1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on a 2 - 12 season . Since their two 1977 victories came in the last two games of the season , they entered the 1978 season with the longest active winning streak in the NFC Central . The Buccaneers entered the season with new offensive talent , having selected Doug Williams with the 17th overall pick of the draft . This choice was questioned by many , as there was still an element of society who claimed that a black quarterback was not mentally capable of winning in the NFL , and prejudice is believed to have been a factor in Williams having been drafted as low as seventeenth . According to Buccaneer coach John McKay , " All things being equal , Williams would have gone higher in the draft " . Second - year tight end Jimmie Giles , also a part of the trade that landed Williams , emerged as the Buccaneers ' first receiving threat and to this day holds several of their scoring records . Offseason . Offseason coaching changes led to continued accusations of disorganization , as vice - president of operations Ron Wolf resigned , citing only " personal matters " . This renewed speculation that John McKay , who replaced Wolf with two of his own longtime assistants , was trying to consolidate front - office power . The coaching staff was reshuffled , with Tom Bass being named defensive coordinator , and offensive coordinator Joe Gibbs hired away from the St . Louis Cardinals . Offensive line coach Jerry Frei left to take the same position with the Chicago Bears . Tight end Bob Moore was traded , along with a 1979 first - round draft pick , for three - time All - Pro Bears defensive end Wally Chambers . The Buccaneers were widely considered to have given up too much in the trade , as Chambers was coming off of major knee surgery and was considered by many to be " damaged merchandise " , and the Buccaneers were left with minimal experience at tight end . The trade was also criticized on the grounds that the Buccaneers did not require Chambers to undergo a team physical , despite his injury history . Council Rudolph , the only player who had started in all 28 of the Buccaneers ' games to date , was made expendable by the trade and was dealt to the Miami Dolphins for a draft pick . Preseason speculation ran high about what would happen with the Buccaneers ' first overall choice in the draft , with Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips reportedly stating that the Oilers would better any other team ' s offer to the Buccaneers . Unlike the previous year , when it was made clear early on that Ricky Bell was to be their choice , the Buccaneers kept quiet about who they might draft , further fueling speculation about a trade . The New York Jets were said to have offered their fourth - overall draft pick , plus any player on their roster other than Richard Todd . Tight end was considered to be the Buccaneers ' single greatest need , with Ken MacAfee of Notre Dame often mentioned as a likely draft target . According to Don Shula , " With John McKay ' s type of offense , an outstanding tight end is absolutely essential . It cannot go without one " . This happened to be one of the positions hit hardest by injury in 1977 . With most of their mid - round draft picks traded away , the Buccaneers were looking for a trade that would bring them several draft picks . With no teams willing to give up a starting quarterback as part of a deal , the Buccaneers eventually traded the pick to the Oilers , for tight end Jimmie Giles and the Oilers ' first - and second - round picks in 1978 , and their third - and fifth - round picks in 1979 . Needing a fullback , the Buccaneers shortly afterward traded Anthony Davis to the Oilers for Don Hardeman . NFL Draft . Draft trades . The Buccaneers ' first overall selection in the 1978 draft was traded to the Houston Oilers in exchange for four draft picks and tight end Jimmie Giles . The Oilers used the pick to select running back Earl Campbell . The Buccaneers ' 3rd - , 4th - , and 6th round picks were traded to the Oakland Raiders for guard Dan Medlin , tackle Jeff Winans , and linebacker Rik Bonness , respectively . Their 5th - round pick was traded to the Miami Dolphins for cornerback Jeris White . The Buccaneers received a 6th - round pick from the Los Angeles Rams for center Dan Ryczek . Their 7th - round pick was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in return for kicker Allan Leavitt . Their 11th - round pick , along with a second 10th - rounder obtained from the Raiders , were traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in