1984 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season - Preseason

Preseason

A number of offseason personnel moves were taken as evidence that McKay was hoping to retire on a winning note, and so had lost tolerance for talented players who did not live up to their potential. He declared potential "dead on this team", and singled out Gene Branton and Ray Snell as players who were in danger of losing their roster spots. Longtime tight end Jim Obradovich, recently-acquired cornerback Irvin Phillips, and the previous season's backup quarterback Bob Hewko were cut on the first day of training camp. One-time All-Rookie guard Snell was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Steve Courson, an All-Pro alternate two seasons earlier. The injury-plagued Steelers had lost patience with Courson over a knee injury that had limited him to nine games the previous season. Courson passed his physical, but immediately underwent arthroscopic surgery that caused him to miss the preseason. Versatile defensive end Brison Manor was obtained from the Denver Broncos to provide depth, as Booker Reese failed to develop as hoped. Johnny Ray Smith was placed on injured reserve to make room for Perry Tuttle, a former first-round draft choice of the Buffalo Bills. The preseason was relatively free of contract disputes. David Logan was the only training camp holdout, and threatened retirement when the negotiations became difficult. Logan was also targeted (along with rookie Fred Acorn) by departed personnel director Ken Herock, by then with the Miami Federals of the USFL. A contract extension was agreed to with Hugh Green, preventing any risk of his signing with the USFL Houston Gamblers, who were owned by his agent Jerry Argovitz.

The Buccaneers opened the preseason with a 38-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, an AFC Championship Game contender of the previous season, in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. The game was marked by miscues, and was the largest margin of defeat in the game's 22-year history. Some players later expressed hope that the team would get "tired of losing", while McKay called the team's performance "disgusting". McKay did praise the efforts of the team's rookies, particularly Keith Browner, who was thrilled to be playing purely at linebacker after having been required to play at safety part-time at USC. James Wilder suffered a thigh bruise that kept him out of action for the remainder of the preseason. The team rebounded with a 30-17 win over the Houston Oilers, in which Warren Moon made his NFL debut. The low point of the preseason was a 52-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in which McKay rested the first-team defense for the entire game. Roster decisions were complicated by a number of injuries, particularly along the offensive line, where Steve Wilson and Steve Courson both missed significant time. The preseason ended with the defense playing in fine form in a 14-13 win over the Miami Dolphins, although McKay voiced concern over the performance of the offensive line and the running backs.