their 5-6 record, the Buccaneers held the tiebreaker advantage over the other six teams tied with them for the final wild-card playoff slot.
Needing a win to maintain their playoff hopes, the Buccaneers broke a two-game losing streak while setting several team records, including most points scored and largest margin of victory. The Packers appeared to be driving for a touchdown after Tampa Bay took an early 3-0 lead, but an injury to quarterback David Whitehurst
forced the Packers to replace him with the inexperienced Rich Campbell
. Shortly thereafter, Cedric Brown caught the first of Campbell's four interceptions while scoring a touchdown on an interception return for the second week in a row. The special teams performed well, with John Holt returning a punt 56 yards and Bill Capece kicking three field goals, including a Buccaneer-record 51-yarder. For the first time ever, Tampa Bay went the entire game without having to punt. Despite a league-worst rushing average, the Buccaneers ran for 212 yards, led by James Owens with 112. Owens' 35-yard touchdown run was the longest Buccaneer touchdown run in Tampa Stadium. The win was attributed to several changes in coaching approach. As the offensive line was performing poorly due to injuries that kept them from maintaining a consistent lineup, McKay simplified the offense by calling the same plays repeatedly. McKay also allowed the team to practice without pads during the week, while instituting defensive changes designed to cut down on opponents' ability to control the ball through consistent short-yardage gains. He also took more of a hands-on approach to game day, giving a pep talk to the team prior to the game, and taking over the calling of the running plays. Defensive end Bill Kollar
suffered a cartilage tear that required season-ending knee surgery, although the possibility remained that he could be back for the playoffs.
, New Orleans, Louisiana
The Saints took an early 14-0 lead on a 6-yard pass from Archie Manning
to tight end Larry Hardy
and an 8-yard George Rogers
run. A 51-yard Bill Capece field goal put the Buccaneers on the scoreboard. With a 14-3 lead late in the second quarter, Manning saw Hardy beat Mike Washington on a passing play, but Hardy ran an unexpected route, and Washington intercepted the pass. Doug Williams then hit Kevin House with a touchdown pass. A timeout controversy gave the Saints the ball with three seconds left in the first half. Neal Colzie, blinded from an earlier scratch to his eye, missed the coverage on Jeff Groth
, who caught Manning's last-second pass that would have gone for a touchdown if not for Norris Thomas' tackle on the 4-yard line. The Saints would not have a scoring opportunity for the rest of the game. Williams led the Buccaneers 75 yards to take the lead on the opening drive of the second half. Andy Hawkins prevented a first down on a fourth-quarter fake punt, setting up a 51-yard drive that left the score at 24-14. A later 96-yard fourth-quarter drive was the Buccaneers' longest to date. The win put the Buccaneers into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC Central division.
The Buccaneers met the Atlanta Falcons
as both teams remained in playoff contention with 7-6 records. Inspired by news of losses by both of their chief rivals in the division race, the Buccaneers took a 14-3 lead on a 1-yard Jerry Eckwood touchdown and a 38-yard Jimmie Giles reception. The Falcons took a 16-14 lead early in the second half, a half in which the lead alternated several times. Doug Williams completed 19 of 29 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns. One of these, a 71-yarder on which he caught Kevin House in single coverage against rookie cornerback Bobby Butler, gave the Buccaneers a 24-23 lead and put Williams past the 10,000-yard career passing mark. Scott Hutchinson preserved the win by deflecting a Mick Luckhurst
field goal attempt in the final seconds.
Dan Fouts
had to pass even more than usual, with running back Chuck Muncie
, the league's leading scorer, forced out of the game after only three carries. Fouts completed 33 of 49 passes for 351 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers' league-leading secondary. His only touchdown was a 27-yarder to Eric Sievers
, the longest touchdown pass against the Buccaneers all season. He was intercepted twice. The Chargers also scored on runs of 8-yards by John Cappelletti
and 1-yard by James Brooks, while the Buccaneers scored on a 58-yard reception by Theo Bell and a Bill Capece field goal. Brooks' touchdown was set up by a James Owens fumble, the Buccaneers' first fumble on a running play all season. With the Buccaneers down 21-10 in the fourth quarter, James Wilder scored on runs of 8 and 23 yards in the span of 27 seconds. Dave Lewis forced a Cappelletti fumble that gave the Buccaneers an opportunity to score again, but a hit by Glen Edwards
caused Jimmie Giles to lose control of a reception, resulting in a Woody Lowe interception that led to Rolf Benirschke
's game-winning field goal. Edwards also intercepted a last-minute pass by Doug Williams. Capece was criticized harshly when, despite having earlier kicked a 49-yard field goal, he missed an extra point attempt that provided the margin of victory for the Chargers. Williams completed 22 of 35 passes for 321 yards, raising his season completion percentage above 50% for the first time in his career. Fouts' touchdown gave him a league-leading total of 32 on the season. The Chargers had been facing elimination from the playoff race with a loss, but instead found themselves with the opportunity to win the AFC West
. Their win also denied the New York Jets
a playoff spot.
, Pontiac, Michigan
The Buccaneers won the NFC Central division by defeating the Detroit Lions at their home stadium, where the Lions had only lost two games in the two previous seasons. Doug Williams compared calling plays against the crowd noise to trying to shout above an airplane. Tampa Bay took the lead on the longest passing play in their history, an 84-yard second-quarter pass from Williams to Kevin House. After the Lions tied the score at 10, the Buccaneers retook the lead on a Bill Capece field goal 12 seconds into the fourth quarter. Dave Logan
scored the winning points 70 seconds later on a fumble-return touchdown following Lee Roy Selmon's sack of Lions quarterback Eric Hipple
. The Lions closed to 20-17 on an 8-yard pass from Hipple to Leonard Thompson
, but the Buccaneers were able to run out the clock when Theo Bell recovered the ensuing onside kick. Two key special teams tackles prevented touchdowns by Lions return man Robbie Martin
; on the second of these, he suffered a cartilage tear that left him unable to finish the game. Cedric Brown recorded two interceptions, the first of which ended a long Lions drive that threatened to give them a 14-3 second-quarter lead. The second, caught in the end zone, prevented a potential Lions touchdown. The two interceptions left Brown with a team-record nine for the season.
, Irving, Texas
Facing a Dallas defense that had allowed its previous six opponents an average of less than ten points per game, the Buccaneers were in immediate trouble. Doug Williams was sacked on the game's very first play. Field position was a problem, with the Buccaneers' first-half drives starting at an average of the 19-yard line. Tampa Bay was only able to advance beyond midfield four times during the entire game, and Williams was pressured into mistakes by a constant Dallas pass rush. The ground game was held to only 2 yards in the second half, with James Owens starting at running back in place of the injured Jerry Eckwood. The Dallas front four of Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Harvey Martin
, Randy White
, and John Dutton
dominated the Buccaneers' offensive line, moving them backwards with 59 yards in sacks and forcing two intentional grounding penalties. They batted down several of Williams' passes, and Jones caught one of Williams' four interceptions. Tom Landry
said that it was the best performance by a Dallas front four since their Super Bowl XII
victory over Denver in 1978
, and credited their intensity for the difference. Interceptions by Jones and Michael Downs
set up two third-quarter touchdowns, helping the Cowboys to match their largest-ever margin of victory. Dallas committed no turnovers, and all tipped passes wound up in the hands of Cowboys players. It was the last time that an NFL playoff team had been shut out since the Buccaneers' NFC Championship loss to the Los Angeles Rams
in the 1979
postseason. McKay had few comments after the game, telling the press, "I want to get the hell out of here".
starter, United Press International
second-team All-Star
Lee Roy Selmon, Pro Bowl starter, Pro Bowl co-MVP (with Kellen Winslow
)
Hugh Green, Pro Bowl first alternate
Greg Roberts, United Press International
second-team All-Star
Hugh Green placed third (behind Lawrence Taylor
and Ronnie Lott) in the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
:
Several other records established in 1981 have since been broken:
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
season began with the team trying to improve on an 5-10-1 season. The team was considered to be superior to the 1979
1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season saw the team make a dramatic leap from being a winless expansion franchise, perceived as mistake-prone and ridiculed by the rest of the league, to becoming a serious contender for the National Football League championship...
team that finished the season one game shy of the Super Bowl
Super Bowl XIV
Super Bowl XIV was an American football game played on January 20, 1980 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1979 regular season...
