2005 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2005 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs drafted Auburn running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams with the fifth overall pick in the college draft. In the second round, the team picked Texas linebacker Barrett Ruud and in the third round selected Standford tight end Alex Smith. The Bucs were very high on the 2005 draft class and eleven of the dozen players drafted ended up making the team. Further evidence that the Bucs were going with a youth movement were the release of older veterans such as RB Charlie Garner, WR Tim Brown and OL Derrick Deese.
Things got off to a rough start in the season opener at Minnesota. Darren Sharper returned a Brian Griese interception 88 yards and the Vikings had a 7-0 advantage after one quarter. Griese (18 of 29 for 213 yards with 2 INT) would settle down and toss two second quarter TD passes to rookie tight end Alex Smith. Griese set a team record by having a TD pass in a dozen straight games and the Bucs lead 17-7 at the half. The Tampa Bay defense held Minnesota to 26 yards rushing and frustrated Daunte Culpepper (22 of 33 for 233 yards) all afternoon. Culpepper was intercepted three times, twice by Brian Kelly, and lost two fumbles. Cadillac Williams carried 27 times for 148 yards and ran 71 yards for a late TD to ice the game. Ronde Barber said of the rookie running back, "He's like Warrick Dunn on steroids." Jon Gruden commented after the 24- 13 victory, "A lot of people gave us no chance."
The defense came up big in the home opener against Buffalo. The game's first
score came when the Bucs forced quarterback J.P. Losman (12 of 29 for 113
yards) out of the end for a safety and the Bills were held to 147 total yards.
The Bucs finished with 318 total yards, including 191 on the ground, and a 1
yard TD run by Mike Alstott put the Bucs up 9-0. Cadillac Williams had his
second 100 yard game in as many weeks, 128 yards on 24 carries, and added a
second half touchdown. Brian Griese (16 of 22 for 136 yards) completed some
key passes and the Tampa Bay controlled the game 19-3. One negative, for the
second straight game the Bucs had thirteen penalties. Asked about the number
of carries his rookie running back was getting, Jon Gruden replied, "I've got
an old Cadillac that I call my beach car. It's got 161,000 miles on it. I've
driven it hard. So 24 carries is nothing, man."
The Buccaneers had not won in Green Bay since 1989, but Brian Griese (17 of 26 for 139 yards with 1 INT) hooked up with Joey Galloway on two first half touchdown passes. While Brett Favre (14 of 24 for 195 yards) also tossed a pair of scoring passes, Tampa Bay had a 17-13 lead at the intermission. The Bucs defense made some big plays and picked off Favre three times, including two fourth quarter interceptions by second year safety Will Allen. Cadillac Williams became the first player in NFL history to start his career with three straight 100 yard games and finished with 158 yards on 37 carries. The only second half scoring was a Ryan Longwell field goal, he had missed an extra point earlier, and the Bucs took a 17-16 victory. The locker room talk continued to be about the Bucs rookie running back. Jon Gruden proclaimed, "He is the best back I've ever coached." The head coach added, "He has to back it up the rest of the season." On Williams getting key first downs to run out the clock, Simeon Rice joked, "Right now he's one of our best defensive player."
Back home in Tampa, Detroit would keep a nicked up Cadillac Williams in check
and force the Buccaneers into four turnovers. Joey Galloway was the difference
with a career high 166 receiving yards, including an 80 yard touchdown catch.
Brian Griese (22 of 39 for 302 yards) was picked off three times, but he also
connected on a 41 yard play to Michael Pittman. The Lions answered each Bucs
score and appeared to have the winning touchdown with 13 seconds remaining.
Joey Harrington (15 of 27 for 137 yards) hooked up with tight end Marcus
Pollard in the end zone, however, the replay official claimed he was out-of-
bounds and overturned the original call. After escaping with a 17-13 victory,
Simeon Rice said, "We lost a lot of close games like this last year, but today
we finished." Jon Gruden added, "Thank God for the replay official."
The Jets had suffered injuries to their top two quarterbacks, so they brought 41-year-old Vinny Testaverde in to start against the Bucs. Testaverde (13 of 19 for 163 yards with an INT), who was home watching games on television two weeks earlier, did just enough. The Buccaneers offensive never got on track and had to settle for four Matt Bryant field goals. Brian Griese (27 of 42 for 226 yards) was sacked three times, intercepted once and had two picks called back due to penalties. The Bucs themselves were flagged a dozen times for 87 yards. Two short Curtis Martin touchdown TD runs were enough to give the Bucs their first loss of the season and the home team a 14-12 victory. Ronde Barber said of Testaverde, "For a guy coming off the street, who was sitting home eating potato chips, man, I think he played a pretty good game."