return for defensive tackle Ernie Holmes . Draft selections . The Buccaneers had a reduced number of selections in what was considered to have been the weakest draft in a long time . Doug Williams was considered to be the closest thing to a can ' t - miss quarterback prospect available in the draft . Representatives of several other teams , including Green Bay Packers coach and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr , called the Buccaneers to congratulate them on his selection . John McKay , in charge of the draft for the first time , stated that with no outstanding quarterbacks expected to be in the following year ' s draft , the team had to have Williams . Johnny Davis was a surprise selection , as running back was considered to be one of the team ' s deepest positions , but Davis was drafted for his blocking ability . McKay pointed out that many of the previous year ' s quarterback sacks had been the result not of offensive line breakdowns , but of failure of running backs to pick up blitzes . Brett Moritz played half of the 1977 season at Nebraska , after transferring from West Point . He was projected as a backup center . McKay traded a 10th - and an 11th - round pick , players who would not be expected to make the team anyway , to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Ernie Holmes , at one time an important part of the Steelers ' championship defenses . Holmes , who was once involved in a shotgun standoff with police after an incidence of acute paranoid psychosis , was traded for on the understanding that his personal problems were behind him . Steelers coach Chuck Noll called the trade " a gift " . The Buccaneers once again passed on offensive linemen , saying that the existing players would improve with more time together , and that the best linemen were all drafted early . The Buccaneers later traded a future draft choice to the Detroit Lions for veteran tackle Rockne Freitas . Preseason . Doug Williams ' first preseason pass , an 75 - yard incompletion that sailed 10 yards past receiver Isaac Hagins , drew a standing ovation from the Tampa Stadium crowd . He was the first quarterback in Buccaneer history capable of throwing long passes downfield . Miami Dolphins nose tackle Randy Crowder , freshly released from federal prison , was signed as a free agent . Ernie Holmes , who was having trouble adjusting to the Buccaneers ' 3 - 4 defense , was waived to make room for him . A 1979 3rd - round draft pick was sent to the Dolphins as NFL - ordered compensation . Johnny Davis and Jimmy DuBose performed so well in the preseason that newly - acquired fullback Don Hardeman was sent to the Baltimore Colts for a future draft pick . Wins in their first three preseason games , combined with the two wins at the end of the previous season , gave the Buccaneers the longest active NFL win streak going into the final preseason game . That game , a loss to the Dolphins , was the first Buccaneer game to sell out . Regular season . The Buccaneers opened the season , like their expansion brethren the Seattle Seahawks , 200 - to - 1 longshots to win the Super Bowl . Their regular - season opener against the New York Giants marked the first time that Las Vegas oddsmakers favored the Buccaneers to win , with Jimmy the Greek naming them as 1 - point favorites . A pair of mistake - prone early losses left McKay threatening to release players who cause game - losing errors , a change from the earlier attitude of tolerating mistakes from players who were regarded as having potential . With the defense among the best in the league and the offense sparking behind Doug Williams ' leadership , the Buccaneers began to be respected as a competitive NFL team . Coach McKay ' s respect for Williams was such that he spoke of eventually letting Williams call his own plays in the huddle . McKay ' s insistence on calling plays from the sideline had been a source of much conflict between McKay and Steve Spurrier during the 1976 season . Williams led the Buccaneers to a 4 - 4 start before suffering an injury that required his jaw to be wired shut . Even before Williams ' injury , the Buccaneers again found themselves with an injured reserve list in double digits . At midseason , the Buccaneers had 11 players on injured reserve , not counting waived quarterback Mike Boryla . McKay felt that , with a healthy offense , the team would have finished with at least a 10 - 6 record . Despite a defense that ranked fourth overall in the NFL , the Buccaneers were only able to win one of their remaining