Shaun is the Buccaneers new King
(December 14, 1999)

Composed, cool, confident, calm, collected and many other words have been used to describe the Tampa Bay Buccaneers new starting quarterback. Shaun King has lead the team to two huge, huge victories and the Bucs are now alone atop the NFC Central Division with a 9-4 record.

When Trent Dilfer went down with a season ending shoulder injury three weeks ago at Seattle, rookie Shaun King saw his first action. The Bucs wanted to bring King along slowly, but with their other QB Eric Zeier injured, he was thrust into the starters role. Two weeks ago, a Monday night game against Minnesota with first place on the line, seemed like a tough spot for a 22-year old to get his first start.

For Shaun King, who grew up as a Buccaneers fan in St. Petersburg, it must have been a dream come true. His first NFL start came on Monday Night Football before a Raymond James Stadium record crowd of 65,741. While it was not apparent, there may have been a few jitters, as he lost a fumble and was intercepted in the first half. While the final stats were not impressive, 11 of 19 for 93 yards, with two second half touchdown passes, the legend was born in a 24-17 victory.

The legend grew last Sunday. The winner of the Bucs-Lions game would take over sole possession of first place. In his second start, King again rallied the Bucs for the win. He finished 23 of 37 for 297 yards with two touchdowns, one pick and a lost fumble. A 23-16 win gave the Bucs their second come from behind victory in six days.

Head coach Tony Dungy has announced that Shaun King will remain the starting quarterback. He's young, agile, can run out the frequently collapsing pocket and is not beat up from years of pounding by pro defenses. Since he played on an undefeated Tulane team last year, he has not tasted defeat since 1997. We will see how far the rookie will take the Bucs and how large the legend will grow.

The Buccaneers are on a team record six game winning streak and have guaranteed a franchise best third consecutive non-losing season. Next up is a trip to Oakland, a place the Bucs have never won. The final game is at Chicago on January 2, which most likely will test the Bucs winless record in temperatures below forty degrees. In between is a home game against the Packers. These are battles to waged in pursuit of the Bucs first division title since 1981.

Tampa Bay has become Shaun's kingdom. The fans are euphoric and thinking big. A division title, a bye in the first round of the playoffs, a trip to the NFC Championship Game and maybe even a trip to the ... Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, a win at Oakland would clinch a playoff spot.