500…And Counting

The Bucs finished off their regular season on Sunday, playing in their 500th game as a franchise. Both are celebrated with losses. No matter though, because the Bucs are locked in the playoffs. The loss is disappointing, but the game was played with backups, and the outcome wasn’t a blowout. With 500 games under the belt of the Tampa franchise, we look forward to the next 500. Let’s look at what made this game what it was:

Playing Backups
With a spot secured in the playoffs, the Bucs rested the majority of their starters, leaving the backups to get the job done. The Panthers had nothing to play for but pride, so they played much harder than the Tampa backups did. After all, we don’t want the backups to get hurt either, in case a starter goes down in the playoffs. The Bucs never gave up, playing all the way until the end, against a team that really wanted a victory. In the Buccaneers 500th game, the backups would cap the longest scoring drive in Tampa history, taking the ball 98 yards to set up a Michael Bennett touchdown.

500
With a long and storied franchise, the Bucs hit the half-century mark in Sunday’s game. 32 years and 500 games later, the Bucs are still going strong. Unfortunately, the Bucs are still more recognizable by their 0-14 season as opposed to their Super Bowl victory in 2003. This was a remarkable season to have to celebrate game #500. The Bucs won their division, regained their defensive mojo, and took a kickoff back for a touchdown for the first time in team history. Who knows what the next 500 games will bring, but hopefully their will be many more championships to come.

Complete Turnaround
After a dismal 4-12 season last year that had coach Jon Gruden on the hot seat, the Bucs did a complete 360, going from worst to first in their division, and going from one of the worst to one of the best in their conference. Their 9-7 record might not show it, but two of those losses came at the hands of backups who played the entire game, as to give the starters a rest for the playoffs. Three of their losses came at the hands of very good playoff teams. The Bucs won their division, nearly sweeping their division rivals, losing the final game of the season against Carolina, a game in which the majority of the starters sat the whole game. The Bucs regained their vaunted defense, showing the league why nobody should mess with the Tampa defense. Another memory to add is the kickoff return for a touchdown, the first in Tampa history, happening this year. 2007 was a truly remarkable year, one that will go down as one of the best in Tampa history, regardless of the postseason.

Game Notes:

• Tampa’s 10-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter was the longest scoring drive in team history. The previous record was 97 yards.
• Several Buc starters had consecutive-game streaks snapped by the decision to play a large group of reserves Sunday. Jermaine Phillips had started the previous 31 games, but was inactive, as was Joey Galloway, who had played in 56 straight and started the last 22. Linebacker Barrett Ruud saw his streak of 47 games played snapped, as well as his run of 15 consecutive starts. Like Galloway, Earnest Graham had played in 56 straight games before he was deactivated Sunday.
• Kenneth Darby saw his first regular season action on Sunday. Darby played extensively on special teams and made his debut on offense in the third quarter. Darby ran twice for nine yards and caught two passes for 16 yards.
• Matt Bryant moved into 5th place in team history for points scored with 285. 
• Tampa Bay set a franchise record for fewest interceptions thrown in a single season with eight. The previous record was 10 in 2002.

The Bucs get home-field advantage against the Giants on Sunday, playing in the wild card round of the playoffs. While watching College Bowl Games on ESPN, I’ve memorized the stats: The Giants have lost the last 3 wild card games, and the Bucs haven’t won a playoff game since 2002. Hopefully history repeats for the Giants, but is rewritten for the Bucs.