eight games behind backup quarterback Mike Rae . McKay summed up the season with the word " frustration " . The 9 - 7 record that he predicted the team would finish with would have been enough to win the NFC Central . Nose tackle Dave Pear became the first Buccaneer selected to the Pro Bowl , finishing third in voting among defensive tackles behind Randy White and Larry Brooks . Linebacker Richard Wood ' s 168 tackles stood for 14 years as a team record . Game summaries . Week 1 : vs New York Giants . " September 2 , 1978 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " The New York Giants scored ten points off of Buccaneer interceptions en route to an upset victory . The Buccaneers rushed for 165 yards , but were held to field goals on drives deep in Giants territory . Doug Williams suffered a badly bruised shoulder when tackled by Gary Jeter in the first quarter , and was replaced by Gary Huff . Terry Jackson returned Williams ' early interception , called by John McKay a " terrible blunder " , for a touchdown . Williams completed only one of six passes before leaving with the injury . The Buccaneers took the lead on a 2 - yard Jimmy DuBose touchdown and a Neil O ' Donoghue field goal , but Joe Pisarcik ' s 67 - yard pass to Johnny Perkins gave the Giants the lead for good . Week 2 : vs Detroit Lions . " September 9 , 1978 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " The Detroit Lions held the Buccaneers to 101 yards of total offense , 56 yards of which came on a first - quarter Ricky Bell run . Bell scored the Buccaneers ' only touchdown on a 1 - yard plunge . The Buccaneers were hurt by penalties and turnovers , fumbling four times in the first quarter alone . A Lions drive late in the first half was extended twice by Buc penalties , the first when Curtis Jordan ran into punter Tom Skladany , and the second when Dave Pear ' s late hit on Lions quarterback Greg Landry knocked Landry out of the game . This penalty nullified a Mike Washington interception , and resulted in one of Benny Ricardo ' s three field goals . Buc passers were sacked seven times . Mike Boryla started the game for the Buccaneers , but was replaced by Gary Huff . Coming off of the previous season ' s knee injury , Boryla declared his recovering knee too sore to play on , and went back on injured reserve after the game . Week 3 : at Minnesota Vikings . " September 17 , 1978 at Metropolitan Stadium , Bloomington , Minnesota " The Buccaneeers took advantage of Minnesota Vikings mistakes to get an upset and their first win of the season . The Buccaneers scored on a 5 - yard pass from Doug Williams to Morris Owens , after a live ball that had hit a Viking on a punt return was recovered by Billy Cesare on the Vikings ' 5 - yard line . Vikings coach Bud Grant later claimed that returner Kevin Miller never touched the ball , and blamed the loss on the officials . Fran Tarkenton completed 23 of 31 passes for 180 yards , but threw two interceptions and was replaced by Tommy Kramer in the final two minutes . Kramer promptly threw an interception to Cecil Johnson . Tarkenton also hit Ahmad Rashad for a 4 - yard touchdown to finish a 63 - yard first - quarter drive . Later , Jeris White ' s interception of a Tarkenton pass would lead to a 2 - yard Ricky Bell touchdown run . The Buccaneers ' defense , still steamed over Tarkenton ' s comments two years earlier that the Buccaneers would be his preferred AFC opponent in the Super Bowl , held the Vikings to 73 yards rushing and sacked Tarkenton four times . They also came through big by holding the Vikings to a field goal , following a bizarre play in which the Vikings recovered a live ball on a failed field goal attempt and returned it for 80 yards . Grant called the game a defensive contest , saying that there were no good offensive plays in the entire match . John McKay said that " when we shut off their running game , we knew we were in the game and could get ' em " , and that the Buccaneers should have a 3 - 0 record . The game left the two teams tied with 1 - 2 records . Week 4 : vs Atlanta Falcons . " September 24 , 1978 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " The Atlanta Falcons , who in 1977 had set an NFL record for least points allowed , held the Buccaneers to no first downs and one pass completion in the first half . The Falcons were caught sitting on a 2 - point lead when the Buccaneers put together a 57 - yard fourth - quarter drive , capped by a touchdown pass from Doug Williams to Jim Obradovich , to win the game . Mike Washington scored early on a 79 - yard