1983 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season - Preseason

Preseason

Culverhouse led a campaign, approved unanimously by league owners, to retain the expanded 49-player roster for the 1983 season. McKay criticized the players who were holding out for more money, saying that they lack understanding of how new contracts are negotiated. He had especially hard words for Jimmie Giles, who was being fined $1,000 for each day of camp missed, and who he said was in danger of falling behind the greatly improved Jerry Bell. Uncertainty over Giles' situation forced the team to spend a conditional draft pick on veteran Baltimore Colts tight end Reese McCall. Camp attendance was more important than usual, as the team added the most complicated offensive system that it had yet used. The loss of Williams was expected to be a factor in the team's attitude going into the season, as he was considered by teammates to be an exceptional athlete who could do things that few others could. The perception that management had not done everything possible to keep him was expected to create some resentment among the players. Williams pointed out that the debacle made him, and some of the team's other players, wonder whether management was committed to building a good team. The loss of Williams created resentment not only among the team, but among fans in Tampa's African-American community, where some boycotted games and hoped for a losing season. It was alleged that Culverhouse threw parties that cost more than what Williams had asked for. Some players were angered when they saw the money spent on players by USFL teams, contrasted with Culverhouse's reluctance to spend any money on players or the team.

Although some observers considered the Buccaneers to have their strongest lineup yet, preseason saw 10 of the team's 24 starting positions up for contention. Holdouts, injuries, and the improvement of young players were given as reasons for the turnover. McKay expected to keep three quarterbacks on the roster, as he considered the team to lack a true No. 1 quarterback. The condition of the secondary was uncertain, as Norris Thomas was placed on the physically unable to perform list with a shoulder problem, and Cedric Brown's status was unknown due to a broken ankle. Danny Spradlin was acquired from the Dallas Cowboys for a future draft choice, to address the lack of depth at linebacker. Former FSU and British Columbia Lions running back Larry Key was signed as a free agent, with draft pick John Higginbotham waived to make room for him.

The preseason began with quarterbacks Golsteyn and Thompson relatively even, Golsteyn having a slight advantage due to his year of experience in the Tampa Bay offense. McKay described Kelly Thomas as "as good as any offensive lineman we've ever had in here", and compared his progress to that of Sean Farrell the previous year. The run defense, among the NFC's worst the previous season, continued to be a concern. Mental errors also continued to be a problem, with mistakes such as numerous penalties and running plays with only 10 men on the field. The quarterbacks continued to run neck-and-neck through the first two preseason games, with Golsteyn directing two fourth-quarter comebacks for wins. The later part of the preseason saw the offensive line solidifying, showing a previously unseen drive to move the ball into the end zone, rather than a contentment to let drives stall at around the 20-yard line. However, injuries became an issue, especially at linebacker, where the team was left with only three healthy veterans. A large number of offensive line injuries prompted McKay to keep an extra lineman on the roster. This meant cutting Dave Browning, for whom the team had just traded Charley Hannah. McKay remarked that Browning lacked the speed he'd shown in the past, and kept the much quicker Hasson Arbubakrr. Similarly, the team kept speedy rookie receiver Gene Branton, while cutting inconsistent longtime starter Gordon Jones. Final cuts included offseason acquisitions Larry Key, Reese McCall, and Rick Moser. The Buccaneers finished their first undefeated preseason with a 41-21 victory over the New England Patriots in which they scored the most points ever while setting records for yardage in a preseason game (492) and most points scored in a half (31). In preseason matchups, the Buccaneers were the NFL's highest-scoring team.