2006 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 2006 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on their 11 - 5 record in 2005 . Summary . After winning the division in 2005 , the Buccaneers suffered through an abysmal 2006 season . The season was plagued by injuries , with starters such as G Dan Buenning , WR Michael Clayton , RB Carnell Williams , DE Simeon Rice , CB Brian Kelly , and QB Chris Simms all being placed on injured reserve at some point in the season . The season also saw a lot of rookies starting for the Bucs , such as QB Bruce Gradkowski , T Jeremy Trueblood , and G Davin Joseph . The league schedule was also unfriendly to the Bucs , scheduling them for 3 games ( two of them away games ) within 11 days of each other . There was more to the lost season than just injuries however , as most of the players put on injured reserve had been done so after the team ' s 0 - 3 start , and offensive shutouts in the first two games in which no touchdowns were scored by the Buccaneers . The departure of several key defensive coaches and assistants didn ' t bode well with players , who complained to some in the media of not being able to hear coaches in team meetings . Inconsistent and unorganized are how some players referred to one of the newcomers , who most players had a hard time making the transition from long time favorites Rod Marinelli and others . Some believe the problems in 2006 were rooted in recent years mistakes , lack of salary cap room to bring in high impact free agents , lack of top 50 draft picks over the last 5 or 6 years due to trades , and maybe even a failure to properly assess talent resulting in a lack of contribution from second day draft picks in recent history . The Bucs started off the season 0 - 3 , with QB Chris Simms throwing only 1 touchdown to 7 interceptions . In the third game of the season , a last - minute loss to the Carolina Panthers , Simms ' s spleen was ruptured , and he was placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season . After their bye week , the Bucs elected to start rookie quarterback Bruce Gradkowski , a 6th - round pick from Toledo . Gradkowski started off performing decently . People who in hindsight claim the Bucs should have started the more experienced Tim Rattay forget the Bucs nearly upset the New Orleans Saints , and then went on to win two narrow victories : one , against the Cincinnati Bengals , winning on an overturned call resulting in a touchdown ; and another against the Philadelphia Eagles , thanks to Matt Bryant ' s 62 - yard field goal . After these victories , though , Gradkowski ' s performance declined . After a 3 - 17 loss to the New York Giants in heavy winds , the Bucs proceeded to lose 5 of their next 6 games , leading them to a record of 3 - 10 ( 0 - 6 in their division ) . In the loss to the Atlanta Falcons , Gradkowski was replaced in the 4th quarter by Rattay . In the first half of the Bucs ' next game , against the Chicago Bears , Gradkowski was again replaced by Rattay , who led the team from a 24 - 3 deficit to a score of 31 - 31 , with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter . However , the Bucs then lost the game in overtime , 34 - 31 . Rattay was then named the new starting quarterback for the last two games for the season . The Bucs finished their season with a 4 - 12 record , tied for third worst in the NFL . The overall defense was ranked in the low 20 ' s , the first time time a Tampa defense was not ranked in the top ten since 1996 . The Bucs sent three players to the 2007 Pro Bowl , cornerback Ronde Barber , tight end / long snapper Dave Moore ( A " Need " player according to Saints coach Sean Payton ) , and late addition outside linebacker Derrick Brooks ( as an injury replacement ) . This would be Brooks ' s 10th consecutive Pro Bowl and 10th Pro Bowl overall . Offseason . In the 2006 NFL Draft , the Buccaneers used their first pick on Oklahoma Guard Davin Joseph . They then used their next pick on Boston College OT Jeremy Trueblood . The rest of their picks included Notre Dame WR Maurice Stovall , Penn St . CB Alan Zemaitis , Stanford DE Julian Jenkins , Toledo QB Bruce Gradkowski , North Carolina St . TE T . J . Williams ( who was lost for the upcoming season to injury when he tore his right Achilles tendon the week of June 19 ) , Oregon CB Justin Phinisee , Clemson DE Charles Bennett , and Michigan TE Tim Massaquoi . After a potential season - ending injury to backup quarterback Luke McCown , the Buccaneers signed veteran quarterback Jay Fiedler to back up Chris Simms on June 29 . The signing maintains the four - deep status of the backup quarterback position , as Tim Rattay , Jared Allen , and Bruce Gradkowski are still on the roster ( as of July 18 ) . Additionally , the team signed two - year veteran tight end Matt Kranchick to replace T . J . Williams , who was lost for the season due to injury , as noted above . Preseason . The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played four