1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Dungy, Defense & A Breakthrough Year

Coming into 1997, it had been a long time since Tampa Bay Buccaneer fans had seen playoff football—or even anything resembling a competitive team. Since the 1979-82 stretch where they made three postseason trips in four years, the Bucs had not only failed to make the playoffs, they also never had a winning season, never finished .500 and only got as high as 7-9 once. A young head coach named Tony Dungy inherited a mess in 1996. And in his second year, he broke all of those negative streaks, got into the playoffs and even delivered the franchise’s first postseason win since 1979.

Dungy’s team did it with defense and that started up front. Warren Sapp was a rising star at defensive tackle, early in his Hall of Fame career. Sapp made the Pro Bowl. Brad Culpepper was at the other tackle and he got 8 ½ sacks. Ends Chidi Ahanotu and Regan Upshaw combined for 17 ½ more sacks. Tampa Bay was getting constant pressure.

They also had the game’s best middle linebacker in All-Pro Hardy Nickerson and more future Hall of Fame players in linebacker Derrick Brooks and strong safety John Lynch, each of whom punched a Pro Bowl ticket. Corner Donnie Abraham intercepted five passes. The Buccaneer defense ranked second in the NFL for points allowed.

Offensively, Tampa Bay was a little more challenged. Quarterback Trent Dilfer made the Pro Bowl, although it’s hard to see why. Dilfer’s 56 percent completion rate, 6.6 yards-per-attempt and 2.8 percent interception rate were all below the league average. The receiving corps of Reidel Anthony, Karl Williams and Horace Copeland was pedestrian, with no one getting even 500 receiving yards.

The Bucs did have an All-Pro fullback in Mike Alstott who rushed for 665 yards. And they had a versatile back in Warrick Dunn. With 978 rushing yards and a team-leading 39 receptions, Dunn was Offensive Rookie of the Year. The offensive line was anchored by Pro Bowl center Tony Mayberry. But it wasn’t enough to stop Tampa from ranking 23^rd in the 30-team league for points scored.

Tampa Bay had a stiff test to open the season—they faced a perennial contender in the San Francisco 49ers, a team that would end up the 1-seed in the NFC playoffs this year. The defense responded by getting seven sacks, 2 ½ by Sapp and two more by Upshaw. They knocked the great Steve Young out of the game, took over the fourth quarter and won 13-6.

The Bucs went on to Detroit and completely shut down Barry Sanders, who was on his way to sharing the MVP award this year. Meanwhile, Dunn rushed for 130 yards. Tampa jumped out to a 17-0 lead and closed on a 24-17 win.

Another road divisional game was on tap at Minnesota (prior to the realignment of 2002, Tampa was in the NFC Central with the four current teams of the NFC North). It was more of the same—101 yards rushing from Dunn. Dominant defense. A 21-3 lead, keyed by Dilfer going 15/20 for 192 yards and no mistakes. And the afternoon ended with a 28-14 win.

The in-state battle with the playoff-bound Miami Dolphins was on the Monday Night stage and the Buccaneers showcased their winning formula for the prime-time audience. This time it was Alstott leading the running game, gaining 95 yards. Dunn’s pass-catching skills were on display, with 95 receiving yards. Dilfer went 18/24 for 248 yards and threw four touchdown passes. The Bucs jumped on the Dolphins for an early 14-0 lead and won 31-21.

This was about as impressive of a 4-0 start as there could be. Every opponent would end the 1997 season in the playoffs and the victories were decisive. Tampa had a bit of a letdown at home against lowly Arizona, trailing 18-12 in the fourth quarter. But the defense got six sacks, three by Culpepper and two by Ahanotu. They pulled out a 19-18 win.

Riding high at 5-0, Tampa went to Green Bay. The Packers were the defending Super Bowl champion. Brett Favre would share the MVP with Sanders. The Buccaneers held their own Lambeau, controlling the trenches and winning rush yardage 217-64. But Dilfer was no match for Favre and the Buccaneer quarterback threw a Pick-6 that stopped a promising drive. Tampa took their first loss of the season, 21-16.

There was no shame in that loss, but the same couldn’t be said for a terrible performance at home against Detroit. The defense was gashed by Sanders, who ripped off two touchdown runs of 80-plus yards. While Copeland caught six passes for 105 yards, that was the only Buccaneer bright spot in a 27-9 loss.

Tampa Bay went into their bye week at 5-2, but with the NFL world waiting for them to come back to earth, the trendlines were concerning. It got more concerning on the far side of the bye. They hosted Minnesota in a late afternoon home game and did nothing offensively, losing 10-6.

A visit to Dungy’s future home in Indianapolis was now must-win. The Colts were awful, headed for the #1 draft pick and the right to get Peyton Manning the following spring. The Bucs defense didn’t play well and they trailed 28-21 in the fourth quarter. But Dilfer was playing clean football. He went 16/25 for 164 yards. His 24-yard touchdown pass to Williams tied the game and a field goal ultimately pulled out a 31-28 win. It wasn’t an inspiring win, but the bleeding was stopped.