. With the running game and special teams ineffective, the Buccaneers depended heavily on the pass, and particularly on the big play. Jimmie Giles
Jimmie Giles
Jimmie Giles, Jr. ; , was a former professional American football player who was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the third round of the 1977 NFL Draft. A 6'3", 238 lbs. tight end from Alcorn State University, Giles played in 13 NFL seasons from 1977-1989...
returned to form, establishing numerous team receiving records. Doug Williams became (with Jim Zorn
Jim Zorn
James Arthur "Jim" Zorn is an American quarterbacks coach in the National Football League. He was formerly the quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens and now holds that same position with the Kansas City Chiefs...
) the second active quarterback to need only four seasons to reach the 10,000 career passing yards mark. The defense improved over the previous season, a change that McKay attributed to less reliance on blitzes, and a general improvement in speed due to changes in the secondary and the drafting of Hugh Green. Their defense allowed the fewest touchdowns of any NFL team, and was described by opponents as "outstanding" and "almost awesome". The team was dogged by inconsistent play throughout the season. Players and coaches believed the Buccaneers to be a playoff-worthy team, but a tendency to self-destruct kept them on the edge of the playoff race, thanks in part to a failure of any other team to take control in either the NFC Central division or the NFC wild-card chase. "We make more mistakes at crucial times than any team I've ever been associated with", said ex-Buckeyes
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
, -Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and -Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
safety Neal Colzie
Neal Colzie
Cornelius Connie Colzie, better known as Neal Colzie, was an American football defensive back for the Oakland Raiders , Miami Dolphins , and Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
. Opposing coach Dick Vermeil
Dick Vermeil
Richard Albert "Dick" Vermeil is a former American head coach for the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles , St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs...
said, "I'm not sure they know how good they are", after his Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
team beat the Buccaneers despite having been outplayed. Nevertheless, the team developed a maturity through the season which allowed them to remain competitive instead of collapsing when behind or when being outplayed.
Late-season coaching adjustments improved the effectiveness of the offense and cut down on opposing teams' ability to control the ball against the defense. This resulted in their playing with more confidence, and less predictability. It also resulted in a three-game winning streak that put them in control of the division race. The regular season culminated in a season-finale matchup between the Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, two 8-7 teams vying for the division lead in the Pontiac Silverdome
Pontiac Silverdome
The Silverdome is a domed stadium located in the city of Pontiac, Michigan, USA, which sits on . It was the largest stadium in the National Football League until FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C...
, where the Lions had gone undefeated all season. The Buccaneers won and entered the playoffs as the number three seed in the NFC, where they lost to the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in a 38-0 rout which tied the NFL record for largest margin of victory in a playoff game.
NFL Draft
| Pick | Round | Player | Position | School |
| 1 | 7 | Hugh Green | Linebacker | Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Panthers football Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football... |
| 2 | 34 | James Wilder James Wilder James Curtis Wilder is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins, and the Detroit Lions.-High school career:... |
Running back | Missouri Missouri Tigers football The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996... |
| 4 | 89 | John Holt | Defensive back | West Texas A&M West Texas A&M University West Texas A&M University , part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910... |
| 8 | 199 | Denver Johnson Denver Johnson Denver Johnson is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the offensive line coach for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane... |
Offensive tackle | Tulsa Tulsa Golden Hurricane football The University of Tulsa's Golden Hurricane football team represents Tulsa in Conference USA. Tulsa is currently coached by first-year head coach Bill Blankenship. The football team was coached by Todd Graham until he accepted the head coaching job at Pittsburgh.... |
| 9 | 228 | Mike Ford | Quarterback | SMU SMU Mustangs football The SMU Mustangs football program is a college football team that represents Southern Methodist University . The team competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member Conference USA... |
| 10 | 254 | Ken McCune | Defensive end | Texas Texas Longhorns football The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National... |
| 11 | 283 | Johnny Ray Smith | Defensive back | Lamar Lamar Cardinals The Lamar Cardinals refers to the collegiate athletic teams of Lamar University. The inception of the nickname "Cardinals" dates back to the schools name change to Lamar in 1932. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports... |
| 12 | 310 | Brad White | Nose tackle | Tennessee Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference .... |
Draft trades
The Buccaneers' third-round pick was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 19781978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on a 2-12 season. Since their two 1977 victories came in the last two games of the season, they entered the 1978 season with the longest active winning streak in the NFC Central. The Buccaneers entered the season with new...
, for guard Greg Horton. Their fifth-round pick had been traded to the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1978 as part of the trade for quarterback Mike Rae
Mike Rae
Michael John Rae is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League.-Early life:Rae attended and played high school football at Lakewood High School.-College career:...
. Their sixth-round pick was traded to the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
in 1979 for punter Tom Blanchard. Finally, their seventh-round pick went to Dallas as part of the previous season's trade for Dave Stalls.
Draft selections
PittsburghPittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
defensive end Hugh Green was a surprise selection, as the Buccaneers were considered to need help in the secondary, and were expected to pick either USC safety Ronnie Lott
Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
or UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
safety Kenny Easley
Kenny Easley
Kenny Mason Easley Jr. is a former American football strong safety who played seven seasons for the Seattle Seahawks from 1981 to 1987 in the National Football League...
(who had already been taken by the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
by the time of Tampa Bay's selection). Green's Pittsburgh team produced eight NFL starters, believed to be the most by far from any single college team. By contrast, the Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
team that finished ahead of them in the national championship race produced only two NFL players, neither of them a starter. Personnel director Ken Herock
Ken Herock
Ken Herock was an American college and professional football player who played tight end. He played collegiately at West Virginia and professionally in the American Football League, where he played for the AFL Champion Oakland Raiders in the second AFL-NFL World Championship Game, held after the...
described Green as "dominating...a heavy hitter...an impact player" and said that there was no choice but to draft him. Scouting services described him as a 220-lb linebacker with the lateral movement of a 180-lb cornerback. It was doubly surprising that, considering their fondness for ex-USC players, the Buccaneers would pass over Lott to select a player at a position at which they already were so deeply stocked with talent. However, the staff did not deliberate long before calling his name, and soon felt him worthy of Rookie of the Year honors. With no premier defensive backs available in the second round, and with running back having been identified by the coaching staff as a problem area of the team, they selected Missouri
Missouri Tigers football
The Missouri Tigers football team represents the University of Missouri in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team has competed in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996...
running back James Wilder
James Wilder
James Curtis Wilder is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins, and the Detroit Lions.-High school career:...
. Wilder's selection and subsequent training camp performance made starting fullback Johnny Davis expendable, and he was traded to San Francisco for James Owens. With their middle-round picks traded away, West Texas A&M
West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University , part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910...
cornerback John Holt became the Buccaneers' last selection of the first day of the draft. When McKay saw cornerbacks Holt and Johnny Ray Smith return punts, he immediately cut original Buccaneer Danny Reece
Danny Reece
Danny Reece is a retired American football cornerback.-Childhood:Danny grew up with 8 siblings -- 5 brothers and 3 sisters, most of them younger. His brothers also played football, but Danny was the only one who played professionally. His father, Lyoud Reece, served on the USS Arizona during the...
, who had handled nearly every punt return in the team's first five years. Reece, who had set a league record by calling for fair catches only twice in the previous two seasons, had fallen out of favor due to several fumbles during the previous season, and never had the speed expected of a return man. Smith did make the team, but was immediately placed on injured reserve. Eighth-round pick Denver Johnson
Denver Johnson
Denver Johnson is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the offensive line coach for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane...
left camp unexpectedly shortly before the first preseason game, despite strong prospects of making the squad. It was later revealed that he had been accepted to law school, and chose that over a football career.
Preseason
Tailback having been a problem spot the previous season, the Buccaneers attempted to accommodate Ricky BellRicky Bell (running back)
Ricky Lynn Bell younger brother of recording artist Archie Bell, was an American professional football player who played running back in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Diego Chargers from 1977 to 1982...
's desire to play in California, but were unable to work out a trade. The contract of Jerry Eckwood
Jerry Eckwood
Jerry Eckwood is a former NFL running back. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1979–1981, and was a key member of the Buccaneers team that made the first playoff appearance in franchise history in 1979...
