1992 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1992 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On January 8, in a strange turn of events, Culverhouse and Parcells met at the Washington D.C. home of newscaster David Brinkley. In a 2 1/2 hour meeting, Parcells asked to be reconsidered for the Bucs head coaching job. "I went there with an open mind because I owe it to the team, to the entire community, to explore it," the team owner said. "I said, 'Look let bygones be bygones.' He said, 'I want to coach in Tampa.'" Culverhouse went on to explain why he rejected the idea. "It wasn't getting over hurt. I'm a grown man. I've probably been jilted many times before and didn't know it. Bill Parcells is still a good coach. It was somewhere in asking him why and what happened, I didn't get that enthusiasm I was hoping to have."
On January 10, Hugh Culverhouse announced that Sam Wyche would be the team's
new head coach. The Bucs owner said, "I was impressed by his brain, his
football knowledge, innovation, his excitement that he creates in football."
Wyche had left the Cincinnati Bengals on Christmas Eve amid some controversy,
whether he had resigned or the team had fired him. Wyche had sporadic success
with Cincinnati and had lead the team to a Super Bowl appearance. The new
coach promised "We'll be exciting." At the press conference announcing his
hiring, Wyche showed some humor. "I'm about half nuts. You'll find out I
enjoy a good laugh."
As a result of the Chris Chandler deal, the Bucs did not have a first round selection in the first college draft under Sam Wyche. The team did select Michigan State wide receiver Courtney Hawkins in the second round and University of Miami quarterback Craig Erickson in the fourth round. Steve DeBerg returned to the team under the "Plan B" free agency route from Kansas City. After playing 118 games with the Bucs, and sitting out the entire 1991 season with an elbow injury, center Randy Grimes would not make the team.
The Bucs opened the season September 6 on a mid-ninety degree afternoon at Tampa Stadium against the Phoenix Cardinals. Phoenix had former Buccaneer Chris Chandler starting at quarterback. Reggie Cobb scored on a 1 yard run with 50 seconds left in the first half to give the Bucs a 10-7 lead. Place kicker Ken Willis, who Tampa Bay obtained as a free agent in the off-season, booted three field goals as 41,315 fans watched the Bucs win 23-7. Sam Wyche said of winning his first game as the Bucs head coach, "That's one down."
The following week, first year head coach Mike Holmgren and his Green Bay
Packers came to town. Vinny Testaverde completed his first eight passes, ended
up completing 22 of 25 passes for 363 yards with two touchdowns and ran for
another score. Testaverde set team records for most yards per pass attempt
(14.5) and completion percentage (88.0%) in the game. Cornerback Rickey
Reynolds opened the scoring by returning a fumble 15 yards for a touchdown and
the defense recorded six quarterback sacks. A Santana Dotson sack knocked Don
Majkowski out of the game, so Brett Favre (8 of 14 for 73 yards with 1 INT) saw
his first action as the Packers quarterback. Favre's first NFL completion was
actually a deflected pass to himself. The Bucs lead 17-0 at the half and
coasted to a 31-3 victory over the Packers. Tampa Bay was 2-0 for the first
time in twelve seasons.
In week three, the Bucs went to Minnesota to face the Vikings and new head coach Dennis Green. Vinny Testaverde injured his arm in the game and Steve DeBerg came off the bench to throw two touchdown passes. Vikings starting quarterback Rich Gannon was also knocked out of the game and replaced with backup Sean Salisbury. Salisbury hit wide receiver Chris Carter with a TD pass and Terry Allen ran for a touchdown, as Minnesota won the game 26-20.
The next week, the Buccaneers ended a fifteen game road losing streak. Vinny Testaverde hit tight end Ron Hall on a 14 yard touchdown pass with 49 seconds left in the game. The lead had changed hands three times in final 6:01, and 24 points were scored in the fourth quarter, as Detroit's eleven game home winning streak was history. The 27-23 victory gave the Bucs a 3-1 record.
A Vinny Testaverde (23 of 47 for 286 yards and 2 INTs) touchdown pass and a
Reggie Cobb scoring run gave the Bucs a 14-7 halftime lead over Indianapolis at
Tampa Stadium. Returning from a thumb injury, Colts quarterback Jeff George
got off to a slow start. He was intercepted three times, sacked four times and
the visitors were called for eleven infractions. In the second half, George
(15 of 33 for 234 yards) tossed two touchdown passes to rally the Colts to a
24-21 victory.
When the Bucs played at Chicago, Steve DeBerg started at quarterback. Fullback Brad Muster scored on his team's first two possessions and the Bears had a 14-7 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Jim Harbaugh hit Anthony Morgan with an 83 yard touchdown, which was the longest pass play ever given up by a Bucs defense. The Bears prevailed 31-14.
When Detroit came to town, the Lions had three long scoring drives in the first
half and cruised to victory. Barry Sanders rushed for 122 yards with two
touchdowns, Herman Moore caught three passes for 108 yards with a TD and Rodney
Peete (11 of 19 for 208 yards with an INT) threw for three scores. All the
Bucs quarterbacks, Vinny Testaverde (5 of 11 for 26 yards with an INT), Steve
DeBerg (11 of 20 for 135 yards) and Craig Erickson (1 of 3 for 6 yards), saw
action in this 38-7 loss.
The following week, running back Dalton Hillard scored a pair of TDs and the Saints lead 20-7 midway through the third quarter in New Orleans. Broderick Thomas returned a Bobby Herbert (14 of 27 for 173 yards with 3 INTs) interception 56 yards for the Bucs first touchdown and all the team's points came off four New Orleans turnovers. The visitors scored two TDs in less than four minutes, a Steve DeBerg (13 of 25 for 94 yards with a pick) touchdown pass and a Reggie Cobb scoring run, and the Bucs lead 21-20 in the fourth quarter. Cobb became the second Buccaneer to score touchdown in five consecutive games, but a late 50 yard field goal by Morten Andersen gave the Saints a 23-21 victory.
