Buccaneers Team Report
(Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:48:21 PST)

The Buccaneers endured the worst collapse in the NFL in 15 years, going 9-3 before losing four straight to end the season and miss the playoffs.

It was the second straight 9-7 season for coach Jon Gruden, who has now failed to reach the postseason four times in the past six years. He also hasn't won a playoff game since Super Bowl XXXVII.

Gruden's offense during his seven-year stint in Tampa Bay ranks 25th in scoring.

Yet, there is no sign that the Glazer family, which owns the Bucs, has any intention of making a drastic move involving Gruden or general manager Bruce Allen, who signed extensions through 2011 at the end of the 2007 season.

Gruden is pinning the four-game losing streak on injuries, and to some extent, the announcement by defensive...

Giants' Spagnuolo climbs to top of Bronco's list
(Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:54:35 PST)
He was married in the Vatican, which figures to be no trivial matter to a Catholic named Pat Bowlen.

Buccaneers, Gruden rebuilding coaching staff
(Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:47:59 PST)
Change is underway with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ' coaching staff, as assistant head coach Larry Coyer and the...

Cadillac Williams expects to play in 2009
(Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:24:29 PST)
Tampa Bay running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams got some encouraging news Monday. The second knee injury he's suffered in the past 15 months is not as severe as the first. Williams tore the patellar tendon in his left knee when he was tackled at the end of a 28-yard run during Sunday's season-ending loss to the Oakland Raiders.

Gruden, Bucs searching for answers after collapse
(Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:05:11 PST)
The grim look on Jon Gruden's face spoke for all of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A day after completing an 0-for-December collapse that kept them out of the playoffs, the coach and his players were still struggling to explain why their season fell apart after a promising start. Gruden made several references to injuries, conceded for the first time that the impending departure of longtime defensive...

Which NFL team choked the worst?
(Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:14:37 PST)
Because the Cowboys are the Cowboys, the media will claim that their implosion was the biggest choke job of the...

Buccaneers RB Williams tears patellar tendon
(Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:35:03 PST)
The news was better than expected for Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams.

Dolphins, Vikings, Chargers win divisions
(Mon, 29 Dec 2008 01:22:59 PST)
Far from the imperfect abyss into which the Detroit Lions have fallen, the NFL's latest playoff qualifiers are celebrating. Shockingly, those party-goers include the Miami Dolphins. Hours after the Lions became the first team to go 0-16 in a season, the Dolphins, who were 1-15 a year ago, completed a memorable turnaround and won the AFC East at 11-5.

Winners and losers: McNabb, Reid stay alive
(Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:57:00 PST)
Written off after a blowout loss to the Ravens, Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid aren't quite done in Philly.

NFL Capsules
(Sun, 28 Dec 2008 20:29:09 PST)
The Detroit Lions own a distinction no team wants: worst in NFL history. Facing one last chance to avoid their dubious destiny, the Lions lost Sunday's season finale to the Green Bay Packers 31-21 to complete the league's first 0-16 season. The 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14) were the last NFL team to complete a season without a victory.

NFL Today, Week 17
(Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:17:29 PST)
STARS Passing -- Drew Brees, Saints, threw for 386 yards and four touchdowns in New Orleans' 33-31 loss to Carolina. -- Matt Schaub, Texans, had 328 yards and two touchdowns in Houston's 31-24 win over Chicago. -- Aaron Rodgers, Packers, threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns in Green Bay's 31-21 win over Detroit.

Raiders' Asomugha inactive against Bucs
(Sun, 28 Dec 2008 10:11:12 PST)
Oakland Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha was inactive for Sunday's season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after not practicing during the week because of a neck injury. The Raiders had listed him as questionable. Stanford Routt replaced the sixth-year pro in the starting lineup. Oakland's other inactives were receiver Ronald Curry, running backs Louis Rankin and Marcel Reece, defensive...

