PRE-SEASON GAMES 11 Aug v Pittsburgh Lost 17-27 19 Aug at NY Jets 26 Aug v Baltimore
1986 Season Review After their second 2-14 season in three years, the Buccaneers needed a big-name franchise player to take the team out of the doldrums, both on the field and in the stands as attendances had plummeted from their previous highs. And for owning the worst record in the NFL from 1985, the Bucs also now owned the number one pick in the draft, the fifth time they would have that honour, but only the third time they would be using it themselves. A trade with the Miami Dolphins had sent disgruntled linebacker Hugh Green to south Florida in return for extra first and second round picks, and hence Leeman Bennett seemingly had the firepower at his disposal to bring the necessary new talent to his team. The best player in college football was by a mile, Bo Jackson, the Auburn running back. Winner of the Heisman Trophy, negotiations started between the Buccaneers and Jackson's representatives before the April draft, trying to sign the future Nike star to a long-term contract. In Jackson's book, Bo knows best, he maintains that Hugh Culverhouse was offering nowhere near the money of other first selections, and was trying to blackmail him into accepting a lesser deal. Jackson also had great baseball ability at college, but was declared ineligible for most of the 1986 NCAA season on account of accepting a flight to Tampa for a physical at the Bucs' expense. Whether this was intentional on the part of the Buccaneers remains unknown, but Bo to this day claims it was. On the eve of the draft, Jackson was maintaining he wanted nothing to do with the Bucs and was talking about playing baseball instead, while the Bucs were fielding calls from various other NFL teams who were willing to take a chance on the star running back, the 49ers being one of them. Hugh Culverhouse was insistent that the Bucs take Bo Jackson, but three weeks after the draft, he signed a three-year contract with the Kansas City Royals and began play in the outfield for the Double-AA level Memphis Chicks rather than run behind Tampa's depleted offensive line. Of course time has told that Jackson was selected a year later on a whim by Al Davis, and wound up playing three half-seasons with the Raiders, as well as going on to AllStar MVP honours as a Royals and later White Sox outfielder. The remainder of the 1986 Buccaneer draft class was not a lot better than a first selection who never even played a down in the orange and white. Rod Jones became known as "Toast" for he was burnt so often at cornerback in his four years with the Bucs, whilst linebacker Jackie Walker was so successful, the team had to move him to tight end for a season in an attempt to gain some return on their outlay. The only selection of any note was punter Tommy Barnhardt in the ninth round, although it took several years with the Saints and Panthers before he finally appeared in a Tampa uniform in 1996. The Buccaneer defense ranked first in the NFL in 1979 and first in the NFC in 1982. In 1986, it finished dead last for a second straight season, conceding just under 400 yards per game over the year. The Buc offensive line gave up the most sacks in franchise history, the team gave up almost 30 points a game, the worst in franchise history, the list of depressing statistics just goes on and on. It is amazing to think that the '86 Buccaneers did actually manage to win two games that season, a Week 3 win in Detroit on the back of Nathan Wonsley's 100-yard game, and a 34-28 victory over the Buffalo. The offense was led by Steve Young for most of the season, Steve DeBerg having opened the year at quarterback and celebrated by throwing no less than seven interceptions in a single game against the 49ers. James Wilder was suffering from years of over-use, and the brief emergence of free agent Nathan Wonsley in the backfield was curtailed by a career-ending neck injury. Kevin House and Jimmie Giles led the receiving corps going into the season, but were incredibly released at the mid-point of the year together with veteran running back Ron Springs. Leeman Bennett gave the reason as being "their collective lack of performance" but one had to wonder if it was Hugh Culverhouse pulling the purse strings on another disastrous season. A case of "we can finish last with you, so we can certainly finish last without you". At the end of the season, completed with a seven-game losing streak, Culverhouse called a press conference at which Leeman Bennett expected to receive a vote of confidence and another year to turn things around. However the Bucs' owner decided, on the spur of the moment as he later revealed, to fire Bennett and his entire staff, and put an end to the two-year charade that was his time in charge of the franchise. The players were glad it was over, Sean Farrell actually telling one booster club that he "wanted the hell out of Tampa and I don't care where it is" on account of the Bennett years in charge. Steve Young had been running for his life over the second half of the season, and the only Buc who could look back on the year with any form of credit, was kicker Donald Igwebuike, 17 of 24 on the season and the decisive factor in both victories on the season. The search for the third coach in franchise history did not take long, Culverhouse granting total power in coaching and the front office to Ray Perkins, fresh from four seasons in the hot seat at Alabama University, but with a play-off berth to show from his years as coach of the New York Giants in the early 1980s. The Bucs would have another first round pick to show for their disastrous 1986 campaign, but one could only hope that this time, they would not waste the selection on someone who would never even play for the team.
TRADES 29 Apr 86 Traded a 1987 5th round pick to New England for a 1986 5th round pick. 19 May 86 Traded a 1987 8th round pick to the NY Jets for T Marvin Powell. 11 Aug 86 Traded QB Doug Williams to Washington for a 1987 5th round pick. 13 Aug 86 Traded CB John Holt to Indianapolis for a 1987 8th round pick. 18 Aug 86 Traded LB Rick DiBernado to the St.Louis Cardinals for a 1987 12th round pick. 20 Aug 86 Traded LB Andy Hawkins to San Diego for a 1987 6th round pick.
PLAYERS OUT FB Adger Armstrong WR Theo Bell (Retired) KR Leon Bright G Steve Courson (Retired) S David Greenwood CB John Holt (Trade - IND) LB Cecil Johnson (Retired) OL Ken Kaplan DE Chris Lindstrom S Mike Prior QB Alan Risher OL Gene Sanders (Retired) G Steve Wilson (Retured) TE Mark Witte PLAYERS IN S Bobby Futrell (USFL) DE Kevin Kellin (USFL) DE Tyrone Keys CB Vito McKeever NT Bob Nelson T Marvin Powell (Trade - NYJ) T Rob Taylor (USFL) RB Nathan Wonsley