2006 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2006 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There was not much positive coming out of the season opener against Baltimore. Chris Simms (17 of 29 for 133 yards) was intercepted three times, one returned 60 yards by cornerback Chris McAlister for a TD, and the Bucs rushed for only 26 yards. Jamal Lewis ran for a score on the Ravens first possession and Steve McNair (17 of 27 for 181) threw a touchdown pass in a 27-0 Baltimore victory. Simms said afterwards, "Plain and simple, they just whipped our butts." Jon Gruden added, "I aplogize to our fans."
Things did not improve much in Atlanta. The Falcons, lead by 134 yards by
Warrick Dunn and 127 yards by Michael Vick, rushed for 306 yards against the
Buccaneers. It was the most yards ever allowed by a Bucs defense on the
ground. Michael Koenen missed all three of his field goal attempts for
Atlanta, while Matt Bryant accounted for the Bucs first score of the season
making one of his three field goal tries. Joey Galloway did catch eight passes
for 161 yards, but Chris Simms (28 of 53 for 313 yards) tossed three more
interceptions. Vick (10 of 15 for 92 yards with an INT) ran for a score and
passed for another in a 14-3 Falcons victory. Jon Gruden was left to comment,
"Obviously, we've got a ways to go."
When Keyshawn Johnson scored two touchdowns, and Carolina took a 17-0 second quarter lead, it looked like there was not going to be much to cheer about at Raymond James Stadium. The Panthers controlled the game, as Jake Delhomme (22 of 36 for 272 with a TD) hooked up with Steve Smith seven times for 112 yards. Joey Galloway scored Tampa Bay's first TD of the season and the game was 20-7 at the half. The Bucs offense and defense came alive in the second half. Simeon Rice forced two fumbles, the Bucs recorded three sacks and recovered three fumbles. Third quarter touchdown runs by Cadillac Williams and Chris Simms gave the Bucs a 21-10 lead. After an exchange of field goals, the Bucs lead until John Kasey kicked his fourth field goal of the game with 2 seconds left. Greg Spires said after the 26-24 loss, "I never thought in a million years we would start like this. It's a bummer, man, losing three in a row."
The real story of the Carolina game developed shortly after the gun sounded, as
Chris Simms (13 of 24 for 139 yards with a TD and INT) was taken to the
hospital. What was thought to be bruised ribs and dehydration turned out to be
a ruptured spleen, and he had played a good part of the game with this injury.
After emergency surgery, Simms was expected to make a full recovery, but his
season was over.
Bruce Gradkowski made his first NFL start at the Superdome in New Orleans. On the Bucs first possession, Gradkowski threw a TD pass to Joey Galloway (4 catches for 110 yards) and the Bucs were up 7-0. Deuce McAllister rushed for 123 yards, 117 in first half, and his TD run gave the Saints a 10-7 lead at the half. A Drew Brees (21 of 33 for 171 yards) to Ernie Conwell touchdown play stretched the New Orleans lead to 17-7. Cadillac Wiliams rushed for 111 yards and Mike Alstott scored on a 1-yard run. Gradkowski threw his second TD pass of the day, this time to Alex Smith, and the Bucs were back in front 21-17. Saints rookie Reggie Bush returned a punt 65 yards for a score and the Saints posted a 24-21 victory. Jon Gruden said of his 0-4 team, "I'm very, very sad and distraught for our football players. However, I'm encouraged, very encouraged, by some of the play of our young players." On his QB Gruden added, "Not a lot of rookies have done what he's done on the road against a good football team."
Carson Palmer (24 of 37 for 261 yards) lobbed a 33-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh (10 catches for 102 yards) and Cincinnati had a 7-0 lead at the half in Tampa. Bruce Gradkowski (25 of 44 for 184 yards with an INT) threw a short TD pass to Alex Smith and the game was tied. The Bengals recaptured the lead with two field goals by Shayne Graham. On fourth down, with 35 seconds left in the game, Gradkowski threw what appeared to be a 8-yard scoring pass to Michael Clayton. The official ruled the pass incomplete, however, that decision would be overturned by replay review and the Bucs had their first victory of the season. Ellis Wyms, who recorded two sacks in the 14-13 win, said, "The biggest thing was getting a win and getting that taste of victory back in our mouths. If we play three in a row like this, then that would be a statement."
| From the very first time the team set foot on the field, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a cheerleading squad. Originally called the SwashBuclers, the name was changed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders in 1999. The original uniforms matched the Bucs orange, white and red color scheme with white boots and feathered hats. When the team changed uniforms and logos, the cheerleaders now wear red tops, short pants and skirts with long, black boots.