, who had received much criticism for fumbling at key moments the previous season, was renegotiated in accordance with his 1979
1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season saw the team make a dramatic leap from being a winless expansion franchise, perceived as mistake-prone and ridiculed by the rest of the league, to becoming a serious contender for the National Football League championship...
production, rather than his 1980
1980 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1980 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with great optimism in the wake of their surprise NFC championship appearance of the previous season. After scoring a playoff win in only their fourth year, the Buccaneers were considered such a model franchise that the NBA expansion Dallas Mavericks...
production. His agent's statement that "he will either play and do well, or he's not gonna be here" was interpreted to mean that Eckwood would be paid too highly to remain as a backup, but would not feel underpaid should a Bell trade place him in a starting role. The decline in Bell's performance was such that Eckwood moved ahead of him on the depth chart. The existence of the muscle disease that would soon lead to Bell's retirement and death was not yet known. Bell cited McKay's criticism as a reason for requesting a trade, but smoothed over differences in a meeting with McKay. Defensive line became an area for concern during preseason, as Reggie Lewis and two rookies walked out of camp. This was the second year in a row that the highly-regarded Lewis left camp, but this time he sent word of his retirement through his agent. Extra security had to be assigned to Neal Colzie
Neal Colzie
Cornelius Connie Colzie, better known as Neal Colzie, was an American football defensive back for the Oakland Raiders , Miami Dolphins , and Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
during camp, as his life was being threatened by anonymous phone calls believed to be related to the gangland-style slaying
Gangland killing
A gangland killing is a murder carried out by organized criminals. According to FBI Uniform Crime Reports, there were 425 gangland killings from 2000 to 2004, 0.6% of all murders committed in the United States during that time...
of his two stepsisters in Atlanta.
Injuries quickly became a challenge, as the team lost more players to injuries in their first preseason game than they did during the entire 22-game (preseason through playoffs) 1979 season. The secondary, particularly the safety position, was hit especially hard. Mark Cotney
Mark Cotney
Mark Cotney , is a former professional American football player who played in 10 NFL seasons from 1975-1984 for the Houston Oilers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Selected by the Buccaneers in the 1976 NFL Expansion Draft, he was a member of the original winless 1976 team and the 1979 team that played in...
was lost for the season with a knee injury, Curtis Jordan
Curtis Jordan
Curtis Wayne Jordan is a former American football safety in the National Football League for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins...
suffered a broken collarbone, and Cedric Brown
Cedric Brown
Cedric Brown , is a former American professional football player who played in 9 NFL seasons from 1976-1984 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Brown was a very solid and underrated free safety for the Bucs, seldom making errors but capable of big plays also....
missed some time with a bruised shoulder. Cotney was expected to have lost his starting role to Colzie, but was valued as a backup. Jordan was lost to the team when, upon being activated from injured reserve later in the season, he was claimed off of procedural waivers by the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. An injury to Dave Reavis
Dave Reavis
David Craig Reavis was a National Football League offensive lineman from 1974 through 1983....
during the same game required arthroscopic surgery that left him sidelined into the regular season, and left the team with only two offensive tackles. As the team had opened training camp with a small roster, McKay had to trade draft picks to the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
to augment the roster with safeties Zac Henderson and Jeff Delaney, and tackle Rick Dozier. Ray Snell
Ray Snell
Ray Snell is a former guard in the National Football League for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, most notably, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tampa Bay, using their 4th ever first round draft pick, acquired Snell with the 22nd in the first round of the 1980 NFL Draft...
was also sidelined, for the second consecutive year, with severe headaches which were attributed to high blood pressure. Rick Berns, the 1979
1979 NFL Draft
The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1979...
third-round draft pick who was a capable runner but ineffective as a blocker and passer and who had never been able to recover from McKay's public criticism the previous season, was released late in camp. An unexpected shakeup of the receiving corps took place when ex-Steeler Theo Bell
Theo Bell
Theopolis Bell, Jr. was an American football wide receiver who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers....
and ex-49er James Owens, both among the NFL's leading returners, were brought in with an eye toward improving the special teams. This resulted in the displacement of former FSU
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
star Mike Shumann
Mike Shumann
Mike Shumann is a former American football wide receiver who played for the San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League. He is a member of the Florida State Seminoles Hall of Fame. Shumann is currently a sports anchor for KGO-TV in San...
and original Buccaneer Isaac Hagins
Isaac Hagins
Isaac Ben Hagins is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the ninth round of the 1976 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern....
, who were promptly released with the hope that they would still have time to catch on with another team. Owens, an Olympic sprinter, came to the team in a late trade, as did Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
starting cornerback Aaron Mitchell
Aaron Mitchell (American football)
Aaron Templeton Mitchell, Jr. is a former professional American football player who played cornerback for three seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers....
, a tough tackler brought in to fill Cotney's role in run support. Adjustments were made to the team's defensive philosophy, with the secondary moving to a more aggressive style of play intended to cut down on opponents' success in the short passing game. The secondary also benefited from an improved pass rush, with Hugh Green's presence preventing blockers from concentrating their efforts on Lee Roy Selmon. James Wilder emerged as a reliable receiver, leading the team in catches during the preseason. McKay reported being happy with the team's preseason performance, saying that they were playing with the intensity and enthusiasm that had been missing the previous year.
Regular season
Coach McKay said, "if we had a high bridge here, I'd jump off it", after an early loss to the Kansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
in which the Buccaneers achieved only 12 yards rushing and the special teams "completely collapsed". He promised changes, which could mean either personnel changes or scrapping their balanced offense in favor of a passing-dominated attack. The offensive line was unable to block effectively on running plays, with both starting tackles injured. Changes came after week 3, with Garo Yepremian
Garo Yepremian
Garabed Sarkis "Garo" Yepremian is an Armenian-American former football placekicker in the National Football League for the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers during a career that spanned from 1966 to 1981. -Career:Yepremian was born in Larnaca, Cyprus to...
's release resulting in an acrimonious dispute in which Yepremian accused the Buccaneers of lacking organization, compared the move to "taking your car to get the tires changed when the transmission needs fixing", and said that "they must know what they're doing, they're in first place" (a point of ridicule, as the entire division was tied at 1-2). McKay in turn accused Yepremian of acting childishly, asking "what is he, 12 or 37?" Coaches had soured on Yepremian due to his short kickoffs and low, easily-blocked field goals. Punter Tom Blanchard
Tom Blanchard
Thomas Richard Blanchard is a former American football punter with a 11-year career in the National Football League for the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at the University of Oregon, where he was quarterback as well as punter...
was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury the same week. The two kickers were replaced by ex-Cardinals and -Lions punter Larry Swider
Larry Swider
Larry Swider is a former American football punter. He played in the National Football League from 1979 to 1982. He then played in the United States Football League for the Pittsburgh Maulers and the Jacksonville Bulls....
, and kicker Bill Capece
Bill Capece
William George Capece is a former professional American football player who played placekicker for three seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
, holder of FSU
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
's single-season scoring record. There was a measure of irony in both signings, as Swider had at one time been on the Buccaneers' roster, but was claimed by the Lions off of procedural waivers when the Buccaneers tried to activate him as Dave Green
Dave Green (American football)
Dave Green is a former punter and placekicker in the National Football League. He played for the Houston Oilers, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
's injury replacement during the 1979
1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season saw the team make a dramatic leap from being a winless expansion franchise, perceived as mistake-prone and ridiculed by the rest of the league, to becoming a serious contender for the National Football League championship...
season, while it was Yepremian's mentorship a decade earlier that had given Capece the encouragement to pursue professional football. After some undisclosed discipline problems, Dave Lewis was replaced by Andy Hawkins
Andy Hawkins (American football)
Anthony James Hawkins is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 10th round of the 1987 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas A&M-Kingsville.Hawkins brother Mike also played in the NFL for the New England...
, who played well enough to take Lewis' spot permanently.
The coaching began to be criticized after a pair of midseason losses to the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
and Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Denver players stated that shutting down Jimmie Giles was all it took to stop the Buccaneer offense, while the defense was still vulnerable to a short-yardage, ball-control attack. McKay felt that the team had become an "aerial circus" and that Williams' performance was being affected by trying to do too much, and so made a decision to establish a running game, taking over playcalling responsibilities on running plays. Having lost 4 of their last 5 games, there was concern that, about to face a Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
team on a three-game win streak, the Buccaneers were about to repeat the late-season slides of the last three seasons. After breaking their two-game losing streak by routing the Packers, the Buccaneers demonstrated a newfound ability to continue to stick to and execute their game plan when playing with a deficit. Quarterbacks coach Bill Nelsen
Bill Nelsen
William Keith Nelsen was a former football player who played collegiately for the University of Southern California and professionally with both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. He was known for his leadership ability and ability to play with pain, having endured a series of knee...
correctly predicted that the Buccaneers' performance against the Packers would cause the Vikings to underestimate the Packers, and thus lose their matchup the following week. Nelsen admonished the team not to miss a chance to take charge of the division, and they responded with an uncharacteristic rebound from a 14-point deficit against the Saints. A Week 14 last-minute victory over the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, combined with upset losses by the Lions and Vikings the same day, left the Buccaneers needing to win only one of their last two games to make the playoffs. They were one of only five teams in Week 15 who were capable of winning a division championship without help from another team. The season ended with a matchup against the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in front of a Pontiac Silverdome
Pontiac Silverdome
The Silverdome is a domed stadium located in the city of Pontiac, Michigan, USA, which sits on . It was the largest stadium in the National Football League until FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C...
