Tampa Bay Football History Network - 1991 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1991 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh fueled the speculation he would become the next Buccaneers head coach. Walsh said, "If I had to pick a team to sign with, Tampa Bay would be at the top of my list." Walsh eventually decided to continue his broadcasting career at NBC and recommended Los Angeles Raiders quarterbacks coach Mike White to lead Tampa Bay. Former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan was interviewed for the job and there were rumors that University of Minnesota head coach Lou Holtz was coming to Tampa. On February 4, Hugh Culverhouse announced that Richard Williamson had signed a two year contract to be the full time head coach. Culverhouse said the decision was made to retain Williamson because he seemed to be the player's choice and that "He's the best man for the job at this time." However, the critics held a different view. Some felt that Culverhouse was taking the cheap way out, and should have hired someone like Bill Belichick or Buddy Ryan.

The Ricky Bell Story

The tragic story of Ricky Bell is one that most Bucs fan know. While at USC he rushed for 347 yards in a game against Washington State. Since Tony Dorsett was available, he was a controversial draft pick for the Buccaneers in 1977. Bell carried the ball 38 times in the Bucs first playoff victory over Philadelphia. He died in 1984 of heart failure caused by a rare muscle and skin disease.
On April 2, 1991, CBS broadcasted a made-for-TV movie called “Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story.” Mario Van Peebles played Bell, Lane R. Davis played Ryan Blankenship the boy he befriended, William Chapman played John McKay and former USC players Marcus Allen, Charles White and Anthony Davis appeared as themselves. The film was directed by Richard Michaels.
The movie touched upon Bell's gridiron accomplishments, then concentrates on his final years and the strong friendship he forges with a father-less handicapped young man. Reaching out to help the youngster, the football star ends up getting crucial support in return. It is interesting to note that Lane Davis was seriously injured in a car accident and going through intensive therapy at the time.

In April, Hugh Culverhouse had surgery to remove a tumor on his lung. In the college draft, the Buccaneers selected University of Tennessee offensive tackle Charles McRae with the seventh overall pick in the first round. Picked up in the third round were Florida State wide receiver Lawrence Dawsey and Texas A&M fullback Robert Wilson.

The season opened on September 1 at the Jets and it was Rich Kotite's first game as the New York team's head coach. A 29 yard field goal by Steve Christie opened the scoring, then a 1 yard TD run by Freeman McNeil gave the Jets a 7-3 lead after the first quarter. Late in the fourth, rookie Lawrence Dawsey caught a 65 yard touchdown pass from Vinny Testaverde (12 of 28 for 197 yards and an INT) to tie the game. Pat Leahy kicked a 40 yard field goal, with 1:22 left, to give the Jets a 16-13 win over the Bucs.

65,625 fans showed up for the home opener against Chicago. The Bears had four turnovers, three fumbles and an interception, but Jim Harbaugh did throw two touchdown passes. Gary Anderson ran 64 yards for a touchdown, while Bears running back Neal Anderson scored TDs on a run and a pass to pace the Bears. The Buccaneers had eleven penalties for 131 yards, and Vinny Testaverde was sacked six times, as the Bears won 21-20.

At Lambeau Field, Vinny Testaverde (19 of 30 for 278 yards with an interception) was sacked seven times, once for a safety, and the Packers held a 5-3 lead going into the fourth quarter. After a field goal, the Bucs would take a 13-5 lead with 3:59 left on the clock. Testaverde threw deep to Mark Carrier, but the pass was deflected by Green Bay cornerback Vinnie Clark and caught by wide receiver Willie Drewrey for an 87 yard score and the eight point lead. Don Majkowski threw a TD pass to running back Vince Workman to pull the Packers within a point, then the Bucs could not run out the clock. Chris Jacke hit a 22 yard field goal with 47 seconds remaining to post a 15-13 victory for Green Bay. Mistakes didn't help, as the Bucs were penalized twelve times for 86 yards and had two TDs called back. They had lost their first three games by a total of six points. Richard Williamson said, "All the blame is mine. I'm in charge of this team."

The next week, Vinny Testaverde (3 of 10 for 48 yards) injured his toe in the second quarter of a home game against Buffalo. Chris Chandler (15 of 27 for 137 yards) came on in relief and Reggie Cobb scored on a 1 yard run for the Bucs. The score was tied 10-10, then a 29 yard touchdown pass from Jim Kelly to Keith McKeller gave the Bills the lead with 5:21 left in the game. The Bucs were driving, but time ran out with the ball at the Buffalo 8 yard line. Richard Williamson said after the 17-10 defeat, "If our team keeps playing like they did today, and fight through, this will be a good ball club. I really believe that."

Chris Chandler started the following week at Detroit. Chandler (10 of 26 for 64 yards and an interception) scrambled for 56 of the team's 81 rushing yards, before being knocked out of the game with a concussion in the third quarter. Chandler would say later, "I felt totally dead." Barry Sanders rushed for 160 yards and ran for three Lions touchdowns for the first time in his career. About the only positive coming out of the 31-3 defeat was Broderick Thomas recording two sacks and a fumble recovery. A frustrated Vinny Testaverde (7 of 13 for 54 yards and an INT) said, "I'm tried of being everybody's scapegoat." Richard Williamson was not happy with the team opening the season with five defeats. "On offense we obviously got nothing done," the head coach said. "We couldn't run the ball from me to you."

The season's first victory came against Philadelphia at Tampa Stadium. Vinny Testaverde started at quarterback and the teams played a scoreless first half. The Eagles defense forced six Buccaneer turnovers and scored a touchdown that afternoon. Testaverde broke his right thumb in the third quarter and Chris Chandler came off the bench. Chandler threw two touchdown passes in the final minutes, and Broderick Thomas set a team record with 21 tackles, in a 14-13 Bucs victory. Testaverde was benched a couple of more times in favor of Chandler, who was released before the end of the season with a record of 0-6 as a Bucs starter.

