Before the start of training camp and the official kickoff of the 2014 Buccaneers season, Bucs Nation will take you through every season in Buccaneers history, one by one, to paint the whole picture of how the Buccaneers got to where they are today.
We continue with the 1991 campaign, which was more of the same for the constantly losing Bucs.
Season Recap
Record: 3-13 (Last in the NFC Central)
Points scored: 199 (26th in NFL)
Points against: 365 (25th in NFL)
The Losing Continues: The Buccaneers lost double digit games for the ninth year in a row (for reference, the Patriots have only lost double-digit games eight times since the Buccaneers entered the league), piling up unimpressive statistics along the way. The Bucs only finished in the top-10 in one major team statistic (offensive yards in 1984) since their last playoff appearance, while finishing last in a category three times.
Serious Quarterback Issues: Vinny Testaverde finished second-to-last in the NFL in passer rating, while backups Chris Chandler and Jeff Carlson would do even worse, as none of the Tampa signal callers would break 60 points of QB rating in 1991.
Maybe the Coach Wasn't The Problem: Well, actually, Ray Perkins probably was part of the problem, but new head coach Richard Williamson certainly couldn't keep the team as competitive as Perkins did to start the past few seasons. Mid-season collapses were a hallmark of Perkins' teams, but Williamson's Bucs looked more like the awful squads that played under Leeman Bennett in the mid 80's.
Key Games
Just One of Many Examples of Failure: Zero points. Seven first downs. Four turnovers for the offense, none for the defense. Those were the major talking points in a 27-0 thumping at the hands of the Chicago Bears in Week 16 of the 1991 season. Jeff Carlson threw three interceptions and completed only eight passes as the Bucs were run over by their NFC South foes.
Pick On Someone Your Own Size: The Bucs ended the season against the 1-14 Colts, who they would drop to 1-15 with a 17-3 victory. Vinny Testaverde stepped back under center to throw three picks, but did toss a touchdown pass, which would prove to be more than enough to defeat the hopeless Colts.
Major Storylines
Remember that awful trade that netted the Buccaneers Chris Chandler for a 1992 first round pick? According to Rick Stroud at the time, the deal was done in part to save money, as Chandler wouldn't make as much as a first round choice would make after being selected.
The only problem with that? The Bucs didn't even keep Chandler around long enough to have him after the 1992 draft, as he was released, along with breakout star Wayne Haddix, during the 1991 season.
Hubert Mizell accurately predicted at the time that being let go by the Buccaneers was a "kiss of life" for quarterbacks, as Chandler would revive his career in the late 90's with Atlanta.
So the Bucs wouldn't have the pick earned by their 3-13 1991 campaign, leaving even less hope for a quick turnaround for a franchise that had been absolutely awful for the better part of a decade.
How, and when, would change arrive for the Buccaneers? We're still a couple of years away from the answer.