Brian Griese (12 of 16 for 120 yards) tossed a first quarter touchdown pass to Joey Galloway and the Bucs held a 10-3 lead over Miami after one quarter in Tampa. In the second quarter, Griese would suffer a knee injuring bringing Chris Simms (6 of 10 for 69 yards) into the game. For the Bucs the injuries were beginning to mount, however, the backups played well. Michael Pittman, filling in for Cadillac Williams, rushed for 127 yards rushing with a score and backup safety Will Allen returned a fumble 33 yards for his first career touchdown. The Bucs defense sacked Gus Frerotte (21 of 43 for 267 yards) four times and held Ricky Williams to eight yards rushing in his return to the Dolphins. A 23-17 victory put the Bucs at 5-1 going into the bye, though Jon Gruden stated, "Winning five games was never my goal." On the injuries, and the play of the backups, the head coach said, "We pay 53 men and all of them have to be able and go out there and earn their paychecks."
| English soccer fans were not too happy when Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer bought
Manchester United in 2005. The Manchester United Football Club is the world's
most profitable and arguably the most popular sports franchise in the world.
Glazer began buying stock in the club 2003 and on 12 May 2005 acquired a Fans worried that the new owners would be more interested in making money than winning and there were protests and anti-Glazer web sites. The Glazers have worked to expand the Premier League team's brand name into new markets and have increased the capacity at Old Trafford stadium. Joel Glazer, who handles the running of the club on a day-to-day basis, tried to calm the fears, "We are long-term sports investors and avid Manchester United fans." |
Chris Simms got the start at San Francisco and it turned out to be a dreadful game. Simms (21 of 34 for 264 yards) was intercepted twice, sacked five times and lost a fumble. A short throw to Joey Galloway (8 receptions for 149 yards) turned in a 78 yard touchdown and the only highlight for Tampa Bay. Cadillac Williams was back, but with 20 yards on 13 carries, he had no impact. Kevan Barlow ran for 101 yards and the 49ers won the game with just 50 yards passing. Ken Dorsey (7 of 18 for 40 yards) started before being injured late in the game. Cody Pickett (1 of 1 for 10 yards), who was playing on special teams, closed out the game at quarterback. Bryant Young lead the San Francisco defense with two sacks and the 49ers points came on five Joe Nedley field goals. After the 15-10 loss, Bucs defensive lineman Ellis Wyms said, "They made the plays and we didn't. We came out to the West Coast and lost another one."
Things did not get much better when Carolina came to town. Joey Galloway had a
50 yard touchdown catch and Mike Alstott a 1 yard TD run, but four turnovers
killed the Buccaneers chances. Cornerback Chris Gamble had two interceptions
and returned one pick 61 yards for a score. Chris Simms (25 of 41 for 259
yards) lost a fumble and was sacked five times with Julius Peppers and Mike
Rucker each recording two sacks. Jake Delhomme (11 of 18 for 218 yards) threw
a touchdown pass to Steve Smith (106 yards receiving) and Stephen Davis ran for
two scores in the Panthers 34-14 victory. Derrick Brooks commented, "We lost
two games in a row for the first time this season. With a young football team,
I can't let the guys go in the tank on me." Michael Clayton added, "By no
means does this mean the season is over."
An expected defensive struggled against Washington turned into a shootout at RJS. Chris Simms (15 of 29 for 270 yards) had a breakout game with three touchdown passes and no turnovers. Joey Galloway continued his hot hand with seven catches for 131 yards with a score and Mike Alstott barreled in on two short TD runs. Simeon Rice had two sacks, forced two fumbles and had an interception. The Redskins had plenty of answers with Mark Brunell (23 of 35 for 226 yards with 2 INTs) tossing a pair of TD passes and Clinton Portis rushing for 144 yards with a score. Simms hooked up with Edell Shephard on a 30 yard pass play to pull the Bucs within 35-34 with 58 seconds left in regulation. The Redskins blocked the extra point, but an offsides penalty put the ball at the 1 yard line. Jon Gruden decided to go for two points and Alstott just made it to the goal line for the victory. Galloway said of the emotions at the end of the game, "I heard the blocked extra point and it was like the end of the world. Then we see the flag and we hear the whispers. "Let's go for it.'" Gruden said of the decision, "I wouldn't have been able to wake up tomorrow night not knowing what we would have done with Mike Alstott. There are no guarantees what happens in overtime." On the play of his young quarterback in the 36-35 victory, Gruden commented, "It was a great step forward for Chris. He made a statement today."