preseason games . The home team is in capital letters . Regular season . Week 1 : vs . Baltimore Ravens . The Buccaneers opened the regular season at home against the Baltimore Ravens on September 10 with a shutout , their first since Week 14 of the 2005 season . The game began with the Ravens scoring a touchdown after a clock - killing 80 - yard drive , and the Bucs were never able to respond . Bucs QB Chris Simms threw three interceptions and many of his passes were batted down at the line of scrimmage , an issue that was present during the pre - season and would continue to plague Simms in the next two games . In addition , second - year RB Carnell " Cadillac " Williams struggled with back spasms and was held to just 22 rushing yards on 8 carries . Week 2 : at Atlanta Falcons . The Bucs went to the Georgia Dome for a Week 2 contest against their division rival , the Atlanta Falcons . Historically , the Buccaneers had been able to effectively contain Falcons ' QB Michael Vick , shutting down the Falcons ' offense in the process . However , the Bucs ' performance here had not improved much from Week 1 . The defense was unable to stop the running duo of Vick and RB Warrick Dunn , whose combined performance netted 261 yards , and 306 for Atlanta as a team — a new Falcons team record . Also illustrating their sharp fall in performance from their # 1 NFL ranking the previous season , the Bucs ' defense also allowed a 1 - yard QB TD run by Vick and a 4 - yard TD pass to RB Fred McCrary . Bucs QB Chris Simms continued to struggle , throwing another three interceptions , while Carnell " Cadillac " Williams was held to just 37 yards on 15 carries . The Bucs ' only points came on a chip - shot 22 - yard field goal by kicker Matt Bryant . Week 3 : vs . Carolina Panthers . The Bucs played one of their most heated rivals , the Carolina Panthers , at home . In the first half , it was a rout 20 - 7 with Bucs QB Chris Simms ' first pass intercepted by the Panthers ' Chris Gamble . In the second quarter , Tampa Bay finally scored its first touchdown of the season on a short pass from Simms to Joey Galloway , then followed that up in the third quarter with Carnell Williams scoring his first TD run of the season . Later that quarter , Simms led a drive that was wrapped up by a 2 - yard bootleg by Simms on a fake to Mike Alstott , but Simms was hit hard on the play , and had to leave the game momentarily to let rookie Bruce Gradkowski take over . Simms returned in the fourth quarter to lead another scoring drive which ended with a long field goal by Matt Bryant . Unfortunately for the Bucs , the Panthers ' kicker John Kasay hit his fourth field goal of the day , winning the game for the Panthers with only six seconds to spare . After the game , it was learned that Simms had a ruptured spleen and went into emergency surgery to remove it . Originally diagnosed as bruised ribs , it was only discovered shortly after the game ended . If discovery had been delayed any longer , Simms would have died . The injury cost Simms the rest of the season . Week 4 : Open date . The Buccaneers bye week was scheduled for week 4 . Week 5 : at New Orleans Saints . Coming off their bye week , the Buccaneers were still looking for their first win of the season . The Bucs traveled to the Louisiana Superdome for their third divisional match - up in a row — this time , against the New Orleans Saints . The Bucs scored first as rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski threw a 18 - yard TD pass to WR Joey Galloway in the first quarter ; the Saints responded with a 21 - yard field goal from kicker John Carney . The Saints continued scoring , with a 24 - yard TD run from RB Deuce McAllister in the second quarter , and a 9 - yard TD pass to TE Ernie Conwell in the third quarter . The Bucs finally responded with a 1 - yard TD run from FB Mike Alstott , and took the lead in the fourth quarter with Gradkowski ' s 3 - yard TD pass to TE Alex Smith . Unfortunately for the Bucs , a special teams breakdown led to Saints RB Reggie Bush getting his inaugural NFL touchdown on a 65 - yard punt return , which sealed the win for the Saints . Week 6 : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . The Bucs were predicted by many as an underdog by several sports commentators to defeat the 3 - 1 Bengals , and they pulled off an upset win , with Bruce Gradkowski throwing 2 touchdowns , and Cadillac Williams running for 94 yards . With 34 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter , Gradkowkski threw a pass to wide receiver Michael Clayton , who appeared to cross the goal line in a dive , but dropped the football in the end zone . The pass was initially ruled incomplete . The replay official initiated a review , and referee Mike Carey determined that Clayton had possession of the football when he crossed the plain of the goal line . The call was reversed , and the Buccaneers were awarded the touchdown . At the end of regulation , Shayne Graham had a chance to win the game with a 