Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2009 Playoffs
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers history was limited to struggling in the regular season apart from a couple of hopeful seasons a couple years after the inaugural season in 1976. Those seasons were best remembered for the Pro Bowl play of defensive Lee Roy Selmon that even warranted an NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 1979, a season in which reached the quarterback 11 times. After his play the most that comes to mind are bright orange jerseys. For years playoff tickets were a distant memory. That changed in 1996 after Tony Dungy took over as head coach and the team was sold to Malcom Glazer. Dungy improved the Bucs defense and made the thought of the postseason more than just a pipe dream in Tampa.
The Bucs only finished 6-10 in Dungy’s first season, but the defense improved to a number seven ranking in the league and the future would many seasons of Bucs playoff tickets. The next season Tamp Bay went 10-6 and made a trip to the postseason for the first time in 15 years. The team beat the Lions in the first round before falling to the Packers in the second round. Warren Sap, Hardy Nickerson, John Lynch, and Derrick Brooks perfected the Cover 2 defense and visited the playoffs in three of the next four seasons. The Bucs had met a wall in 200 and 2001, struggling to get past the first round. The owners fired Dungy and traded for Jon Gruden. The high price (four draft picks and $8 million) was well worth it. The Bucs finally made it to the playoffs and dismantled Gruden’s former team, the Raiders, 48-21.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Background
This season the Buccaneers are hoping Jeff Garcia can once again work the magic that made Tampa Bay the surprise winner of the NFC South. The schedule will provide plenty of challenges, but the ground game will need to take pressure off the passing game as the veteran receiving squad is threatening to come apart due to old age. The defense is as stingy as ever, so the Bucs will never be out of any game. A turnover here and a long pass there and Raymond James Stadium could see Bucs playoff tickets again this season.