And a better all-around performance awaited at mediocre Atlanta. Alstott romped for a 47-yard touchdown run early on. In a 7-7 tie, Dilfer hit Dunn with a 24-yard TD pass. Leading 17-10 in the fourth quarter, Dilfer threw for another touchdown, Dunn ran for another and Tampa got a 31-10 win.

The New England Patriots, who had made the Super Bowl the prior year and were headed back to the postseason this year were coming to Tampa. The Bucs found their early season form. Five different players sacked Patriot quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Alstott ran for 91 yards. Dilfer went 21/29 for 209 yards. The Bucs got a surprisingly easy 27-7 win.

At 8-3, they were moving back into the ranks of the league’s elite. Which made what happened at lowly Chicago even more startling. Tampa Bay simply no-showed in the Windy City. They were outrushed 169-35, lost three fumbles and dumped a 13-7 decision.

The Buccaneers were still in good position as they entered the stretch drive. They were only a game back of the Packers in the NFC Central. While Tampa didn’t have a good tiebreaker position, they still had a home date with Green Bay in December. And in the race for three wild-card spots, the Bucs joined the Vikings in having a comfortable two-game cushion.

In short, they were poised to make the playoffs, had a great shot to at least get a home game (in the three-division format of the time, the top wild-card got the 4-seed) and couldn’t be counted out in a division race that was led by the defending champs. Now, it was about closing the deal in December.

Tampa went to the Meadowlands to face a New York Giants team that would ultimately win the NFC East. In the late Sunday afternoon national TV window, the Bucs defense put on a show. Even with Dilfer throwing three interceptions, the combination of defense and Dunn’s 120 rushing yards kept Tampa in complete command of a 20-8 win. While Green Bay also won, Minnesota lost, and the Bucs had the 4-seed to themselves.

The showdown with the Packers at home didn’t go particularly well. Tampa took an early 3-0 lead and again stopped a good Green Bay running game. But they didn’t run the ball themselves, Dilfer struggled and so did backup quarterback Steve Walsh. A 17-6 loss ended the Bucs’ hopes of winning the division.

But Minnesota lost again, so the prospects of hosting a postseason game were still bright. What wasn’t bright was the way the Bucs played on their second Meadowlands trip in three weeks, this one to face a New York Jets team that was fighting for its playoff life. In the second quarter, Dilfer threw two Pick-6s. He and Walsh combined for a hideous passing line of 3/22 for 46 yards. They gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half. Which was the only time all day Tampa Bay kicked off in a game they lost 31-0.

With the Vikings continuing to struggle, Tampa’s 9-6 record led the wild-card standings going into the final week. They had clinched a berth in the playoffs. The problem was that their 2-5 divisional record meant either Minnesota or Detroit, both 8-7, could still nudge ahead in the race to host a wild-card game.

So, the Buccaneers still had plenty to play for when Chicago came to town for the finale. This time, Tampa was ready for the Bears. Williams had a big day, returning a punt for a touchdown in the first quarter and catching a TD pass in the second period. Dunn rolled up 119 yards on the ground. The Bucs won 31-15, closing the regular season at 10-6 and getting the 4-seed in the NFC playoffs.

Detroit ended up in the 5-spot, so the Lions came to town the following week for a late Sunday afternoon kickoff that would conclude Wild-Card Weekend. Tampa Bay set an early tone, with a good drive ending with a short field goal. In the second quarter, Dilfer tossed a nine-yard touchdown pass to Copeland and the Bucs added another field goal. They went to halftime up 13-0 with their defense in complete control.

There was no letup in the second half. Alstott rolled for a 31-yard touchdown run. With the defense holding Sanders to 65 yards, shutting down All-Pro receiver Herman Moore and knocking Detroit QB Scott Mitchell out of the game, that 20-0 lead looked even bigger. While the Lions added ten points to make the score respectable, the 20-10 final was never remotely in doubt.

Tampa Bay had earned an opportunity for a third crack at Green Bay. The Divisional Round game in Lambeau Field on the first weekend of January was on early Sunday afternoon. The Bucs fell behind 13-0 early and it looked like this might turn into a blowout. That didn’t happen. They hung tough and were within 13-7 going into the fourth quarter. But they could only muster 90 yards on the ground. While Dilfer made some big plays, he was still an erratic 11/36 for 200 yards. The Packers were able to get some insurance, and the Buccaneers dropped a 21-7 decision.

It was still a breakthrough season, and it was the start of a great stretch of football in Tampa Bay. This marked the first of five straight playoff trips under Dungy, and later Jon Gruden—a stretch that culminated with the Super Bowl championship run of 2002.