-record crowd of 80,444, with the Buccaneers and Lions tied for the division lead at 8-7. A season-ending New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
win against the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
left the Giants at 9-7, guaranteeing that the winner of the Buccaneers-Lions game would win the division (the Packers were still in contention, but required an improbable set of circumstances that included a Buccaneers-Lions tie), while the loser would miss the playoffs entirely. Although the Lions outplayed the Buccaneers in most statistical categories, numerous Buccaneers stepped forward with key plays at crucial moments in the game, resulting in an upset victory. A crowd of over 8,000 gathered at team headquarters to greet them on their return from Detroit. The Buccaneers traveled to Dallas for a matchup with the Cowboys, where they suffered an embarrassing 38-0 shutout.
Schedule
| Regular season | ||||||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Kickoff | Game site | TV | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 5, 1981 | Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
W 21-13 | 9:00 | Tampa Stadium | CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
66,287 | 1-0 |
| 2 | September 13, 1981 | at Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
L 19-10 | 1:00 | Arrowhead Stadium Arrowhead Stadium Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs.... |
CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
50,555 | 1-1 |
| 3 | September 20, 1981 | at Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 28-17 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
60,130 | 1-2 |
| 4 | September 27, 1981 | St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 20-10 | 4:00 | Tampa Stadium | CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
65,850 | 2-2 |
| 5 | October 4, 1981 | Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
W 28-10 | 4:00 | Tampa Stadium | CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
71,733 | 3-2 |
| 6 | October 11, 1981 | at Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
W 21-10 | 1:00 | Lambeau Field Lambeau Field Lambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field... |
CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
52,264 | 4-2 |
| 7 | October 18, 1981 | at Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 18-16 | 4:00 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
42,288 | 4-3 |
| 8 | October 25, 1981 | at Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 20-10 | 1:00 | Veterans Stadium Veterans Stadium Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex... |
CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
70,174 | 4-4 |
| 9 | November 1, 1981 | Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 20-10 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
68,688 | 5-4 |
| 10 | November 8, 1981 | at Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
L 25-10 | 1:00 | Metropolitan Stadium Metropolitan Stadium Metropolitan Stadium was a sports stadium that once stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. The area where the stadium once stood is now the site of the Mall of America... |
CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
47,038 | 5-5 |
| 11 | November 15, 1981 | Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 24-7 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | NBC NFL on NBC NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS... |
64,518 | 5-6 |
| 12 | November 22, 1981 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
W 37-3 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
63,251 | 6-6 |
| 13 | November 29, 1981 | at New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League .... |
W 31-14 | 1:00 | Louisiana Superdome | CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
62,209 | 7-6 |
| 14 | December 6, 1981 | Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 24-23 | 4:00 | Tampa Stadium | CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
69,221 | 8-6 |
| 15 | December 13, 1981 | San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 24-23 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | NBC NFL on NBC NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS... |
67,388 | 8-7 |
| 16 | December 20, 1981 | at Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
W 20-17 | 1:00 | Pontiac Silverdome Silverdome The Silverdome is an indoor sporting and entertainment venue located in Launceston, Tasmania built in 1984. The Silverdome was built at an estimated cost of A$4 million, as the Tasmanian Government "proposed a world class facility" to replace the run down velodrome in the Launceston suburb of St... |
CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
80,444 | 9-7 |
| NFC Divisional Playoff | ||||||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Kickoff | Game site | TV | Attendance | Record |
| January 2, 1982 | at Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... |
L 0-38 | 1:00 | Texas Stadium Texas Stadium Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675... |
CBS NFL on CBS The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:... |
64,848 | ||
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 315 | 268 | W-1 |
| Detroit Lions 1981 Detroit Lions season The 1981 Detroit Lions season was their 52nd in the league. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 9-7, winning only eight games. The team missed the playoffs for the eleventh straight season.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 397 | 322 | L-1 |
| Green Bay Packers 1981 Green Bay Packers season The 1981 Green Bay Packers season was their 61st season in the National Football League. The club posted a 8–8 record under coach Bart Starr, earning them a third-place finish in the NFC Central division.-NFL Draft:-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:... |
8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 324 | 361 | L-1 |
| Minnesota Vikings 1981 Minnesota Vikings season 1981 was the 21st year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 62nd regular season of the National Football League, and the final season for the team at Metropolitan Stadium. The Vikings finished with a record of seven wins and nine losses.... |
7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 325 | 369 | L-5 |
| Chicago Bears 1981 Chicago Bears season The 1981 Chicago Bears season was their 62nd regular season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 6-10 record under fourth year coach Neill Armstrong, who was fired at the end of the season.-Schedule:-Standings:- External links :... |
6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 253 | 324 | W-3 |
Roster
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1981 roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Charley Hannah Charley Hannah is a former American football offensive guard and defensive end who played in the National Football League from 1977 to 1988. Charley played six years for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and six years for the Los Angeles Raiders... RT Dave Reavis David Craig Reavis was a National Football League offensive lineman from 1974 through 1983.... LT Gene Sanders Eugene Sanders is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the eighth round of the 1979 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas A&M and Washington.... LT Ray Snell Ray Snell is a former guard in the National Football League for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, most notably, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tampa Bay, using their 4th ever first round draft pick, acquired Snell with the 22nd in the first round of the 1980 NFL Draft... LG Steve Wilson (offensive lineman) Steve Wilson is a former American football center in the National Football League who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1976 to 1985. He was the last original Buccaneer to retire and the only original Buc player to be a starter in each of the first 10 seasons of the franchise... C George Yarno George Anthony Yarno is a former professional football player, a guard with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, and Houston Oilers. He also played two seasons with the Denver Gold of the USFL... LG Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Scot Brantley Scot Eugene Brantley is an American radio and television sports broadcaster and former college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s... Andy Hawkins (American football) Anthony James Hawkins is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 10th round of the 1987 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas A&M-Kingsville.Hawkins brother Mike also played in the NFL for the New England... LOLB Cecil Johnson Cecil Johnson is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for nine seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers... LILB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Reserve Lists
Practice Squad Rookies in italics Starters in boldface |
|||||
Coaching staff
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1981 coaching staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
|
|||||
Week 1: vs Minnesota Vikings
September 5, 1981 at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
A Saturday-evening game left the Buccaneers as the first winners of the 1981
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
season. The Buccaneers scored on a 55-yard pass from Doug Williams to Kevin House
Kevin House
Kevin Nathaniel House is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft. A 6'1", 175 lbs. wide receiver from Southern Illinois University, House played in eight NFL seasons from 1980-1987 for the Buccaneers...
, and a 10-yard Williams run. The Buccaneers' rushing attack struggled, although Jerry Eckwood had an apparent 39-yard touchdown run that was called back due to penalty. Williams was held to 8 completions on 22 attempts for only 108 yards, but was able to lead a 76-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter, after the Vikings had closed to within 7-6 on a pair of Rick Danmeier
Rick Danmeier
Rick Danmeier is a former professional American football player who was a placekicker for six seasons for the Minnesota Vikings in the National Football League....
field goals. The Vikings answered with a 72-yard drive of their own that ended in a 4-yard Steve Dils
Steve Dils
Stephen Whitfield "Steve" Dils is a retired American football quarterback who played 10 seasons in the National Football League.-College career:...
touchdown pass to Joe Senser
Joe Senser
Joseph Michael Senser is a former professional American football player. A 6'4", 240 lbs. tight end from West Chester University, Senser was selected in the 6th round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He ranks 3rd in Vikings history among tight ends for catches , touchdowns and...
