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Marty Strasen, The Tampa Tribune, published 29 December 2003
It was a season fit for a losing record. And so, when Tampa Bay walked off the field for the last time in 2003 after a 33-13 loss to the Titans, the Bucs' 7-9 ledger seemed a perfect fit. There was no 8-8 in these Bucs. They were not an average team. Not worthy of .500. They were something worse than that, right down to their last game. Tampa Bay's once-revered defense yielded more than 30 points to each of its last two opponents. The offense that emphasizes ball protection coughed up eight interceptions in those final two games. And no one in the National Football League played worse special teams, across the board, than the Bucs in 2003.
This was not your average losing season. It was a season of loss in countless ways. Lost glory for the defending Super Bowl champs. Lost superstars. Lost general managers. Lost killer instinct. Lost discipline. Lost players due to injury. The Bucs placed 11 men on injured reserve in 2003, enough to field an offense or defense. We're not talking marginal players, either. Mike Alstott. Brian Kelly. Joe Jurevicius.
Entering Sunday's finale, the Bucs had lost players who had missed a total of 56 starts. And by the end of the game, the wounded list included John Lynch (shoulder stinger) and Anthony McFarland (ankle), too. Alstott will be rehabbing a neck injury for most of the offseason. No one can say for certain whether his game, which requires head-first pounding in short-yardage situations, will ever be the same. It's not a stretch to think some of the same questions could arise regarding Lynch. The Bucs' longest-tenured player is a battering-ram of a tackler. A recurring stinger is no small problem.
Of course, those questions will be settled in time. Of more immediate concern for the Bucs are several personnel matters. Foremost, who gets hired as general manager? Has Warren Sapp played his last game in a Bucs uniform, or does he deserve a hefty contract offer? Who gets drafted in the middle of the first round? Do the Bucs bring in a veteran quarterback (Mark Brunell, perhaps?) to compete for a starting job with Brad Johnson, whose last seven quarters featured seven interceptions? Can the ongoing problems along the offensive line be solved?
For now, there are many more questions than answers. No one thought the 2002 offseason could be topped for drama, with the Bill Parcells fiasco, the Bucs' alleged play for Steve Mariucci and the ultimate hire of Jon Gruden as head coach. Two years later, this much is certain: Things are bound to get very interesting again around One Buc Place. And the activity starts now, in the wake of the Bucs' first losing season since 1996. Might as well sit back and enjoy the drama. Watching the Bucs' future unfold promises to be every bit as interesting as watching their 2003 season unravel into a season fit for a losing record.
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