1984 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season - Regular Season

Regular Season

McKay continued to express confidence in the team, despite an 0-2 start that left the team 2-16 over their last 18 games. He however expressed concern over the performance of the defense, who had failed to hold a lead the previous week, and failed to tackle Saints running back Hokie Gajan several times during a 51-yard run that set up a game-winning Saints touchdown. McKay pointed out that, despite the reputation of the Tampa Bay defense, this type of letdown had been seen in the past. The team then beat division opponents in three of their next four games, leading observers to consider them as contenders for the NFC Central title. With a healthy offensive line able to maintain a stable lineup, and DeBerg becoming better-acquainted with the receivers, the offense developed confidence and the ability to sustain long drives.

While the offense was able to avoid significant injuries, the defense began to lose key players from the beginning. Mike Washington, considered by McKay to be the team's best defensive back, was forced to retire after an elbow to the head by Bears receiver Dennis McKinnon in his first play of the season required him to undergo spinal surgery. This required the team to use rookie Fred Acorn as a nickel back. Hugh Green suffered a broken wrist and a broken orbital bone beneath his left eye in an October car crash. The injuries were initially expected to cause him to miss two games, but after a month, the Buccaneers decided to place him on injured reserve rather than face liability should an aggravation of the wrist injury end Green's career. Keith Browner played poorly as Green's replacement, and was promptly replaced by Chris Washington. Cecil Johnson suffered on and off from injuries and was eventually forced to undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery, forcing the team to start two rookies (Browner and Washington) at outside linebacker. The pair struggled, with the speedy Washington overwhelmed by opposing tight ends, and the stronger Browner having trouble lining up in the right place. The loss of Green enabled opponents to play a more diverse offense, rather than avoid run plays to the left side, where Green and Lee Roy Selmon would line up. This affected the secondary, because the loss of Green's play against the run required that the team play the slower Mark Cotney for run support at safety. Making matters worse, Cedric Brown suffered a season-ending knee injury in week 9. McKay admitted that, with the absence of Brown, Green, Johnson, and Mike Washington, the Buccaneers were "not a very good defensive team".

Wayne Fontes' effort to create a more aggressive defense through increased reliance on man-to-man coverage and blitzes backfired, with the result that the defense became much more vulnerable to touchdown passes and long pass plays. At the same time, their interception total decreased. Cedric Brown observed that it was largely a problem of execution, as many blitzes were failing due to player errors, and that the team was making more mistakes than he had seen in any of his eight years there. The pass rush was weakened by the absence of Hugh Green, which was noticeable to opposing teams. The effectiveness of the defensive line was reduced: Booker Reese failed to develop, John Cannon regressed from his previous season's performance, and Dave Logan began to experience knee problems that sometimes required his replacement in the lineup.