Released at the same time were Making the Squad - Miami and Making the Squad - San Diego. |
Philadelphia came to town and dominated the Buccaneers. Brian Westbrook rushed
for 101 yards and caught 13 passes for 133 yards. Donovan McNabb (22 of 35)
threw for 302 yards, Bruce Gradkowski went 13 of 26 for 104 yards, and the
Eagles out-gained the Bucs 506 to 196 in total yards. Ronde Barber would keep
the Bucs in the game, returning two of McNabb's three interceptions for
touchdowns and the Bucs lead 17-0 in the second quarter. The Eagles would
complete the comeback when McNabb tossed his third TD pass of the day,
connecting with Westbrook on 52 yard play, and the Eagles lead 21-20 with 33
seconds left. A decent kick return, and four plays later, the Bucs were at the
Eagles 44 yard line with 4 seconds on the clock. Instead of the trying the
hail Mary pass, Matt Bryant was brought in to attempt a 62 yard field goal.
Even though Bryant's career long was 50 yards, he booted a team record, just a
yard shy of the NFL record, kick through the uprights. Raymond James Stadium
was in a frenzy and the Bucs won 23-21. Jon Gruden had to say, "That was one of
the most dramatic finishes to a football game any of us will ever see." Bryant
was elated, "They say you're only as good as your last kick so if the season
were to end today, it would be a great night."
On a windy afternoon at Giants Stadium, the Bucs managed just nine yards on their first 16 plays. Things did not get a whole lot better with Bruce Gradkowski (20 of 48) throwing for 139 yards, with several key dropped passes, and the Bucs rushing for just 40 yards. Eli Manning (16 of 31 for 154 yards) tossed a touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in a 17-3 Giants victory. Ronde Barber remarked, "This was clearly a setback."
In a home game against New Orleans, Derrick Brooks passed Paul Gruber as the
Buccaneers career leader in games played with 184. Bruce Gradkowski (18 of 31
for 185 yards) provided a spark with two late second quarter touchdown passes
to Joey Galloway and the Bucs were within 17-14 at the half. That was as close
as it got. Drew Brees (24 of 32 for 314 yards) threw three TD passes and
rookie receiver Marques Colston caught eleven passes for 123 yards with a
score. Gradkowski was sacked four times and the Saints won 31-14. Jon Gruden
said, "I make only one apology today and that's to our fans. I apologize to
them, every one of them. I deserve all the criticism I can take."
The Buccaneers lead 7-0 at halftime of a Monday night game in Charlotte, then turnovers sealed their fate. While Carolina was scoring 17 unanswered points, the Bucs were turning the ball over on four of five possessions. Jake Delhomme (22 of 34 for 240 yards) tossed touchdown passes to Steve Smith (8 catches for 149 yards) and Keyshawn Johnson. Bruce Gradkowski (17 of 32 for 173 yards and a TD) had thrown 147 passes without a pick, and his one interception in his first 202 pass attempts was an NFL record for starting a career, before being intercepted twice by the Panthers. Gradkowski was also sacked three times. Ronde Barber recorded his 31st career interception, which equaled the franchise record, in a 24-10 defeat.
It was 3-3 at the half against Washington, before rookie quarterbacks struck in
the second half. Jason Campbell (19 of 34 for 196 yards), in his first NFL
start, threw two touchdown passes and Bruce Gradkowski (14 of 21 for 178 yards
with an INT) did the same. Gradkowski hit Anthony Becht and Joey Galloway on
scoring plays, while Cadillac Williams helped seal the deal with 122 yards on
the ground. Even with three turnovers, the Buccaneers won 20-17. Ronde Barber
said after the game, "It's encouraging. We had a lot of kids in there for us
and a lot of them played well. We can build off of this."
The NFL has been holding games on Thanksgiving Day since the league was founded in 1920. Detroit has hosted a Thanksgiving game every year, except during World War II, since 1934. Dallas has hosted every year since 1966, with the exception of 1975 and 1977 when the St. Louis Cardinals hosted. Kansas City held games during their American Football League days and revived that tradition in 2006.
Even though the Bucs spent 25 seasons in the same division as Detroit, the team did not play on Thanksgiving until 2006. After a 38-10 loss to Dallas, head coach Jon Gruden was left to say, “I just wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving. We remember it’s a great country and we’ve got a lot to be thankful for. Even though our record isn’t what we’d like it to be we still have great opportunities and great lives to live. We’ll try to keep it in perspective.” |
Having a little extra time to prepare did not help the Buccaneers in Pittsburgh. Bruce Gradkowski (20 of 34 for 175 yards) was intercepted three times and sacked five times, while Ben Roethlisberger (12 of 25 for 198 yards with an INT) tossed two scoring passes. As the clock expired, the Bucs kicked a field goal to avoid the shutout and the Steelers won 20-3. Jon Gruden after the game, "Whether we kicked it or went for it, that's really beside the point. We've got a lot of things to work on, obviously."