62 - yard field goal , but missed it wide right , giving the Bucs their first win of 2006 . Week 7 : vs . Philadelphia Eagles . The Bucs entered week 7 against an Eagles team looking to build upon their 14 - 13 win over the Bengals . The Bucs defense stepped up big early , particularly Ronde Barber , who returned two Donovan McNabb interceptions for touchdowns . The Bucs however blew a 17 - point lead when Brian Westbrook scored on a 52 yard touchdown with 33 seconds left . With two timeouts remaining , the Bucs drove to the Philadelphia 45 yard line with 4 seconds left . Kicker Matt Bryant then converted on an improbable , franchise record 62 - yard field goal as time expired to give the Bucs a 23 - 21 victory . Ironically , the kick was the same distance Bengals ' Shayne Graham missed from the previous week . The Bucs improved to 2 - 4 . The kick was one yard short of the NFL record ( 63 yards ) and the second - longest game - winning field goal in NFL history . Week 8 : at New York Giants . Hoping to build off their dramatic home win over the Eagles , the Buccaneers flew to Giants Stadium for their Week 8 game with the New York Giants . Bucs CB Ronde Barber would be facing his brother , RB Tiki Barber for the last time in NFL competition as the latter planned to retire after the season . In the first quarter , Tampa Bay fell behind early , as QB Eli Manning completed a 7 - yard TD pass to WR Plaxico Burress for the only score of the period . In the second quarter , the Bucs ' woes continued as Giants RB Brandon Jacobs got a 1 - yard TD run . Kicker Matt Bryant would get Tampa Bay a 43 - yard field goal , but that would all of the points that the Bucs would get , because after a scoreless third quarter , Giants kicker Jay Feely kicked a 31 - yard field goal to put the game away . With their loss , the Buccaneers fell to 2 - 5 . Week 9 : vs . New Orleans Saints . Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Giants , the Buccaneers went home for an NFC South rematch with the New Orleans Saints . In the first quarter , the Bucs trailed early as Saints QB Drew Brees completed a 15 - yard TD pass to WR Marques Colston and a 52 - yard TD pass to WR Devery Henderson . In the second quarter , kicker John Carney helped New Orleans improve its lead with a 46 - yard field goal . Tampa Bay would valiantly fight back , as QB Bruce Gradkowski completed a 44 - yard TD pass and a 17 - yard TD pass to WR Joey Galloway , but that would be as close as they would get . In the third quarter , Saints pulled away with RB Deuce McAllister completing a 3 - yard TD run and Bree completing a 45 - yard TD pass to Henderson . With a scoreless second half , the Bucs would fall to 2 - 6 . Week 10 : at Carolina Panthers . The Buccaneers travelled to Bank of America Stadium for an NFC South rematch on Monday Night Football with the Carolina Panthers . In the first quarter , QB Bruce Gradkowski completed a 6 - yard TD pass to WR Ike Hilliard for the only score of the period and the first half . However , in the third quarter , the Panthers struck back with a vengeance as kicker John Kasay nailed a 28 - yard field goal , QB Jake Delhomme completing a 4 - yard TD pass to WR Keyshawn Johnson , and FB Brad Hoover contributing a 5 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , even though kicker Matt Bryant would nail 28 - yard field goal , Carolina managed to put the game away with Delhomme completing a 36 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Smith . With the loss , the Bucs fell to 2 - 7 . Week 11 : vs . Washington Redskins . Hoping to rebound from their three - game losing streak , the Buccaneers went home for rematch of last year ' s NFC Wildcard match - up with the Washington Redskins . In the first quarter , the Bucs drew first blood with kicker Matt Bryant nailing a 26 - yard field goal , while Redskins kicker Nick Novak got a 45 - yard field goal . After a scoreless second quarter , Washington took the lead in the third quarter with QB Jason Campbell completed a 3 - yard TD pass to TE Chris Cooley . Tampa Bay would respond with QB Bruce Gradkowski completed a 2 - yard TD pass to TE Anthony Becht . In the fourth quarter , the Bucs managed to wrap - up the game with Gradkowski completing a 34 - yard TD pass to WR Joey Galloway , while Bryant kicked a 31 - yard field goal . Even though the Redskins would get a 4 - yard TD pass from Campbell to TE Todd Yoder , the Bucs held on to win and advance to 3 - 7 . Week 12 : at Dallas Cowboys . Hoping to build off of their home win over the Redskins , the Buccaneers flew to Texas Stadium for a Thanksgiving fight with the Dallas Cowboys . In the first quarter , the Bucs capped off their opening driver with FB Mike Alstott getting a 1 - yard TD run . However , the Cowboys responded with QB Tony Romo getting a 30 - yard TD pass to WR Terry Glenn . In the second quarter , Romo and Glenn hooked up with each other again on a 2 - yard TD pass . The Bucs could only respond with kicker Matt Bryant getting a 46 - yard