. With Tampa Bay holding a 14-13 lead, Neal Colzie sealed the victory by returning his second interception of the day 82 yards for a touchdown, preventing the Vikings' potentially game-winning field goal attempt. McKay later said, "Neal pulled us out of the fire. As I was watching him run it back, I could only think how glad I was we picked him up last year". Dils passed for 361 yards on 62 attempts, still the most pass attempts against the Buccaneers in a game. The Buccaneers set several team records which still stand, including most passing attempts, completions, and first downs, and Dana Nafziger's 6 special teams tackles.
Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs
September 13, 1981 at Arrowhead StadiumArrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
, Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
A bad snap resulted in punter Tom Blanchard
Tom Blanchard
Thomas Richard Blanchard is a former American football punter with a 11-year career in the National Football League for the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at the University of Oregon, where he was quarterback as well as punter...
being tackled at the 14-yard line, setting up the Chiefs' only touchdown of the day, an 8-yard Ted McKnight
Ted McKnight
Theodore Robert McKnight is a former professional American football running back in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. He played college football at the University of Minnesota Duluth and is one of 6 players to attend Minnesota-Duluth and he had the longest career....
run. The Buccaneers answered with a drive culminating in a 2-yard James Wilder touchdown run. The game was marked by breakdowns of the Buccaneer special teams. Blanchard kicked an 18-yard punt after bobbling the snap, and J.T. Smith was allowed to return a punt 62 yards. The defense held the Chiefs to 59 first-half yards, with the score tied 10-10 at halftime. The Kansas City offense controlled the ball for 23 of 30 minutes in the second half, sidelining a Buccaneer offense that was able to manage only 12 yards rushing. Buccaneer offensive and defensive collapses were seen to coincide with the departures of tackle Charley Hannah
Charley Hannah
Charley Hannah is a former American football offensive guard and defensive end who played in the National Football League from 1977 to 1988. Charley played six years for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and six years for the Los Angeles Raiders...
and defensive end Lee Roy Selmon
Lee Roy Selmon
Lee Roy Selmon was a Hall of Fame NFL football defensive lineman.-Early life:Selmon was the youngest of nine children of Lucious and Jessie Selmon, raised on a farm near Eufaula, Oklahoma...
, respectively, both with hamstring injuries. Chiefs coach Marv Levy
Marv Levy
Marvin Daniel Levy is a former American and Canadian football coach, front office executive and author.He is a former professional football coach, in the CFL as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes , and in the NFL as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills , coaching the Bills...
opted for a conservative offensive strategy, twice settling for field goals when stopped on the 2-yard line. Nick Lowery
Nick Lowery
Dominic Gerald Lowery , nicknamed Nick the Kick, is a former American football placekicker for the New England Patriots , the Kansas City Chiefs , and New York Jets . Lowery was selected to the Pro Bowl three times and when he retired was ranked first in field goal percentage and also had the most...
's four field goals were the most by the Chiefs in a game since 1976
1976 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 1976 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with a third consecutive 5–9 record and no playoff berth.Buck Buchanan announced his retirement in February, while Len Dawson announced his own departure on May 1. Off the field, Jack Steadman was promoted to team president and Jim Schaaf was named general...
. McKay, speaking of his team's performance, said "It will take them a long time to get the smell out of this stadium". The 2-0 start was the Chiefs' best since their Super Bowl
Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
season of 1969
1969 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 1969 Kansas City Chiefs season resulted in a 11–3 record and a 23–7 victory in Super Bowl IV over the NFL’s heavily-favored Minnesota Vikings. The team beat their rivals, the Oakland Raiders in the final AFL Championship Game, claiming their third AFL Championship in franchise history...
.
Week 3: at Chicago Bears
September 20, 1981 at Soldier FieldSoldier Field
Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
, Chicago, Illinois
The Buccaneers took an early lead on Mike Washington's 29-yard interception return for a touchdown, after which he left the game with a pulled stomach muscle. Ricky Bell chipped a shoulder bone on his only play of the game. A Gary Fencik
Gary Fencik
John Gary Fencik is a former professional American-football free safety and currently an executive with Adams Street Partners. Fencik played twelve seasons with the Chicago Bears and is their all-time leader in interceptions and total tackles. He was the team's defensive captain through the 1980s...
interception set up a Matt Suhey
Matt Suhey
Matthew Jerome Suhey is a former professional American football player, playing fullback/running back for ten seasons in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears...
touchdown run that evened the score at 7-7. The Buccaneers' special teams broke down for the second week in a row. Jeff Fisher
Jeff Fisher
Jeffrey Michael "Jeff" Fisher is the former head coach of the Tennessee Titans of the NFL. He has a 146-120 career record as an NFL head coach.-Early life:...
's 88-yard punt return touchdown broke the record for the longest punt return by a Tampa Bay opponent, a record that had been set by J. T. Smith just the previous week. A long Theo Bell punt return was called back for a penalty. The Buccaneers scored again on the first drive of the second half, which ended in a Kevin House touchdown reception. However, the Bears were able to dominate possession of the football for the rest of the game, with Walter Payton
Walter Payton
Walter Jerry Payton was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for thirteen seasons. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football...
moving into fourth-place all-time in NFL rushing yardage. Despite a game plan that Jimmie Giles described as the best he'd seen against the Bears, the Buccaneers found themselves prone to errors at critical moments. They outperformed the Bears in most major offensive categories, compiling 450 yards of offense. Several players blamed mental errors and the lack of a killer instinct for the failure to put away what they felt to be an inferior team, while others noted that the large number of injuries left the team without enough personnel to do the things they wanted to. The game left all NFC Central teams tied at 1-2.
Week 4: vs St. Louis Cardinals
September 27, 1981 at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
The Buccaneers played without linebacker Dave Lewis, who was benched for arriving late to a team meeting. New placekicker Bill Capece provided a pair of field goals, the Buccaneers' only offense through the first three quarters. A tripping penalty on Calvin Favron erased a fourth-quarter Neil O'Donoghue
Neil O'Donoghue
Cornelis Joseph Connor Dennis "Neil" O'Donoghue is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League ....
field goal and forced the Cardinals to punt. The Buccaneers scored the winning points on a James Owens touchdown run on the ensuing possession, and scored again on a Jerry Eckwood run shortly thereafter. Owens appeared to have been wrapped up by Favron on the touchdown run, but was able to break free for the score on what was to date his only carry of the season. James Wilder led Buccaneer rushers with 15 carries for 76 yards, and caught 9 passes for 72 yards. Doug Williams completed 17 of 30 passes for 162 yards. Ottis Anderson
Ottis Anderson
Ottis Jerome "O.J." Anderson is a former American football running back. He was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979, and the MVP of Super Bowl XXV in 1991 when playing with the New York Giants...
led Cardinals running backs with 20 carries for 97 yards, and Jim Hart completed 11 of 18 passes for 91 yards.
Week 5: vs Detroit Lions
October 4, 1981 at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
In front of the largest crowd to ever attend a regular-season game at Tampa Stadium, the Tampa Bay defense held Billy Sims
Billy Sims
Billy Sims is a former college football and NFL running back. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1978.-Early years:...
, in only his second year the Lions' career leader in 100-yard games, to only 75 yards rushing while forcing six turnovers. Several other potential interceptions were dropped. The Buccaneers were held to only 49 yards rushing, but Doug Williams compensated by passing for four touchdowns. Williams was dazed by a blow to the head from Lions tackle Doug English
Doug English
Lowell Douglas English is a former American football Defensive Tackle for the Detroit Lions...
, but returned to the game. The Lions' only touchdown was set up by a botched first-quarter punt attempt. Coming after an Eddie Murray field goal, it produced a 10-0 Lions lead that had the crowd cheering when an airplane carrying a "Throw McKay in the Bay" banner flew overhead shortly afterward. Williams then hit Kevin House with two touchdown passes, the second of which was controversial due to replays that showed it inconclusive whether House had both feet in bounds. It was speculated that House was given the benefit of the doubt due to pass interference not having been called on the previous play, when Jimmie Giles was tackled before Williams could even get the pass off. After the concussion, Williams returned to throw touchdown passes to James Wilder and Jim Obradovich
Jim Obradovich
For the MLB player, see Jim Obradovich.----James Robert Obradovich is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
. Gordon Jones
Gordon Jones (American football)
Gordon Jones is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for five seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams....
, Ricky Bell and Lee Roy Selmon all missed the game for the Buccaneers, while Jeff Komlo
Jeff Komlo
William Jeffrey "Jeff" Komlo was an American professional football quarterback who played for the Detroit Lions, the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL. He was born in Cheverly, Maryland.-Football career:...
replaced injured Lions quarterback Gary Danielson
Gary Danielson
Gary Danielson is a former professional football player, a quarterback in the National Football League . He played for the Detroit Lions from 1976 to 1984 and for the Cleveland Browns in 1985, 1987, and 1988...