Struggling Bucs will need help to make playoffs
(Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:01:41 PST)
Coach Jon Gruden forced a smile, noting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need some cooperation from a couple of his former employers to ensure another trip to the playoffs. To get in, the Bucs (9-6) not only have to defeat the Oakland Raiders in Sunday's regular-season finale, but also need the Philadelphia Eagles to beat or tie the Dallas Cowboys later in the day.

Packers give Lions last chance to avoid 0-for-'08
(Sat, 27 Dec 2008 21:00:52 PST)
To some, it might seem trivial to compare the struggles of millionaires who play games for a living to the plight of a blue-collar worker worried about his family's financial future. But in the eyes of Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli, his team has a responsibility to keep fighting in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

NFL's final weekend offers plenty of excitement
(Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:15:59 PST)
If you crave excitement, you could read a James Patterson novel, drive on a Chicago expressway any time day or...

Those 1976 Buccaneers know all about losing
(Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:10:26 PST)
Pat Toomay has had enough. For more than three decades, the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers set the modern standard for NFL futility by going 0-14. Now, Toomay would just as soon let someone else -- the Detroit Lions, for example -- finish winless and spend the next 30 years answering questions about sheer ineptitude.

Intrigue, relevance stick through final weekend
(Fri, 26 Dec 2008 08:29:00 PST)
From the Lions trying to avoid history to several teams hoping to make the playoffs, the league keeps fans engaged.

Bucs make Morris Kiffin's successor
(Thu, 25 Dec 2008 15:40:58 PST)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't look far for a replacement for Monte Kiffin. Secondary coach Raheem Morris will take over as defensive coordinator in 2009, ensuring continuity next season with Kiffin leaving the NFL to join his son, Lane, at the University of Tennessee. If the Bucs (9-6) don't make the playoffs, Sunday will be the 68-year-old Kiffin's last game in Tampa Bay.

Buccaneers name Morris defensive coordinator
(Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:45:03 PST)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have found their replacement for Monte Kiffin.

Week 17 NFL picks: Watch out for reenergized Chargers
(Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:25:50 PST)
The San Diego Chargers have proved they have an electric offense, led by quarterback Philip Rivers.

Titans help prove draft grades are bogus
(Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:15:00 PST)
Players who got low grades by "sudden" college football experts in April are turning heads in Tennessee.

Kiffin era ending in Tampa with defense missing in action
(Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:18:19 PST)
Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, who hasn't left for Knoxville stood near the exit to the Tampa Bay...

Winners and losers: Faltering Favre arrives
(Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:46:00 PST)
The Jets are getting a good look at the late-season Brett Favre collapse that became routine in Green Bay.

Rivers throws 4 TDs, Chargers beat Bucs
(Sun, 21 Dec 2008 16:43:43 PST)
Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers did everything they could to save their season. The NFL's highest-rated passer threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns Sunday, helping the Chargers beat Tampa Bay 41-24 to keep their playoff hopes alive and deal a crushing blow to the Buccaneers' chances. After their third straight win in what amounted to elimination games for a team that began the season...

Bucs QB Garcia starts against Chargers
(Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:11:36 PST)
Tampa Bay quarterback Jeff Garcia started Sunday against San Diego, returning to the lineup after missing one game because of a strained right calf. He practiced all week, but had been listed as questionable. Luke McCown was the backup and Brian Griese, who filled in for Garcia during the previous week's 13-10 overtime loss at Atlanta, was the inactive third quarterback.

Buccaneers QB Garcia to start
(Sun, 21 Dec 2008 09:34:02 PST)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jeff Garcia will start Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers.

Week 16 NFL picks: Steelers, Giants set up for top seeds
(Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:56:06 PST)
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Cowboys, divisional races top Week 15 story lines
(Thu, 18 Dec 2008 01:26:08 PST)
Say what you will about the hand-wringing going on 'round the Valley Ranch grounds of the Dallas Cowboys. Just don't call them uninteresting.