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Buccaneers' season in review
Feb. 12, 2008
Overview: Jon Gruden led the Bucs from worst to first in the NFC South, but the season ended on a sour note, as Tampa fell at home to the Giants in the first round of the playoffs. The 9-7 campaign was marked by impressive contributions from young players on the offensive and defensive lines, which gives Tampa reason to be optimistic about next season. Longtime defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin was signed to a new contract, ending weeks of speculation that he would go elsewhere, and both Gruden and GM Bruce Allen signed three-year extensions.
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Date
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Opponent
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Spread
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Result
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09/09/07
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at Seattle
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+6
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6-20
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09/16/07
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New Orleans
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+5
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31-14
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09/23/07
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St. Louis
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-3½
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24-3
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09/30/07
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at Carolina
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+3
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20-7
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10/07/07
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at Indianapolis
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+9
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14-33
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10/14/07
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Tennessee
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-2½
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13-10
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10/21/07
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at Detroit
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+2½
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16-23
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10/28/07
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Jacksonville
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-3½
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23-24
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11/04/07
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Arizona
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-3½
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17-10
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BYE WEEK
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11/18/07
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at Atlanta
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-3
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31-7
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11/25/07
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Washington
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-3½
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19-13
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12/02/07
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at New Orleans
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+6
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27-23
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12/09/07
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at Houston
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-3
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14-28
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12/16/07
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Atlanta
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-12½
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37-3
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12/23/07
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at San Francisco
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-6
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19-21
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12/30/07
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Carolina
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+3
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23-31
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01/06/08
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NY Giants
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-3
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14-24
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Team MVP: The addition of veteran QB Jeff Garcia was the key to Tampa’s turnaround. Among qualifiers, only the Jaguars’ David Garrard threw fewer interceptions (three) than Garcia (four). Garcia’s efficiency and mobility sparked the Bucs’ offense and jelled almost perfectly with Gruden’s scheme. Playing with an offensive line that started only one player with more than a year of experience, Garcia took his share of hits, missing three games with a back injury, but he did his best to play through the bumps and bruises and brought toughness to the Bucs.
Biggest surprise: Tampa’s backfield was decimated by injury early in the season, but the season-opening third-stringer, RB Earnest Graham, emerged as a powerful, hard-hitting force. Graham’s contributions had been mostly limited to special teams in his first three seasons, but Cadillac Williams’ season-ending injury in Week Four and Michael Pittman’s ongoing battle with nagging injuries vaulted Graham to the top of the depth chart, and he met the challenge. Graham rushed for 898 yards, had 49 catches for 324 yards and started 10 games, fumbling just once.
Biggest disappointment: Bucs WR Michael Clayton continued his steep decline and had the lowest number of receptions and fewest receiving yards in his four-year career. Since his first season, when he broke a franchise record for receiving yards by a rookie (1,193), Clayton has just 1,029 receiving yards. The Bucs’ passing game was in desperate need of a third target to match with veterans Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard, but the slumping Clayton did not step up.
Offseason outlook: After a slide in 2006, the Bucs skillfully weaved together a combination of young players and veterans who were left over from the team’s Super Bowl run in 2002, to get back on top of the NFC South this past season. To avoid another drop-off, Gruden and Allen will have to continue to rebuild at key positions like outside linebacker, cornerback and wide receiver, where stable veterans will soon need to be replaced.
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