At Tampa, the Buccaneers out gained Minnesota in total yards (354-296), had more first downs (24-22) and only punted once. Steve DeBerg (28 of 42 for 239 yards) was picked off twice and the Bucs could not score on five trips inside the Vikings 20 yard line. Minnesota lead 28-0 at the half and running back Roger Craig rushed for two touchdowns in a 35-7 Vikings triumph. After the team's fifth straight loss, Tony Mayberry said "I do feel bad for our fans. They deserve more. We're going to give them more, eventually."
The losing streak would come to an end against Chicago in front of a sold out
crowd at Tampa Stadium. After being benched for two weeks, Vinny Testaverde
(12 of 21 for 182 yards with an INT) got the start. Reggie Cobb (114 yards
rushing) ran for a touchdown, Testaverde connected with Ron Hall on a scoring
pass and the Bucs lead 20-0 at the half. Two fourth quarter touchdowns by
Chicago running back Neal Anderson narrowed the gap. Bears place kicker Kevin
Butler missed a potential game tying 34 yard field goal with one second on the
clock and the Buccaneers had a 20-17 victory.
A trip to San Diego saw Vinny Testaverde (19 of 31 for 187 yards) throw for a touchdown and run for a score. The Bucs QB was also sacked six times, once in the end zone for a safety. The running backs lead the way for the Chargers. Ronnie Harmon scored two touchdowns and Marion Butts rushed for 104 yards, as the Bucs fell 29-14.
In Milwaukee, Chris Jackie kicked four field goals, but Vinny Testaverde's (12 of 22 for 172 yards and 3 INTs) second touchdown pass of the game gave the Bucs a 14-12 lead after three quarters. A fourth quarter Brett Favre (26 of 41 for 223) to Jackie Harris TD pass was the difference in a Packers victory. Tampa Bay had five turnovers in a 19-14 defeat.
| Sam Wyche was an innovative coach who introduced the no-huddle offense as a standard offense, instead of just at the end of the half or the game. His inspiration was the key to one of the biggest turnarounds in NFL history when the Cincinnati Bengals went from 4-11 in 1987 to the Super Bowl the next year.
Wyche played quarterback with the original AFL Cincinnati Bengals in 1968 and was with Washington, Detroit, the St. Louis Cardinals and Buffalo during a playing career that lasted until 1976. He began his coaching career with Bill Walsh and the San Francisco 49ers in 1979, was the head coach at Indiana University for one year before taking the top job with the Bengals in 1984. Despite all his accomplishments, Wyche will be remembered in Buccaneer lore as the coach who practiced halftime. |
The home schedule concluded on December 13, as 38,208 watched the Bucs and Falcons. Reggie Cobb dove into the end zone from 1 yard out and the score was tied 7-7 early in the second quarter. It was downhill from there, as Atlanta quarterback Wade Wilson threw for a career and team record five touchdowns. The last score went to Deion Sanders, who was at wide receiver for fifteen plays, for his first pro TD reception. Vinny Testaverde, Craig Erickson and Steve DeBerg all saw action in the 35-7 defeat. Testaverde said afterwards, " I'm really disappointed we played out last home game the way we did and I think the fans deserve more than what we showed them."
On a Saturday afternoon at San Francisco, the Buccaneers opened the scoring with a trick play. Gary Anderson took the hand-off, tossed the ball back to Vinny Testaverde and the Bucs QB hit Anthony McDowell on a 51 yard touchdown play. Steve Young threw a TD pass to John Taylor and the game was tied 7-7 at the half. Early in the third quarter, Young hit Jerry Rice on a 32 yard pass and the 49ers were in front. Early in the fourth, a 1 yard TD run by Reggie Cobb capped an 15 play, 80 yard drive and the game was tied again. Young and Rice quickly hooked up again, this time from 30 yards, and San Francisco was back in front. The Bucs had their chances, including a first and goal from the San Francisco 3 yard line, but could not get back into the end zone. Rice finished the day with seven receptions for 118 yards. The Buccaneers, who were 20 point underdogs, lost 21-14. For the second time during the year, Tampa Bay had lost five consecutive games. Sam Wyche talked about the game, "We played them right down to the wire. That was a whale of a football game." The head coach also spoke about what he told his team at halftime, "I said, 'If you guys don't start running, I'm going to kill everyone.' I carry a loaded gun. Mainly for myself on Monday mornings."
The season finale was played on a sloppy field at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Bucs only rushed for 30 yards, but a 23 yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (24 of 41 for 233 yards with an interception) to Mark Carrier was the game's only touchdown. Six Phoenix turnovers, including five interceptions, helped the Bucs topple the Cards 7-3.
The 5-11 record saw the Bucs finish in a three way tie with Chicago and Detroit, but they took third place in the division on the tiebreakers. With the team losing ten of their last twelve games, there seemed to be little to build on. One of the stars of the season, and the Bucs hoped the future, was rookie Santana Dotson recording ten sacks. Reggie Cobb rushed for the fourth highest total yards in the NFC, a career high 1,171 yards, and was voted the Most Valuable Player by the Tampa Bay area media.
| Related Links |
| 1992 Buccaneers Results |
| 1992 NFC Central Division Standings |
| 1992 Buccaneers Draft |
| 1992 Buccaneers Statistics |
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In 1992, Wyche saw that the Bucs struggled at the start of the third quarter, so he decided to practice halftime. Midway through practice, the horn would blow and players would go into locker room for 12 minutes, then go back on the field. No real improvement in play was seen.