return of a blocked field goal , still ( as of 2009 ) a Tampa Bay record . The Buccaneers missed two later touchdown opportunities on dropped passes by Isaac Hagins . Jimmy DuBose carried four times for 21 yards on the game - winning drive . Mike Washington scored on a blocked field goal , and a Ricky Bell fumble led to Steve Bartkowski ' s 5 - yard pass to Al Jackson . The Buccaneers ran out the clock by holding the ball for the final five minutes of the game , something coach McKay didn ' t think the team would be able to do against the Atlanta defense . The entire game was played in a driving rainstorm , with wind gusts of up to 40 mph . Hagins later underwent x - rays that revealed that he suffered a fractured vertebra during the game . He was placed on injured reserve , and Larry Franklin was signed to fill his roster spot . Week 5 : vs Minnesota Vikings . " October 1 , 1978 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton completed 20 of 31 passes for 213 yards . He passed for a touchdown to Sammy White , and set up a rushing touchdown by Robert Miller . Doug Williams completed a Buccaneer - record 16 of 35 passes for 311 yards , including a 56 - yard touchdown to Morris Owens . Alan Page blocked a Dave Green punt that was returned for the final touchdown . The Vikings also blocked an earlier field goal attempt , described by John McKay as looking like " The ball was snapped like a dying quail and about 25 men came through to block it " . As opposed to the previous meeting , the Vikings played error - free football . Week 6 : at Kansas City Chiefs . " October 8 , 1978 at Arrowhead Stadium , Kansas City , Missouri " The Buccaneers , playing with the goal of keeping the Kansas City Chiefs ' Wing - T offense on the bench as much as possible , held them to little more than half of their regular rushing average . Meanwhile , the Buccaneers ' offense had their most productive day ever , setting a team record with three fourth - quarter touchdowns . Jimmy DuBose ran for two touchdowns and Louis Carter for one , and Doug Williams threw a 10 - yard touchdown pass to Morris Owens . Kansas City was held to a pair of Jan Stenerud field goals for most of the game . A fourth - quarter Tony Adams pass was ruled a touchdown , although replays showed that receiver Henry Marshall failed to keep both of his feet inbounds . Richard Wood was given much of the credit for stifling the Chiefs ' league - leading rushing attack . Wood correctly expected that Chiefs offensive coordinator Tom Pagna would run the offense straight at him , as he did when Wood played at USC and Pagna coached at Notre Dame . Pagna assumed incorrectly that the undersized Wood would be overpowered , but Wood instead responded by making 12 tackles . This was the Buccaneers ' third consecutive road win , and came one day after the Kansas City Royals were eliminated from the American League pennant race . Week 7 : at New York Giants . " October 15 , 1978 at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford , New Jersey " The New York Giants capitalized on two late turnovers to come from behind for the win . Giants linebacker Harry Carson intercepted a Doug Williams pass , then recovered a Louis Carter fumble . Both turnovers led to touchdown runs by Larry Csonka . Neil O ' Donoghue missed on a last - minute 42 - yard field goal attempt into strong winds . Doug Williams was 7 - for - 27 passing , with two interceptions . The second of these interceptions proved very costly , as Jimmy DuBose suffered what turned out to be a career - ending knee injury while trying to make a tackle on the return . This occurred only four plays after DuBose ' s 109 yards rushing made him the first Buccaneer rusher to pass the 100 - yard mark in a game . Jerry Golsteyn replaced Joe Pisarcik at quarterback for the Giants , and led both of the fourth - quarter winning drives . Week 8 : vs Chicago Bears . " October 22 , 1978 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " The Chicago Bears expected to face the mistake - prone Buccaneer team they had seen in game films , but were instead confronted with an efficient team that controlled the ball and took advantage of Bears mistakes . Doug Williams threw touchdown passes to Jim Obradovich and Morris Owens , and unexpectedly ran for some key first downs . Gary Fencik intercepted him at the goal line on one drive , but the Bears failed to gain a first down on the ensuing possession . Ricky Bell , until recently seeing primary duty blocking for Jimmy DuBose , returned to his lead runner spot and gained 95 yards on 