Bucs stand tall and proud Michelle Kaufman, The St.Petersburg Times, published 1988 Sunday afternoon, for the first time in four years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gushed with pride, optimism and excitement after Game 16. The three years past, the Bucs' post-season locker room was a post-mortem, complete with slumped shoulders, sad eyes and sighs. Four straight losses finished off the 1985 season. Seven straight in 1986. Eight straight last year. This time, the Bucs not only had a 21-10 victory over Detroit to gloat about, but a final six-week record of 3-3. Tampa Bay allowed just two touchdowns in the last three games. The previous 10-week record of 2-8 didn't disappear, but it was probably the farthest thing from the Bucs' minds, as was the sloppiness of Sunday's win - four turnovers and just 242 yards of total offense. This time, the Bucs' head coach was not only smiling, but soaking wet after being doused with several gallons of Gatorade. Ray Perkins was in such a good mood that he offered holiday greetings to reporters and extended those wishes to every Buccaneer fan. This time, instead of cursing, Bucs fans rejoiced. The orange-clad fans among the 37,779 paying customers actually seemed proud of their attire. One fan pelted Bucs players with cigars as they ran off the field, a far cry from crumpled Dixie cups. And this time, players weren't relieved to get the season over. Almost every one of them said they hated to see it end. “The feeling around here now compared to after the last game the past few years is like night and day,” said defensive end Kevin Kellin. “Back then, it seemed like the team was going in the other direction and we had nothing to be excited about. This team is definitely headed the right way. I can't even compare this team to Bucs teams I've been involved with in the past.” “Last year at this time, I was glad it was all over, and I wasn't really sure what the next year would be like,” said cornerback Bobby Futrell. “Now, I wish there were more games, and I'm anxious to come back and get next year started.” Running back Jeff Smith, who had 10 carries for 39 yards in place of injured William Howard, echoed Futrell's thoughts: “Last year I couldn't wait to get home because we weren't playing well, and we didn't seem to be improving. Now, I know we can compete. Too bad we don't have a few more games. I'm really excited for next year.” The Buccaneers' victory earned them third place in the NFC Central Division, the first time Tampa Bay has finished that high since 1984. The Bucs finished 4-4 in the division, sweeping the Lions and Green Bay Packers. The Lions fell to 4-12 and ended up tied with Green Bay for fourth place. “The Bucs played a better game and they deserved to win,” said Wayne Fontes, Detroit's interim head coach and a former Bucs assistant. “They were outstanding. They will be a team to be reckoned with next season in our division.” Fontes, who is 2-3 since taking over for Darryl Rogers, is still uncertain about his future with the Lions. “It's been the best five weeks of my career,” Fontes said. “I'm proud to have had the opportunity to coach this team. I was told there would be a decision in five weeks. It's been five weeks. I'll have to wait on it. I think I'll know within a week.” Tampa Bay didn't play as well as it has other weeks, but the Lions were worse. They intercepted three passes from Bucs quarterback Vinny Testaverde (his total of 35 interceptions is the new NFC season record) but failed to score any points after the turnovers. They recovered a Bucs fumble at the Tampa Bay 32-yard line, only to give the ball back six plays later when Bucs safety Harry Hamilton stole a Rusty Hilger pass at the Tampa Bay 6. “It was a tough day,” said Hilger, who was sacked three times and completed 16 of 39 passes (41 percent) for 211 yards with three interceptions and two fumbles. “We were flat today. Playing catch-up is not a situation that helps our game.” The Bucs went ahead 7-0 on a 31-yard touchdown reception by Bruce Hill nine minutes into the game. It was Hill's ninth touchdown of the year, which tied Kevin House's team record for most touchdown catches in a season. Hill finished the day with three catches for 53 yards, and ended the season with 1,040 yards. He's the second player in Bucs history to reach the 1,000-yard mark (House did it twice, in 1981 and 1984). “It's been a long time coming,” Hill said of the 1,000-yard milestone. “It was nice to finally get it.” The Bucs had driven into Detroit territory again by the start of the second quarter, but Testaverde threw deep to a double-covered Mark Carrier and paid for the mistake. Lions safety Devon Mtchell snagged the pass at the Detroit 3-yard line. It was just a matter of time before Carrier got his revenge. He beat Mitchell for a 31-yard touchdown with 11:46 to go in the half. The Bucs had started the drive from the Detroit 33 after Jim Arnold shanked a 24-yard punt. It was the first of two touchdowns for Carrier. His second, a 27-yard catch, put the game away with 4:48 remaining in the fourth quarter. Testaverde's 35th interception of the season was his fault, he said. He tried to flip a short pass to tight end Ron Hall around the Bucs' 35-yard line, but the ball tumbled into the hands of Bennie Blades, Testaverde's college teammate at the University of Miami. Detroit took over at Tampa Bay's 41, and was 22 yards from scoring when Bucs safety Mark Robinson intercepted a pass intended for tight end Pat Carter. The Lions came to life in the third quarter. They got on the board with a 27-yard field goal by Eddie Murray and made it 14-10 with a 19-yard pass from Hilger to Jeff Chadwick. Chadwick led Detroit receivers with five catches for 70 yards. Pete Mandley had four catches for 69 yards. Bucs center Randy Grimes said winning Sunday was crucial. “This win can go such a long way,” he said. “You have no idea how long this win can last for us.” Other Bucs were equally thrilled. “There is light at the end of the tunnel,” said Testaverde, who was sacked four times and was 12-of-23 for 189 yards. “Next year, we look to improve by five, six, or seven wins. Be there. It's going to be a great year.” Linebacker Ervin Randle said, “It took a long time, but we finally grabbed hold of something in these last few weeks. It's too bad we have to wait eight months to play again. Going into next year, there won't be just hope. We are positive we can win. That's something we weren't sure of before.”