. It was believed to be the first Buccaneer game in which neither Selmon played.
Week 6: at Green Bay Packers
October 11, 1981 at Lambeau FieldLambeau Field
Lambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field...
, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
Newly-acquired Packers receiver John Jefferson
John Jefferson
John Jefferson is a retired American football wide receiver in the National Football League . He was selected out of Arizona State University in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He played three seasons in San Diego, where he became the first NFL player to gain...
fell on his rear end while showing off for the crowd during pregame introductions, a display that inspired the Buccaneer defense. After the Packers took an early 7-0 lead on a Gerry Ellis
Gerry Ellis
Gerry Ellis is a former professional American football player who played running back for seven seasons for the Green Bay Packers....
touchdown run, the Buccaneers scored 21 unanswered points. Doug Williams completed 15 of 23 passes for 199 yards, a career-best 65.2% completion percentage. Green Bay attempted a late rally, as George Cumby
George Cumby
George Edward Cumby is a former NFL football player. After graduating from Bishop T.K. Gorman High School in 1975, he went on to become a three-time All-American at the University of Oklahoma, , being a consensus choice in 1979...
's 68-yard return of a James Wilder goal-line fumble set up a field goal to bring the score to 21-10. After the Buccaneers were forced to punt on the following possession, the Packers drove all the way to the Tampa Bay 7-yard line before Scot Brantley
Scot Brantley
Scot Eugene Brantley is an American radio and television sports broadcaster and former college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s...
intercepted a Lynn Dickey
Lynn Dickey
Clifford Lynn Dickey is a retired National Football League quarterback, who played for the Houston Oilers and the Green Bay Packers in the 1970s and 1980s.-High school:...
pass to kill the drive. Dickey, under the pressure of a constant pass rush, was also intercepted by Hugh Green, Cecil Johnson, and Neal Colzie.
Week 7: at Oakland Raiders
October 18, 1981 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
The Raiders entered the game having set a postwar NFL record of three consecutive games without scoring. Breakdowns on Tampa Bay special teams helped the Raiders to take a 15-0 halftime lead, and eventually to win the game. The Buccaneers could not manage even a first down on offense until Doug Williams' 77-yard touchdown pass to Kevin House in the third quarter. They took the lead on a Jimmie Giles touchdown reception and a Bill Capece field goal. After the Raiders answered with a Chris Bahr
Chris Bahr
Chris Bahr is a former professional American football and soccer player. He was a placekicker in the National Football League and played midfielder in the North American Soccer League.-Soccer:...
field goal, Tampa Bay drove to the Raider 14-yard line, where Ted Hendricks
Ted Hendricks
Theodore Paul Hendricks is a Hall of Fame former American football linebacker who logged 15 seasons for the Baltimore Colts , the Green Bay Packers and the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders in the National Football League...
deflected Capece's potentially game-winning last-minute field goal attempt. The loss dropped the Buccaneers out of their first-place tie with the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Central.
Week 8: at Philadelphia Eagles
October 25, 1981 at Veterans StadiumVeterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
The Buccaneers had trouble keeping their footing on a rain-soaked Philadelphia field. Bill Capece missed three field goals, while Neal Colzie's slip while covering Charlie Smith
Charlie Smith (wide receiver)
Charles Albert Smith is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played eight seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles . He played college football at Grambling State....
set up a Tony Franklin field goal. Wilbert Montgomery
Wilbert Montgomery
Wilbert Montgomery is a former American football player in the National Football League for nine years with the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions...
suffered a pinched nerve in the first half that was expected to keep him sidelined for a month, but he instead returned in the second half to gain 119 yards on 22 carries. The Buccaneers failed to capitalize on a questionable Philadelphia play-call in the fourth quarter, when the Eagles elected to run on fourth-and-one, despite holding a 13-10 lead. Norris Thomas recovered Booker Russell's fumble on the ensuing play, and if not for Ron Jaworski
Ron Jaworski
Ronald Vincent "Ron" Jaworski is a former American football quarterback and currently an NFL analyst on ESPN. He is also CEO of Ron Jaworski Golf Management, Inc., based out of Blackwood, New Jersey, and manages golf courses in southern New Jersey, northeast Pennsylvania, and West Virginia...
's tackle, would have run for a touchdown. Doug Williams' interception two plays later ended any hopes of a comeback. The Eagles finished the game with an NFL-best 7-1 record.
Week 9: vs Chicago Bears
November 1, 1981 at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
The Buccaneers drew inspiration from pregame comments in which Gary Fencik and other Bears players said that the Buccaneers lacked patience and could only win by the big play. The Buccaneers responded by winning on big plays, touchdown passes of 81 yards to Jimmie Giles and 51 yards to Kevin House. Giles scored his touchdown by outrunning safety Doug Plank
Doug Plank
Douglas Walter Plank is a former American-football safety and coach in the National Football League. Currently, he is the head coach of the Philadelphia Soul in the Arena Football League.- Early life :...
, the player who had notoriously speared him during a meeting the previous year. It was the longest pass play in Buccaneers history, and is still the longest reception by a Buccaneers tight end. The Buccaneers also scored on two Bill Capece field goals, although he missed two others from short range. A third-quarter interception by Hugh Green was considered to be the key play of the game. Walter Payton became only the fourth running back in the history of the NFL to gain 9,000 career rushing yards, the only bright spot for the Bears in a loss that left them with the second-worst record in the NFL. A Minnesota Vikings loss left the Buccaneers tied with the Vikings for first place in the NFC Central. McKay mocked Fencik's comments during his postgame press conference, in which he pointed out the "patience" with which various players performed, claimed to have gotten Patience on waivers from Green Bay, and said that "they've got enough problems with their team without coaching our team".
Week 10: at Minnesota Vikings
November 8, 1981 at Metropolitan StadiumMetropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium was a sports stadium that once stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. The area where the stadium once stood is now the site of the Mall of America...
, Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington, Minnesota
Bloomington is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Hennepin County. Located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, Bloomington lies at the heart of the southern...
John McKay said, "that might be the poorest game we've ever played", after the Buccaneers were able to control the ball for only 19½ of the game's 60 minutes. A 95-yard second-quarter drive gave the Vikings a 13-0 lead and used up 9:04 worth of clock time, while keeping the ball away from the Buccaneer offense and forcing them to stand on the sideline in the freezing wind. The Vikings rushed for 205 yards, led by Ted Brown
Ted Brown
Ted Brown is an American and former collegiate and professional football player. He attended High Point high school, before attending North Carolina State University.-Football career:...
's career-high 129 yards on 31 carries.
Week 11: vs Denver Broncos
November 15, 1981 at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
The Buccaneers' only score came on Cedric Brown's 80-yard return of a Steve DeBerg
Steve DeBerg
Steven Leroy DeBerg had a long career as an American Football quarterback. His career spanned 21 years over 3 decades. Despite the fact that large portions of his career were spent as a backup, DeBerg ultimately accumulated some impressive NFL statistics, particularly during the early 1990s, when...
interception, which tied the score at 7-7 in the third quarter. Denver responded with an 80-yard drive, assisted by Norris Thomas' two personal fouls against Rick Upchurch
Rick Upchurch
Richard “Rick” Upchurch is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for the Denver Broncos of the NFL. Before his NFL career, he played for Centerville Community College in Centerville, Iowa and the University of Minnesota and went to high school at Springfield...
. The Broncos then went on to score on their next two possessions. DeBerg played in relief of Craig Morton
Craig Morton
Larry Craig Morton is a former professional football player. He played quarterback in the National Football League for 18 seasons, 1965-82...
, who left the game with a sprained shoulder in the second quarter. The Broncos were able to efficiently control the ball through short-yardage gains. Their quarterbacks were a combined 20 of 29 for 143 yards passing, while their backs ran 41 times for 153 yards. Jimmie Giles passed Morris Owens
Morris Owens
Morris Owens , is a former professional American football player who was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers leading receiver in 1976, their first season in the National Football League. He is also Hilly Hicks' uncle....
to become the leading receiver in Buccaneer history, while the ground game was held under 50 yards for the fourth time in the season. Despite their 5-6 record, the Buccaneers held the tiebreaker advantage over the other six teams tied with them for the final wild-card playoff slot.