Cadillac Williams got back on track at the Georgia Dome, breaking loose for 30 yards on his first carry and finishing with 116 rushing yards. The Falcons did not help themselves early and had eleven penalties for 87 yards. With Michael Vick knocked out for one play, Matt Schaub fumbled in the end zone and Anthony McFarland recovered the ball for his first career TD. The Bucs would jump to a 13-0 lead in the second quarter. Vick (21 of 38) passed for 306 yards and two scores, as the teams swapped the lead in the second half. Chris Simms (11 of 19 for 118) overcame an interception and lead the Bucs on a game tying drive capped by a TD run by Williams. Atlanta amassed 443 total yards, but another fumble would put Tampa Bay in position to win the game. Matt Bryant kicked his third field goal of the day, this one from 45 yards with 42 seconds remaining, and the Bucs had a 30-27 victory. After the defense allowed almost 100 points in the last three games, McFarland said, "The only stat in this game that matters is W's and L's. We like W's."
Chicago defensive end Alex Brown had a dominating afternoon in Tampa. Brown,
who also recorded two sacks, knocked the ball from the hand of Chris Simms
setting up the Bears at the Buccaneers 1 yard line. On the next play, the
visitors had a quick 7-0 lead when rookie quarterback Kyle Orton (14 of 28 for
134 yards with 1 INT) hooked up with tight end John Gilmore. In this defensive
struggle, Simms' (19 of 30 for 202 yards) favorite target continued to be Joey
Galloway (7 catches for 138 yards) and Mike Alstott leaped into the end zone to
pull the Bucs within 13-10 with seven minutes remaining. At the 2:47 mark, a
29 yard potential game tying field goal by Matt Bryant drifted wide right.
Bryant said of the kick, "I just missed it. It should have never been that
close. From 29 yards, it should go the middle all the time." On the game,
Kenyatta Walker commented, "We just got into a dogfight. There were times when
we looked pretty good. But there were also times when, man, we just looked
ugly."
With the damage Hurricane Katrina did to the Superdome, the New Orleans Saints had to split their games between San Antonio and Baton Rouge. The Bucs played before a less than half filled Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. LSU alumnus Michael Clayton commented, "I could never imagine LSU stadium being this empty." The game's only touchdown came on a pass from Chris Simms (12 of 21 for 123 yards) to Joey Galloway. Matt Bryant was nursing an injury, so Todd France took over the kicking duties for one game. France made one field goal and had another attempt blocked. The star of the game was Ronde Barber who picked off Aaron Brooks (18 of 34 for 215 yards with 4 INTs) three times. On his play in the 10-3 victory Barber said, "We talk about it all the time. This is the time of year when you have to play your best ball, because this is the time championships are decided."
Cadillac Williams rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns, while Chris Simms
(20 of 27 for 138 yards) played mistake free at Charlotte. The Bucs lead
Carolina 10-0 at the half and built the advantage to 20-3 before the Panthers
scored a late touchdown. The only bright spot for Carolina was Steve Smith
catching five passes for 103 yards Ronde Barber had a key interception of Jake
Delhomme (21 of 33 for 220 yard with 1 TD) and recorded his twenty career sack.
Barber became the first cornerback in NFL history to had twenty career sacks
and twenty career interceptions. The 20-10 victory marked the first time the
Bucs had won all their division road games since 1979. Michael Clayton
commented, "We've come a long way since last season. There's a whole new
atmosphere here." Derrick Brooks added, "It's refreshing to be in control of
our own destiny."
The Buccaneers third straight road game took place on an afternoon when it was in the high thirties at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots scored on their opening possession, things settled down, then the Bucs lost focus late in the first half. A roughing the punter penalty, a Chris Simms fumble and New England had two scores in less than two minutes for a 21-0 advantage at the half. The Patriots pretty much dominated with Tom Brady (20 of 31 for 258 yards) throwing three TD passes, David Givens catching six passes for 137 yards with a TD and Corey Dillion scoring twice. With Tampa Bay playing from behind, Chris Simms (21 of 34 for 155 yards) was sacked seven sacks. Six of the sacks came from blitzing linebackers, with Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest each recording two sacks. The 28-0 defeat was the first time a Jon Gruden coached team was shutout. Ronde Barber said, "We had setback, no doubt, but this has been a resilient team." Gruden commented, "We've got two weeks to go. I'm not going to be nervous or doubt the character that we have on our football team."