field goal . Dallas would respond with Romo getting a 1 - yard TD pass to RB Marion Barber . In the third quarter , Romo and Barber would hook up with each other again on a 2 - yard TD pass , with Romo also hooking up with WR Terrell Owens on a 7 - yard TD pass . In the fourth quarter , kicker Mike Vanderjagt would close out the scoring with a 22 - yard field goal . With the loss , the Bucs fell to 3 - 8 . Week 13 : at Pittsburgh Steelers . Bruce Gradkowski ' s homecoming was also his worst game of the season . In the first quarter , Ben Roethlisberger threw his only interception early in the game to linebacker Derrick Brooks . Later in the quarter , Gradkowski tossed his first interception to Steeler linebacker Larry Foote . In the final seconds of the first quarter , Roethlisberger threw a short touchdown pass to tight end Jerame Tuman . Later in the first half , Gradkowski tossed another interception in the red zone to Bryant McFadden . Steeler kicker Jeff Reed , kicked a fifty - yard field goal to end the first half . After another interception of Gradkowski in the second half , Roethlisberger completed a touchdown pass in the early fourth quarter . By the two - minute warning , the score was 20 - 0 , in the favor of the Steelers . Tampa Bay kicker Matt Bryant , made sure the Bucs did not get shut out with a 27 - yard field goal in the last seconds of regulation . Week 14 : vs . Atlanta Falcons . Trying to snap a two - game losing skid , the Buccaneers went home for an NFC South rematch with the Atlanta Falcons . In the first half , the Bucs jumped out to an early lead as kicker Matt Bryant got a 42 - yard field goal in the first quarter , while nailing a 24 - yard field goal in the second quarter . However , for the rest of the game , it was all Atlanta . In the third quarter , the Falcons took the lead with OLB Demorrio Williams returning a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown , while FB Justin Griffith got a 21 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , Atlanta wrapped up their season sweep over Tampa Bay with kicker Morten Andersen nailing a 23 - yard field goal . With the loss , the Buccaneers fell to 3 - 10 . Week 15 : vs . Chicago Bears . The Bears entered week 15 of the NFL season hoping to secure a first - round bye and home - field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs . The Bears led 24 - 3 win 5 : 22 left in the third quarter and were en route to winning their third straight , but the Buccaneers had other plans . During the first quarter , the Bucs had only reached 80 yards in total offense . Coach Jon Gruden sent in back - up Tim Rattay who completed 20 of 35 for 268 yards with 3 touchdowns and one interception as the Bucs battled back to tie the game up at 31 during the 4th quarter . A controversial move was made by Chicago Bear ' s head coach Lovie Smith as he decided to let time expire during the 4th quarter and thus send the game into overtime . Tampa Bay won the coin toss , and both teams had three possessions in overtime . After missing earlier in the overtime period , Robbie Gould connected on a 27 - yard field goal with 3 : 37 remaining to give the Bears the victory , 34 - 31 . This loss sent the struggling Buccaneers to 3 - 11 which secured last place in the NFC South standings . Week 16 : at Cleveland Browns . Trying to end a four - game losing skid , the Buccaneers flew to Cleveland Browns Stadium for a Week 16 interconference fight with the Cleveland Browns on Christmas Eve . In the first half , the Bucs got off to a decent start with kicker Matt Bryant nailing a 23 - yard field goal in the first quarter and a 24 - yard field goal in the second quarter . In the third quarter , Tampa Bay increased its lead RB Michael Pittman ' s 11 - yard TD run ( following PAT was blocked ) . In the fourth quarter , the Pewter Pirates ' defense got a chance to score with OLB Derrick Brooks returning an interception 21 yards for a touchdown . Afterwards , the Browns would get their only score of the game as CB Daven Holly returned a fumble 40 yards for a touchdown . After that , the Bucs wrapped the game up with Bryant ' s 37 - yard field goal . With the win , the Buccaneers improved to 4 - 11 . Week 17 : vs . Seattle Seahawks . Trying to end their season on a high note on New Year ' s Eve , the Buccaneers hosted the NFC West champion Seattle Seahawks . Tampa Bay trailed early as Seahawks kicker Josh Brown nailed a 35 - yard field goal , which was followed by RB Shaun Alexander ' s one - yard TD run . In the second quarter , the Bucs got their only score of the game with QB Tim Rattay completing a 4 - yard TD pass to WR Joey Galloway . Afterwards , Seattle continued its dominance with QB Matt Hasselbeck completing a 5 - yard TD pass to WR D . J . Hackett . After that , the Seahawks wrapped up the game in the second half with Brown getting a 30 - yard field goal in the third quarter and a 23 - yard field goal in the fourth quarter . With the loss , the Buccaneers ended their year at 4 - 12 .