Week 12: vs Green Bay Packers
November 22, 1981 at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
Needing a win to maintain their playoff hopes, the Buccaneers broke a two-game losing streak while setting several team records, including most points scored and largest margin of victory. The Packers appeared to be driving for a touchdown after Tampa Bay took an early 3-0 lead, but an injury to quarterback David Whitehurst
David Whitehurst
Charles David Whitehurst is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 8th round of the 1977 NFL Draft. A 6'2" quarterback from Furman University, Whitehurst played seven seasons with the Packers from 1977-1983...
forced the Packers to replace him with the inexperienced Rich Campbell
Rich Campbell (American football)
Richard Delano Campbell is a former National Football League quarterback who played for the Green Bay Packers . Campbell attended high school at Santa Teresa High School in San Jose, California. He was an All-American his senior season in 1980 at the University of California...
. Shortly thereafter, Cedric Brown caught the first of Campbell's four interceptions while scoring a touchdown on an interception return for the second week in a row. The special teams performed well, with John Holt returning a punt 56 yards and Bill Capece kicking three field goals, including a Buccaneer-record 51-yarder. For the first time ever, Tampa Bay went the entire game without having to punt. Despite a league-worst rushing average, the Buccaneers ran for 212 yards, led by James Owens with 112. Owens' 35-yard touchdown run was the longest Buccaneer touchdown run in Tampa Stadium. The win was attributed to several changes in coaching approach. As the offensive line was performing poorly due to injuries that kept them from maintaining a consistent lineup, McKay simplified the offense by calling the same plays repeatedly. McKay also allowed the team to practice without pads during the week, while instituting defensive changes designed to cut down on opponents' ability to control the ball through consistent short-yardage gains. He also took more of a hands-on approach to game day, giving a pep talk to the team prior to the game, and taking over the calling of the running plays. Defensive end Bill Kollar
Bill Kollar
William Wallace "Bill" Kollar was a National Football League defensive lineman from 1974 through 1981. He has been an NFL assistant coach for 17 years. He has coached the Defensive Line of the Rams, Falcons and Bills...
suffered a cartilage tear that required season-ending knee surgery, although the possibility remained that he could be back for the playoffs.
Week 13: at New Orleans Saints
November 29, 1981 at the Louisiana SuperdomeLouisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
The Saints took an early 14-0 lead on a 6-yard pass from Archie Manning
Archie Manning
Elisha Archibald "Archie" Manning III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League, playing for the New Orleans Saints from 1971 to 1982, then for the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings...
to tight end Larry Hardy
Larry Hardy
Larry Hardy is a retired American football tight end who played eight seasons in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints. He played college football at Jackson State University....
and an 8-yard George Rogers
George Rogers (American football)
George Washington Rogers is a former American football player who achieved distinction in both the college and professional ranks as a running back...
run. A 51-yard Bill Capece field goal put the Buccaneers on the scoreboard. With a 14-3 lead late in the second quarter, Manning saw Hardy beat Mike Washington on a passing play, but Hardy ran an unexpected route, and Washington intercepted the pass. Doug Williams then hit Kevin House with a touchdown pass. A timeout controversy gave the Saints the ball with three seconds left in the first half. Neal Colzie, blinded from an earlier scratch to his eye, missed the coverage on Jeff Groth
Jeff Groth
Jeffrey Groth is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Miami Dolphins, Houston Oilers, and the New Orleans Saints. Groth was also a 4th round selection of the Texas Rangers as an outfielder in the 1980 MLB Draft.-References:...
, who caught Manning's last-second pass that would have gone for a touchdown if not for Norris Thomas' tackle on the 4-yard line. The Saints would not have a scoring opportunity for the rest of the game. Williams led the Buccaneers 75 yards to take the lead on the opening drive of the second half. Andy Hawkins prevented a first down on a fourth-quarter fake punt, setting up a 51-yard drive that left the score at 24-14. A later 96-yard fourth-quarter drive was the Buccaneers' longest to date. The win put the Buccaneers into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC Central division.
Week 14: vs Atlanta Falcons
December 6, 1981 at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
The Buccaneers met the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as both teams remained in playoff contention with 7-6 records. Inspired by news of losses by both of their chief rivals in the division race, the Buccaneers took a 14-3 lead on a 1-yard Jerry Eckwood touchdown and a 38-yard Jimmie Giles reception. The Falcons took a 16-14 lead early in the second half, a half in which the lead alternated several times. Doug Williams completed 19 of 29 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns. One of these, a 71-yarder on which he caught Kevin House in single coverage against rookie cornerback Bobby Butler, gave the Buccaneers a 24-23 lead and put Williams past the 10,000-yard career passing mark. Scott Hutchinson preserved the win by deflecting a Mick Luckhurst
Mick Luckhurst
Michael Christopher Wilbert "Mick" Luckhurst is a retired American football placekicker. He made his professional debut with the Atlanta Falcons in 1981, remaining with the team until the 1987 NFL season. Mick was also the face of Channel Four's American Football coverage from 1988 through until...
field goal attempt in the final seconds.
Week 15: vs San Diego Chargers
December 13, 1981 at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, FloridaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
Dan Fouts
Dan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
had to pass even more than usual, with running back Chuck Muncie
Chuck Muncie
Harry Vance "Chuck" Muncie is a former American football running back who played for the New Orleans Saints and San Diego Chargers in the National Football League from 1976 to 1984...
, the league's leading scorer, forced out of the game after only three carries. Fouts completed 33 of 49 passes for 351 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers' league-leading secondary. His only touchdown was a 27-yarder to Eric Sievers
Eric Sievers
Eric Sievers is a former professional American football player. A 6'4", 235-lb. tight end from the University of Maryland, Sievers was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 1981 NFL Draft. He played for ten NFL seasons from 1981-1990 for the Chargers, the Los Angeles Rams...
, the longest touchdown pass against the Buccaneers all season. He was intercepted twice. The Chargers also scored on runs of 8-yards by John Cappelletti
John Cappelletti
John Cappelletti is a former professional American football running back for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and the San Diego Chargers. Prior to his professional career, he attended the Pennsylvania State University, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1973. He was inducted into the College Football...
and 1-yard by James Brooks, while the Buccaneers scored on a 58-yard reception by Theo Bell and a Bill Capece field goal. Brooks' touchdown was set up by a James Owens fumble, the Buccaneers' first fumble on a running play all season. With the Buccaneers down 21-10 in the fourth quarter, James Wilder scored on runs of 8 and 23 yards in the span of 27 seconds. Dave Lewis forced a Cappelletti fumble that gave the Buccaneers an opportunity to score again, but a hit by Glen Edwards
Glen Edwards (American football)
Glen Edwards played safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1971 to 1977, and for the San Diego Chargers from 1978 to 1981. Edwards is a Gibbs High School alumnus....
caused Jimmie Giles to lose control of a reception, resulting in a Woody Lowe interception that led to Rolf Benirschke
Rolf Benirschke
Rolf Joachim Benirschke is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers from 1978 to 1987, and was the host of the NBC daytime Wheel Of Fortune in 1989.-Early career:...
's game-winning field goal. Edwards also intercepted a last-minute pass by Doug Williams. Capece was criticized harshly when, despite having earlier kicked a 49-yard field goal, he missed an extra point attempt that provided the margin of victory for the Chargers. Williams completed 22 of 35 passes for 321 yards, raising his season completion percentage above 50% for the first time in his career. Fouts' touchdown gave him a league-leading total of 32 on the season. The Chargers had been facing elimination from the playoff race with a loss, but instead found themselves with the opportunity to win the AFC West
AFC West
The AFC West is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference, currently comprising the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders.-History:...
. Their win also denied the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
a playoff spot.
Week 16: at Detroit Lions
December 20, 1981 at the Pontiac SilverdomePontiac Silverdome
The Silverdome is a domed stadium located in the city of Pontiac, Michigan, USA, which sits on . It was the largest stadium in the National Football League until FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C...
, Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
The Buccaneers won the NFC Central division by defeating the Detroit Lions at their home stadium, where the Lions had only lost two games in the two previous seasons. Doug Williams compared calling plays against the crowd noise to trying to shout above an airplane. Tampa Bay took the lead on the longest passing play in their history, an 84-yard second-quarter pass from Williams to Kevin House. After the Lions tied the score at 10, the Buccaneers retook the lead on a Bill Capece field goal 12 seconds into the fourth quarter. Dave Logan
David Logan (American football)
David Logan was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 12th round of the 1979 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh....
scored the winning points 70 seconds later on a fumble-return touchdown following Lee Roy Selmon's sack of Lions quarterback Eric Hipple
Eric Hipple
Eric Ellsworth Hipple is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round of the 1980 NFL Draft. A 6'2", 198 lbs. quarterback from Utah State, Hipple played in 9 NFL seasons for the Lions from 1980–1986 and 1988-1989...
