Ups and Downs for 2000 Bucs
(January 5, 2001)

Considering the history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a 10-6 season and a trip to the playoffs might be considered a success. Considering the expectations, Y2K had to be a disappointment for Bucs fans. A season that began with the expectation of being a Super Bowl contender, died with barely a whimper in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. This came after a summer of hype. Never in the history of the franchise had the expectations been higher. The 1999 team came within a touchdown of the Super Bowl and it was thought this year's team could take the next step, but there were missteps along the way. There were plenty of ups and downs during the 2000 season.

The Bucs won at New England 21-6, blew out Chicago in the home opener 41-0 and then won at Detroit 31-10. The Bucs were rolling. They seemed to have found an offense to go with that top notch defense. Could they actually play the Super Bowl in their own stadium? The Bucs lead the Jets 17-7 at the two minute warning at Raymond James Stadium. Upon reflection, the last two minutes of that game may have ended the dream. The Jets, with Vinny Testaverde at quarterback, scored two TDs and pulled out a 21-17 victory.

The Bucs came back to send a game at Washington into overtime, but lost. A late touchdown cost them a Monday night game at Minnesota 30-23. A terrible second half cost them a Thursday night home game against Detroit 28-14. The Bucs had lost four in a row and dropped below .500. The wheels were falling off and fans were jumping off the bandwagon.

Shaun King threw four touchdowns at RJS and the Bucs handed the Vikings their first lost of the season. Tampa Bay was 4-4 at the midpoint of the season. The Bucs played well in a 27-14 victory at Atlanta and it took two 50 yard fourth quarter field goals by Martin Gramatica to post a home victory over Green Bay 20-15. At 6-4, they had gained a little momentum with the three game winning streak.

It was under 40 degrees in Chicago and the Bucs continued their cold weather woes in a miserable 13-10 defeat. Fans wondered how they could lose to a team they had beaten 41-0 two months ago. At 6-5, the Bucs had dug themselves a hole. There were some tough games left to play.

The score was 31-17, but it was a tough win over Buffalo at RJS. Warrick Dunn rushed for 210 yards in a home victory over Dallas 27-7. It took two fourth quarter field goals by Martin Gramatica to post a 16-13 win in a rainy Miami. The home schedule concluded with a rematch of the previous season's NFC Championship game. While space prohibits writing about all the dramatics of that Monday Night, suffice to say the Bucs beat the Rams at their own game 38- 35. The Bucs were now 10-5 and had clinched a playoff berth.

The Buccaneers could defend their Central Division title, and have a bye in the first round of the playoffs, with a win at Green Bay. The Packers took the lead 14-0, then the Bucs tied it up. On the last play of regulation, Martin Gramatica missed a field goal that would have won the game and put an end to the Bucs cold weather jinx. Green Bay won in overtime 17-14.

The Bucs would play at Philadelphia in the NFC Wild Card Playoff Game. It was cold, the Bucs looked terrible and lost to the Eagles 21-3. The season, the dream season, the season of destiny, was over.

Things could have been different. One victory, the Jets game, the game at Chicago, the season finale at Green Bay, and the Bucs would have had a home game and a first round bye in the playoffs. Instead of going to Philadelphia, they would have had the week off and played in Tampa. Without a real dominate team in the NFC, they may have been in the conference championship game again with a shot to play a home Super Bowl. It was not to be.

Were do we go from here? Has the conservative "BucBall" philosophy of Tony Dungy worn out its welcome? There is too much talent on this team to be just above average, so is it coaching? The off-season will be filled with calls for Dungy's head. Will Shaun King develop into a quarterback that is capable of taking a team to the Super Bowl? There will be calls for King's job as well. Mike Alstott is another name fans will use in the same sentence as the word trade.

The Bucs made some serious changes last off-season, however, they are close to the salary cap and it may be difficult to do much this year. By necessity, we need to give Tony Dungy's BucBall one more season. Yes, Dungy is the winningest coach in team history, but no other coach had this level of talent to work with. If the Bucs do not improve next year, it will time for a change. Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch and maybe Warrick Dunn are players the team will probably try to keep. Another disappointing season in 2001 and everyone else's jobs are at risk. And remember, it's always easier to fire the coaching staff than the players.