In New Orleans, Chris Chandler (17 of 31 for 211 yards) got the start and was sacked six times and intercepted twice. Saints quarterback Steve Walsh (19 of 31 for 205 yards) had two of his first six passes intercepted. In his first start of the season, Walsh came back to convert key third down plays and tossed a fourth quarter touchdown. Chandler did toss a scoring pass to Charles Wilson, but the Bucs lost 23-7.

Green Bay came to town and the Bucs turned the ball over eight times. Early in the second quarter, Richard Williamson took Chris Chandler out of the game and gave third string QB Jeff Carlson a shot. Tampa Bay generated only 170 total yards in a 27-0 defeat. Williamson commented after the game, "I don't think it's any secret that we have some problems offensively."

Due to the fact that 28 inches of snow had fallen over the last two days, just 35,737 showed up for a game at the MetroDome. The Bucs lead 3-0 at the half, and 6-0 in the third quarter, before the Vikings scored four touchdowns. Vinny Testaverde (10 of 22 for 124 yards and 3 interceptions) tossed a late TD pass, and Minnesota running back Terry Allen ran for 127 yards, in the Bucs 28-13 defeat. Tampa Bay turned the ball over five times and Richard Williamson commented, "I know sun up will come tomorrow and we will play whoever the hell it is we have to play next."

Just 37,742 attended the next game, as the Bucs were 1-8 when the Lions came to town on November 10. Barry Sanders ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns, but Reggie Cobb had his best game in the Bucs backfield. Cobb had a team record three scoring runs, including a 59 yarder, and a career high 139 yards rushing. Lions quarterback Erik Kramer turned the ball over four times and the Bucs posted a 30-21 victory over Detroit.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Falcons exploded for 33 points in the second period at Atlanta. It was the worst margin for a quarter in Bucs history. Vinny Testaverde (6 of 16 for 71 yards with 2 interceptions) injured his groin and was replaced by Jeff Carlson (11 of 15 for 164 yards and an INT), who threw a late touchdown pass to avoid the shutout. Atlanta sacked the quarterback four times, and Deion Sanders intercepted two passes, in a 43-7 Falcon victory. Richard Williamson said of the blowout loss, "When you don't play, you are going to get the hell beat out of you."

After being blown out at Atlanta, the Bucs played the Giants before a full house at Tampa Stadium. Reggie Cobb rushed for 110 yards, including a 27 yard touchdown run, and Vinny Testaverde (16 of 27 for 122 yards with 2 INTs) threw a TD pass. Pepper Johnson lead the New York defensive charge with 4.5 sacks of Testaverde. Quarterback Jeff Hostetler (6 of 14 for 74 yards) broke a bone in his back and Phil Simms (10 of 14 for 100 yards) came into the game. Simms fired a 30 yard touchdown pass to Stephen Baker with 16 seconds left in the game to propel the Giants to a 21-14 triumph.

That was followed by a trip to Joe Robbie Stadium. It was Vinny Testaverde's first game in Miami since turning pro. Testaverde (21 of 39 for 224 yards with an INT and 4 sacks) did throw a touchdown pass and Reggie Cobb ran for a score. Dan Marino threw for 307 yards with two touchdowns and Mark Higgs ran for 131 yards with a TD to lead the Dolphins to a victory. Testaverde said of the 33- 14 defeat, "I was looking forward to going out there in front of the fans who saw me at Miami. It was a big game for me and, certainly, I didn't want it to go this way."

On December 8, Vikings place kicker Fuad Reviez hit four field goals, including two 50 yarders, in a game at Tampa. Behind the running of Herschel Walker, Minnesota built the lead, however, the Bucs rallied to make it close. The Vikings held on 26-14. The highlight of the day was the induction of Lee Roy Selmon, Ricky Bell and John McKay as the initial members of the team's "Krewe of Honor." Doug Williams would be added to the Krewe during the following season's opening game.

The next Saturday, the Bucs visited Chicago where the temperature was 28 degrees and the wind chill felt like minus 6 degrees. With Vinny Testaverde out with a back injury, Jeff Carlson got his first NFL start. The former Weber State QB was intercepted three times, sacked four times and the Bucs only generated 106 yards in total offensive. Bears running back Mark Green ran for two TDs in a 27-0 Chicago victory. The Bucs had lost eight of their last nine games.

Just 28,043 fans came to Tampa Stadium on December 22, as the Buccaneers closed the season against Indianapolis. They were the two worst teams in the league with 2-13 records. A 29 yard TD pass from Vinny Testaverde to Mark Carrier gave the Bucs a 7-3 halftime lead. Colts quarterback Jeff George was sacked five times with Broderick Thomas recording two of those sacks. Even with three Testaverde interceptions, the Bucs won the game 17-3.

The Bucs finished last in the division with a 3-13 record. One bright spot was wide receiver Lawrence Dawsey, who lead the team in receiving and set team rookie records with 55 receptions for 818 yards. Broderick Thomas, who had eleven sacks, was voted the Bucs' Most Valuable Player by the local media. On the down side, the offense struggled and scored only 199 points, which were the fewest the team had scored in a non-strike season since 1977. They also set a team record low for rushing attempts at 371. For the fourth time in team history, the Bucs did not win on the road.

On December 27, Richard Williamson was told he would not be retained as head coach. "Mr. Culverhouse informed me this morning he was going to make a change." Hugh Culverhouse said the reason was "Our won-loss record was not satisfactory. So, after a great deal of thought, I have decided to go with a new coach and staff in 1992."

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