28 carries . He was awarded a game ball for his effort . Dave Lewis intercepted Bob Avellini twice in the final two minutes , and the Buccaneers ' defense held Walter Payton to a season - low 34 yards rushing in the Bears ' fifth consecutive loss . The Buccaneers made several changes in starting lineup going into the game : Wally Chambers made his first start of the year , Johnny Davis replaced the injured DuBose at fullback , and recently - acquired Frank Grant got the start at wide receiver . Week 9 : at Green Bay Packers . " October 29 , 1978 at Lambeau Field , Green Bay , Wisconsin " The Green Bay Packers held the Buccaneers without a first down or completed pass for the first 37 minutes of the game . The Buccaneers took the lead on a 2 - yard Ricky Bell run that was set up by a Morris Owens reception of a 53 - yard Doug Williams pass . Chester Marcol kicked the game - winning field goal . Neil O ' Donoghue missed two field goals in the contest . Williams ' final pass was intercepted by Willie Buchanon . The Buccaneers shut down running back Terdell Middleton and knocked quarterback David Whitehurst dizzy , but Whitehurst returned to lead the game - winning 50 - yard drive . Tampa Bay ' s uncharacteristic move to a man - to - man defense left Steve Odom open to catch Whitehurst ' s 18 - yard pass on a fourth down during that drive . Week 10 : at Los Angeles Rams . " November 5 , 1978 at Anaheim Stadium , Anaheim , California " Three Buccaneer starters went out with injuries , most significantly Doug Williams , who suffered a broken jaw on a Jack Youngblood blitz . Darryl Carlton separated a shoulder , and Dewey Selmon broke his wrist . Mike Rae played in relief of Williams , completing 9 of 17 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown . The Rams double - covered both Buccaneer receivers , leaving no coverage to prevent Rae from rushing for 95 yards on four carries . Ricky Bell had his first 100 - yard rushing day , with 21 carries for 104 yards . The Buccaneers set several team records in this game : 209 yards was their highest rushing total yet , Bell ' s 555 yards were a Buccaneer single - season rushing record , and Neil O ' Donoghue ' s 38 points were a new season scoring record . Although the Rams were not on McKay ' s list of 18 teams that he felt the Buccaneers were competitive with , Tampa Bay rallied to a 23 - 23 fourth - quarter tie before losing on a late Frank Corral field goal . It was the Buccaneers ' third fourth - quarter collapse in four weeks . The Buccaneers ' performance drew cheers from the Los Angeles crowd , among whom McKay was still a popular figure . Week 11 : at Detroit Lions . " November 12 , 1978 at the Pontiac Silverdome , Pontiac , Michigan " The Detroit Lions had 404 yards , in the Buccaneers ' worst defensive performance since 1976 . Horace King became only the third running back in two seasons to gain 100 yards against the Buccaneers . Three defenders missed tackles on his 75 - yard touchdown run . Gary Danielson completed 15 of 24 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns , both to David Hill . John McKay blamed the poor performance on mental errors , such as three defenders covering one receiver while the other remained open . The Lions also took advantage of the inexperience of middle linebacker Rik Bonness , who was playing at the unfamiliar outside linebacker position due to injuries to Cecil Johnson and Dana Nafziger . The depletion of the linebacker corps required a shift to a 4 - 3 defense , which the players had difficulty adjusting to . McKay said , " If I had a gun , I would have shot our guys " , of all the receivers left open . Buccaneers quarterbacks were sacked eight times , five times by Bubba Baker . The Buccaneers scored on touchdown passes from Mike Rae to Jim Obradovich and from Gary Huff to George Ragsdale . Neil O ' Donoghue kicked three field goals , including a club - record 49 - yarder . The loss left the Buccaneers and Lions tied for last place in the NFC Central . Week 12 : vs Buffalo Bills . " November 19 , 1978 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " Following two subpar defensive performances , the Buccaneers held the Bills without a touchdown until the fourth quarter , when the Buccaneers already had a 31 - 3 lead . Buc defenders cheered a return to their regular 3 - 4 alignment . Johnny Davis gained 78 yards on 18 carries after a Bills player fell on Ricky Bell ' s knee . The injury to Bell , combined with the earlier injuries to Doug Williams and Jimmy DuBose , left the Buccaneers without their