It was a wild Christmas Eve game against Atlanta. The Falcons scored first,
then Chris Simms (29 of 42 for 285 yards with 2 INTs) threw two touchdown
passes and the Bucs were up 14-7. Atlanta came back, including a second
Michael Vick (16 of 26 for 161 yards) TD pass, and lead 17-14 at the half.
After a scoreless third quarter, a 50 yard Matt Bryant field goal tied things
up with 9:01 left. A T.J. Duckett scoring run put Atlanta on top with 4:18 on
the RJS clock. On fourth and one, Cadillac Williams ran six yards for the
equalizer with 25 seconds remaining. Williams rushed for 150 yards that
afternoon and went over 1,000 yards for the season. The Tampa Bay offense
would finish with 444 total yards and the defense recorded four sacks,
including two by Simeon Rice. Things looked grim when Edell Shepherd fumbled
the overtime kickoff, but a 28 yard field goal attempt by Todd Peterson was
blocked and the Bucs dogged a major bullet. A few minutes later, Bryant
returned the favor by missing on a 27 yard attempt. With just 15 seconds left
in OT, Bryant made amends with a 41 yard field goal for the victory. After the
draining 27-24 triumph, Jon Gruden stated, "Wow! I have to keep reminding
myself that the game is officially over. This was a real gut check." Derrick
Brooks said of the intensity, "I was so caught up in the game, with 15 seconds
to go, I'm telling Chris Hovan, 'Don't get excited. We've still got to go back
out there.' Hovan looks at me and said. 'What? Brooks, it's overtime, game
over!'"
With a playoff spot secured, a victory in the regular season finale would give the Bucs the division title. Chris Simms (12 of 25 for 143 yards) threw two touchdown passes to Joey Galloway, giving the receiver a team record ten TD catches for the season, and the Bucs never trailed. Simeon Rice recorded two of the four sacks of New Orleans quarterback Todd Bouman (25 of 37 for 265 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs), but the game would not be decided until after the two minute warning. Dewayne White stripped Bouman, recovered the fumble and returned it 34 yards for the final score. Even with ten penalties for 107 yards, the Bucs posted a 27-13 victory over the Saints. Simms proclaimed, "We're NFC South Champs. We're pumped that we've got a home game next week."
Chris Simms was intercepted and a Clinton Portis touchdown run put Washington
up 7-0. Linebacker Marcus Washington forced and recovered a Cadillac Williams
fumble, then got off the ground and fumbled himself. Safety Sean Taylor picked
up that fumble and returned it 51 yards and the Redskins lead 14-0 after the
first quarter. Trailing 17-3 at the half, Simms brought the Buccaneers back
with a 2 yard scoring run. Edell Shepherd juggled what could have been the
equalizer with 3:03 left in the game and a second Simms (25 of 38 for 198
yards) interception in the final minute ended any hope of a comeback. The Bucs
defense kept them in the game. Mark Brunell (7 of 15 for 41 yards with an INT)
was held to 25 net passing yards and the 120 total yards by Washington was the
fewest by a winning postseason team in league history. After a 17-10 defeat,
Jon Gruden said of the potential tying touchdown, "It's unforunate. He was
open. He had his hands on the ball and he was in the end zone. It's a sad
situation if you're Jon Gruden rigt now." On the defensive effort, Ronde
Barber stated, "At this point, it doesn't matter, does it?"
Riding the league's number one defense, the Buccaneers went from worst to first. Going from 5-11 to 11-5 was the best turnaround in team history. Cadillac Williams set the Bucs rookie rushing record with 1,178 yards and was named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year. Josh Bidwell lead the NFC with a Bucs record 45.6 yard average. Bidwell was the first Bucs punter named to the Pro Bowl, while Derrick Brooks made his ninth trip and Ronde Barber went to Hawaii for the third time. Brooks returned an interception for a touchdown in the game and was named the Pro Bowl MVP. Brooks and Barber were also named All-Pro by the AP.
| Related Links |
| 2005 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Results |
| 2005 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Statistics |
| 2005 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Picks |
| 2005 NFC South Division Standinga |
| Back to Tampa Bay Buccaneers History Page |
| Back to Tampa Bay Buccaneers Main Menu |
| Back to Home Page |
controlling interest for a hostile takeover valued at approximately $1.5
billion. By May 16th, he increased his share to the necessary 75% to remove
the team from the London Stock Exchange and make it private again.