Regular Season
The Buccaneers took their place in the NFC Central Division, while the other 1976 expansion team, the Seattle Seahawks, switched conferences with Tampa Bay and joined the AFC West. This fulfilled the NFL's plan of having the expansion teams play each other twice and every other NFL franchise once during their first two seasons. Tampa Bay's 1977 schedule consisted of a game against each of the other thirteen NFC teams, and the Seahawks.
The improved Buccaneer lineup included such oddities as running back Anthony Davis, who entered the NFL after playing in the World Football League and the Canadian Football League and thus was a rookie for the third time, and Cecil Johnson, a free-agent linebacker from Miami who chose the Buccaneers over three other teams so that he "wouldn't have a long, sad ride home" if he didn't make the squad. Progress was apparent with the defense, who allowed no 100-yard rushing performances other than Walter Payton's. A wave of injuries to the offense forced constant lineup changes. Redskins defensive end Ron McDole observed that, while the offensive line featured good individual blockers, their lack of experience playing together hindered their ability to operate as a unit, and that they were easily beaten by pulling stunts. Defenders thus had little trouble thwarting the "student body right" plays favored by McKay. Never able to establish any offensive consistency, they were shut out an NFL-record six times. Their first twelve games produced a mere 53 points, some of which occurred on defense, and 23 of which came against fellow expansion team Seattle. McKay illustrated the team's situation with comments such as "We couldn't score against a strong wind", and "I may quarterback the team myself." Quarterback was the position most obviously affected, but the tight end position was struck similarly. A season-ending knee injury suffered by tight end Bob Moore in one game left Dana Nafziger, an injured rookie whose regular position was linebacker, as the team's only player available at a position that was crucial to McKay's offense. Ricky Bell had some injuries to contend with, but when healthy, displayed sluggish play and a tendency to fumble on crucial drives.
Q. What two disasters were accompanied by band music?
A. The Titanic and the Buccaneers.
- Johnny Carson
Fearful of the perceived humiliation of being the first to lose to Tampa Bay, opponents prepared carefully for the Buccaneers. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach said, "...we didn't want to be the first. Psychologically, it could have wrecked our year". New York Giants coach John McVay said after a victory, "In 25 years of coaching I've never had as much pressure on me as I did this week". A popular Tampa area t-shirt depicted a sinking pirate ship with the inscription "Go for 0". The franchise finally broke through to victory in a week 13 road game against the New Orleans Saints that led Saints head coach Hank Stram to lament, "What a nightmare. It was the worst experience of my coaching career. We're all ashamed for our people, for our fans, for our organization". Stram, an early head coaching candidate for the expansion Buccaneers, was fired the following week. The first Buccaneer home victory came in the following week's season-ending game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Cardinals coach Don Coryell, already feuding with team owner Bill Bidwill, was also fired shortly after the loss. The two-game winning streak ended the Buccaneers' losing streak at 0–26. Howard Cosell honored the Buccaneers' first victory by choosing it as the lead game for the halftime highlights of ABC TV's Monday Night Football broadcast, and interviewed McKay by telephone during the game. Bill Cosby, filling in for longtime Buccaneer mocker Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show, devoted a five-minute comedy routine to the win. No Buccaneers were honored with Pro Bowl selections following the season, although it was believed that Lee Roy Selmon, Dave Lewis, and Dave Pear would all have been chosen had they played on a playoff contender.
Read more about this topic: 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season
Famous quotes containing the words regular and/or season:
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—Gertrude Stein (1874–1946)
“The LORD will open for you his rich storehouse, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all your undertakings.”
—Bible: Hebrew, Deuteronomy 28:12.