entire starting backfield . Buccaneers running backs nevertheless combined for 204 yards . Bell and Davis ran for a touchdown each . Mike Rae threw two touchdown passes ; one to Morris Owens , and another to Jimmie Giles for the first of Giles ' career . Week 13 : at Chicago Bears . " November 26 , 1978 at Soldier Field , Chicago Illinois " The Bears held the Buccaneers to a season - low 92 yards of total offense . Tampa Bay repeatedly failed to score , despite getting the ball with good field position . Mike Rae was sacked seven times in his first 11 pass attempts . The Bears controlled the ball for 22 : 26 of the second half , consistently breaking Walter Payton and Roland Harper for short gains . Payton finished the day with 105 yards rushing and Harper 144 , the first time the Buccaneers had allowed two 100 - yard rushers in a single game . It was only the second time in history that the Bears had two backs each rush for 100 yards . McKay declined to give the Bears much credit , saying that " they had a lot of success running and holding at the same time " . Week 14 : vs Green Bay Packers . " December 3 , 1978 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " Again playing without their entire starting backfield , the Buccaneers outgained Green Bay in several major offensive statistics , including a 321 - 173 yardage advantage , but were outscored by the Packers . A knee injury to Lee Roy Selmon meant that all three of their players selected with first - round draft picks were out with injuries . George Ragsdale , Johnny Davis , Jim Obradovich , Neil O ' Donoghue , and Danny Reece were also injured during the game , which left the Buccaneers with only three running backs on the roster . The Buccaneers finished the game with only 37 healthy players , eight under the NFL roster limit . The 173 yards allowed was one of several team records set during the game , and the season total to date of 228 points equaled the team ' s total scoring of the first two seasons combined . Ragsdale ' s 14 - yard touchdown run was their longest touchdown run of the year . Ragsdale , having been knocked cold , was unable to hear the crowd ' s applause . The Packers scored on a 10 - yard David Whitehurst pass to James Lofton , a 27 - yard Chester Marcol field goal , and a 1 - yard Barty Smith run . The win broke the Packers ' four - game losing streak . Week 15 : at San Francisco 49ers . " December 10 , 1978 at Candlestick Park , San Francisco , California " In a meeting between the NFL ' s two worst offenses , the San Francisco 49ers ' Ray Wersching kicked a fourth - quarter field goal to win the first game in which the Buccaneer defense held their opposition without a touchdown . The Buccaneers committed ten fumbles , were intercepted five times , allowed eleven sacks , and scored no touchdowns . McKay was so upset that he cancelled his regular press conference the Monday following the game , and indicated that he would not be present at his Friday press conference . The 49ers fumbled six times , were intercepted twice , and allowed five sacks . Mark Cotney ' s 28 - yard interception return set up Tampa Bay ' s only score , a 35 - yard Dave Green field goal . The previous week ' s injury to Neil O ' Donoghue became an issue , as Green ' s limited range prevented the Buccaneers from attempting potential game - winning or - tying field goals . Bill Kollar started and led the team in tackles for the second week in a row . The boredom of the game was such that one of the coaches spoke of setting himself on fire on the sideline , prompting a Buccaneer publicist to request that the team band be ready to play " You Light Up My Life " . Week 16 : vs New Orleans Saints . " December 17 , 1978 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning completed 25 of 38 passes for 250 yards , the most passing yards yet allowed by the Buccaneers , and a touchdown to Henry Childs . Chuck Muncie broke four tackles while scoring on a 21 - yard run . The Buccaneer defense played uncharacteristically poorly , allowing 421 yards of offense . Special teams also broke down on several occasions . McKay called it the worst game the team had yet played , and promised that changes would be made . Buccaneer receivers blamed lack of concentration for missed routes and dropped balls . Doug Williams returned to the starting lineup , but Tampa Bay was able to control the ball for only 19 of the game ' s 60 minutes . Williams , playing with his jaw still wired shut , threw a 2 - yard fourth - down pass to Jimmie Giles for the Buccaneers ' only touchdown .