Two Matt Byrant field goals gave the Buccaneers a 6-0 half time lead in a home
game against Atlanta. The defense held Michael Vick (14 of 23 for 155 yards
with an INT) to five yards rushing, however, it was the Falcons defense that
turned the tide. Demorrio Williams returned a Bruce Gradkowski (13 of 24 for
121 yards) fumble 54 yards for a touchdown and the Falcons lead for good. Tim
Rattay (9 of 13 for 83 yards) replaced Gradkowski late in game. Ronde Barber
said of the 17-6 defeat, "This is almost as bad of a feeling as I think you can
have right now."
It looked like it was going to be more of the same at Chicago. Rex Grossman (29 of 44 for 339 yards) had career highs for attempts, completions, passing yards and threw a pair of TD passes. Tight end Desmond Clark (7 receptions for 125 yards) also had a career day and caught both touchdown passes. Bruce Gradkowski (5 of 11 for 37 yards) struggled again and was pulled in the second quarter. Trailing 24-3 in the third quarter, Tim Rattay (20 of 35 for 268 yards with an INT) would rally the Bucs. After going thirteen quarters without a TD, Rattay would throw three TD passes and the Bucs scored four second half touchdowns. Joey Galloway had three receptions for 107 yards with a TD catch and the Bucs eventually forced overtime. While the Bears had to punt ten times, the Bucs tied a team record with eleven punts. In OT, Bears kicker Robby Gould missed a 37 yard field goal, but he was good from 25 yards with 3:37 left. Cadillac Williams said after the 34-31 loss, "There's no quit in this team, we proved that. Still, a loss is a loss, and that's what this was."
Next was a Christmas Eve game in Cleveland. Tim Rattay (16 of 26 for 212 yards
with an INT) made his first start with Tampa Bay. The Bucs lead 3-0 after the
first quarter, 6-0 at the half and 12-0 after three quarters. Browns
quarterback Derek Anderson (10 of 27 for 123 yards) had a rough afternoon with
three sacks and four interceptions. Greg Spires recorded two of the sacks and
Jermaine Phillips had a pair of picks. Derrick Brooks returned an interception
21 yards for a score and a 19-0 Bucs advantage. A Rattay fumble, returned 40
yards by Daven Holly, generated the Browns only score. Jon Gruden after the
22-7 victory commented, "I wish everybody a Merry Christmas. Santa Claus
delivered for the Bucs."
The last game of the season, at Raymond James Stadium on the last day of the year, saw the season's last touchdown come on a Tim Rattay (16 of 27 for 185 yards) to Joey Galloway (8 receptions for 118 yards) pass play. Seattle dominated with Matt Hasselbeck (17 of 29 for 216 yards) tossing a TD pass and Shaun Alexander running for another score. The Bucs only had three second half possessions in a 23-7 defeat. On the season Derrick Brooks commented, "We had sixteen opportunities and we took advantage of four. I'm very embarrassed." Jon Gruden added, "Clearly we have things that we have to address."
The Buccaneers went win-less in division for first time since 1977 and had the lowest scoring offense in NFC. Injuries played a role, as in addition to Chris Simms missing most of the season, Brian Kelly was out most the year. Simeon Rice and Shelton Quarles missed about half the season. There were some positives with Joey Galloway having his second straight 1,000 receiving yards season and being named team MVP. Derrick Brooks made his tenth trip to the Pro Bowl, Ronde Barber went for the fourth time and Dave Moore made his first trip to Hawaii.
| Related Links |
| 2006 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Results |
| 2006 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft |
| 2006 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Statistics |
| 2006 NFC South Division Standings |
| Back to Tampa Bay Buccaneers History Page |
| Back to Tampa Bay Buccaneers Main Menu |
| Back to Home Page |
On November 14, 2006, a DVD was released called “NFL Cheerleaders: Making the Squad: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.” Produced by NFL films, promotional material proclaimed, “Making the Squad - Tampa Bay takes you from the first audition, to the team's dazzling calendar shoot revealing just what it takes to make it to the sidelines on Sunday afternoons. Many try, but only a chosen few have what it takes to be chosen as a Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleader.”