. The Lions closed to 20-17 on an 8-yard pass from Hipple to Leonard Thompson
Leonard Thompson (American football)
Leonard Irwin Thompson is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League who spent his entire NFL career with the Detroit Lions ....
, but the Buccaneers were able to run out the clock when Theo Bell recovered the ensuing onside kick. Two key special teams tackles prevented touchdowns by Lions return man Robbie Martin
Robbie Martin
Robbie Lance Martin is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. Martin was drafted out of California Polytechnic State University by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 1981 NFL Draft. He played for the Detroit Lions from 1981–1984 and the...
; on the second of these, he suffered a cartilage tear that left him unable to finish the game. Cedric Brown recorded two interceptions, the first of which ended a long Lions drive that threatened to give them a 14-3 second-quarter lead. The second, caught in the end zone, prevented a potential Lions touchdown. The two interceptions left Brown with a team-record nine for the season.
NFC Divisional Playoffs: at Dallas Cowboys
January 2, 1982 at Texas StadiumTexas Stadium
Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...
, Irving, Texas
Irving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
Facing a Dallas defense that had allowed its previous six opponents an average of less than ten points per game, the Buccaneers were in immediate trouble. Doug Williams was sacked on the game's very first play. Field position was a problem, with the Buccaneers' first-half drives starting at an average of the 19-yard line. Tampa Bay was only able to advance beyond midfield four times during the entire game, and Williams was pressured into mistakes by a constant Dallas pass rush. The ground game was held to only 2 yards in the second half, with James Owens starting at running back in place of the injured Jerry Eckwood. The Dallas front four of Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Harvey Martin
Harvey Martin
Harvey Banks Martin was an American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys from 1973 until 1983. He started playing football in high school, only because he overheard his father tell his mother that he was ashamed that his son did not play like his friends'...
, Randy White
Randy White (American football)
Randall Lee "Randy" White is a former American football defensive lineman and linebacker. He attended the University of Maryland from 1971 to 1974, and played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys from 1975 to 1988. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
, and John Dutton
John Dutton (defensive lineman)
John Owen Dutton is a former professional football player, a defensive lineman in the NFL with the Baltimore Colts and Dallas Cowboys...
dominated the Buccaneers' offensive line, moving them backwards with 59 yards in sacks and forcing two intentional grounding penalties. They batted down several of Williams' passes, and Jones caught one of Williams' four interceptions. Tom Landry
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods...
said that it was the best performance by a Dallas front four since their Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII was an American football game played on January 15, 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1977 regular season...
victory over Denver in 1978
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
, and credited their intensity for the difference. Interceptions by Jones and Michael Downs
Michael Downs
Michael Lynn Downs is a former American football safety in the NFL, having played for the Dallas Cowboys and the Phoenix Cardinals . He is a 1977 graduate of South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas....
set up two third-quarter touchdowns, helping the Cowboys to match their largest-ever margin of victory. Dallas committed no turnovers, and all tipped passes wound up in the hands of Cowboys players. It was the last time that an NFL playoff team had been shut out since the Buccaneers' NFC Championship loss to the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
in the 1979
1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season saw the team make a dramatic leap from being a winless expansion franchise, perceived as mistake-prone and ridiculed by the rest of the league, to becoming a serious contender for the National Football League championship...
postseason. McKay had few comments after the game, telling the press, "I want to get the hell out of here".
Postseason honors
Jimmie Giles, Pro BowlPro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
starter, United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
second-team All-Star
Lee Roy Selmon, Pro Bowl starter, Pro Bowl co-MVP (with Kellen Winslow
Kellen Winslow
Kellen Boswell Winslow is a former American football tight end with the Missouri Tigers and the San Diego Chargers. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest tight ends in the history of the game. He is currently the athletic director at Central State University.Winslow did not play high...
)
Hugh Green, Pro Bowl first alternate
Greg Roberts, United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
second-team All-Star
Hugh Green placed third (behind Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League...
and Ronnie Lott) in the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Records
Several individual and team records set in 1981 are still standing as of 20092009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
The 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 34th season as a franchise in the NFL. The Buccaneers looked to improve on their 9–7 record from their 2008 season and 3rd place finish in the NFC South but failed to do so as they finished the season at 3–13, missing the playoffs for the...
:
- Most turnovers forced (46: 32 interceptions, 14 fumbles)
- Most receiving yards by a tight end (Jimmie Giles, 786)
- Longest reception by a tight end (Jimmie Giles, 81 yards vs. Chicago on 11/1, tied by Tyji ArmstrongTyji ArmstrongTyji Armstrong is a former professional American football player who played tight end for six seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, and St. Louis Rams....
on 12/6/1992) - Best average gain per play (5.43)
- Most passes attempted and completed in a game (63 and 37 vs. Minnesota on 9/5)
- Most passing first downs in a game (21, also vs. Minnesota)
- Most tackles by a rookie (Hugh Green, 151)
- Most single-game receptions by a rookie (James Wilder, 9 vs. St. Louis on 9/27)
- Most special teams tackles in a game (Dana Nafziger vs. Minnesota on 9/5, 6)
- Most passes completed by an opposing player (Steve Dils of Minnesota on 9/5, 62)
- Most pass receptions by an opposing player (set first by Ted BrownTed BrownTed Brown is an American and former collegiate and professional football player. He attended High Point high school, before attending North Carolina State University.-Football career:...
of Minnesota on 9/5 with 12, then by William Andrews of Atlanta on 12/6 with 13) - Longest fumble return by an opposing player (George Cumby of Green Bay, 68 yards on 10/11)
Several other records established in 1981 have since been broken:
- Most total yardage (5,160, surpassed by 5,321 in 19841984 Tampa Bay Buccaneers seasonThe 1984 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team making efforts to address the problems faced in the disastrous 1983 season. For the first time, the team renegotiated the contracts of players in their option years, which kept discontent over salaries to a minimum. An assistant coach was...
). - Largest margin of victory (34 against Green Bay on 11/22, surpassed by 38 against Atlanta on 9/13/1987).
- Most return touchdowns (5, surpassed by 7 in 20002000 Tampa Bay Buccaneers seasonThe 2000 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on a 11-5 season. In week 15 they won one of the greatest games in the history of Monday Night Football against the St. Louis Rams...
). - Most individual interceptions (Cedric Brown with 9, broken by Ronde BarberRonde BarberJamael Orondé "Rondé" Barber is an American football cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
's 10 in 20012001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers seasonThe 2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on a 10-6 season. It was Tony Dungy's final season as the Buccaneers head coach. He was fired after losing in the playoffs to Philadelphia for the second straight season.-Staff:...
). - Most defensive touchdowns (2 by Cedric Brown tied Richard Wood's previous mark, broken by Wayne HaddixWayne HaddixSamuel LaWayne Haddix is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League who played for the New York Giants , Tampa Bay Buccaneers , and Cincinnati Bengals . Haddix was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1990 after intercepting his only seven interceptions of his career...
's 3 in 19901990 Tampa Bay Buccaneers seasonThe 1990 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on an embarrassing 5-11 season. Bucs fans were getting tired of head coach Ray Perkins and Bucs players were getting fed up with his 3 a day training camp practices...
). - Most interception return yards (215, by Cedric Brown; the team record until Haddix's 231 in 1990).
- Most yards per passing attempt (Doug Williams' 7.56 was the team record until Vinny TestaverdeVinny TestaverdeVincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...
's 7.72 in 1990). - Most yards per pass play (6.97 was their best until 19941994 Tampa Bay Buccaneers seasonThe 1994 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the death of owner Hugh Culverhouse. Ownership was transferred to a three-man board of trustees. Season ticket sales dwindled, and rumors of the team's location were a persistent distraction all year...
). - Longest punt return by an opposing player (Jeff FisherJeff FisherJeffrey Michael "Jeff" Fisher is the former head coach of the Tennessee Titans of the NFL. He has a 146-120 career record as an NFL head coach.-Early life:...
's 88-yard touchdown for Chicago on 9/20, broken by Phillip EppsPhil EppsPhillip Epps is a former American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets...
' 90-yard touchdown for Green Bay on 10/2/83).