The 2007 season was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 32nd in the National Football League (NFL), the 10th playing their home games at Raymond James Stadium, and the sixth under head coach Jon Gruden. On December 16, 2007, they clinched the NFC South division title, and returned to the playoffs after missing it in 2006. However, they were defeated 24–14 in the Wildcard Round by the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants. The Wildcard game was Jon Gruden's final playoff appearance as head coach of the Buccaneers before being dismissed at the conclusion of the next season. This would be the last season the Buccaneers qualified for the playoffs until 2020, and the last season the Buccaneers won their division until 2021.
On December 16, in a game against the Atlanta Falcons, Micheal Spurlock scored the first kickoff return touchdown in franchise history, snapping a streak of 32 seasons, 497 games (at 53 stadiums in 38 cities), 139 individuals, and 1,864 unsuccessful attempts. The play earned Spurlock the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award.
Staff
Offseason The 2007 offseason proved to be productive for the Buccaneers. General manager Bruce Allen and head coach Jon Gruden had approximately US$24 million in salary cap space with which to maneuver during free agency. They made a splash on the first day of free agency by signing two quarterbacks: unrestricted free agent Jeff Garcia (Eagles) and Jake Plummer (Broncos) in a trade for a conditional pick in the 2008 draft (believed to be a 4th round selection if Plummer played). Controversy soon followed as Plummer announced his retirement on the same day, citing his health and his lack of a desire to compete for a job and learn a new system. However, he did not complete his retirement paperwork with the league. Many believed that Plummer was simply trying to retire so that he could later unretire and play for the Texans. They are led by his former coach Gary Kubiak, under whom Plummer played his best three years of football. The league reviewed the trade to make sure that Plummer had not retired before the trade (a retired player cannot be traded), but he had not and his rights officially belong to the Buccaneers. Other free agent losses and signings are as follows:
Signings
New York Giants OT Luke Petitgout, signed after being waived by his former team for medical reasons. Miami Dolphins UFA DE/DT Kevin Carter Indianapolis Colts UFA LB Cato June who was selected to the Pro Bowl two years ago New York Jets UFA FB B.J. Askew Denver Broncos UFA DE/LB Patrick Chukwurah who had 4.5 sacks last season off of the bench. He is reunited with his former defensive coordinator, the current Buccaneers defensive line coach, Larry Coyer. San Francisco 49ers UFA CB Sammy Davis, a former first round pick by the San Diego Chargers. San Francisco 49ers UFA DT Lance Legree, who has recorded 138 tackles and seven sacks in 76 games, including 25 starts. He was released on April 10. DT Kenny Smith, who was out of football last season, but spent four seasons with the New Orleans Saints and one year with the Oakland Raiders, totaling 69 tackles and 4½ sacks. New Orleans Saints UFA WR Levon Thomas who spent most of his time on the practice squad after being signed as an UFA by the Indianapolis Colts following the 2005 NFL draft.
Losses The key loss for the Buccaneers was standout DE and former second round pick, Dewayne White who left to sign with his former DL coach, the current head coach of the Detroit Lions, Rod Marinelli. Versatile Lineman Sean Mahan left to join the Pittsburgh Steelers to reunite with another former Tampa Bay coach, Mike Tomlin. The team released veteran linebacker Shelton Quarles after it was reported he failed a physical. Quarles had long been a productive player for Tampa, having spent his entire ten-year NFL career with the team. Following the draft, the Buccaneers released cornerback Juran Bolden, safety Tra Boger, long snapper Adam Johnson and defensive tackle Kenny Smith.
Re-signings After brief stays on the open market, the Buccaneers re-signed CBs Phillip Buchanon and Torrie Cox, the latter known as a special teams standout. They also re-signed fan favorite Mike Alstott to a one-year contract, but ultimately lost him to injured reserve after a neck injury during the preseason.
Roster Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2007 final roster Quarterbacks Jeff Garcia Bruce Gradkowski Luke McCown
Running backs B. J. Askew FB Michael Bennett Kenneth Darby Earnest Graham Michael Pittman Byron Storer FB
Wide receivers Brian Clark Michael Clayton Joey Galloway Ike Hilliard Chad Lucas Micheal Spurlock
Tight ends Anthony Becht Alex Smith Jerramy Stevens Offensive linemen Dan Buenning G Anthony Davis G/T Davin Joseph G Matt Lehr C/G Donald Penn T Arron Sears G Jeremy Trueblood T John Wade C
Defensive linemen Gaines Adams DE Kevin Carter DE Jovan Haye DT Chris Hovan DT Greg Peterson DT Ryan Sims DT Greg Spires DE Greg White DE Linebackers Quincy Black OLB Derrick Brooks OLB Patrick Chukwurah OLB Adam Hayward OLB Cato June OLB Ryan Nece OLB Barrett Ruud MLB Jeremiah Trotter MLB
Defensive backs Will Allen FS Ronde Barber CB Phillip Buchanon CB/PR Sammy Davis CB Tanard Jackson FS Brian Kelly CB Kalvin Pearson SS Jermaine Phillips SS
Special teams Josh Bidwell P Matt Bryant K Andrew Economos LS Reserve lists Mike Alstott FB (IR) Charles Bennett DE (IR) Antoine Cash LB (IR) Torrie Cox CB (IR) Chris Denman T (IR) Mark Jones WR/KR/PR (IR) Sam Olajubutu LB (IR) Luke Petitgout T (IR) Sabby Piscitelli S (IR) Chris Simms QB (IR) Maurice Stovall WR (IR) Paris Warren WR (IR) Cadillac Williams RB (IR)
Practice squad Taye Biddle WR Darrell Hunter CB Marquise Gunn DE Marcus Hamilton CB Keith Heinrich TE Brian Johnson G Julius McClellan WR Dennis Roland T
rookies in italics 53 active, 13 inactive, 8 practice squad
2007 NFL draft
The 2007 NFL draft took place in Radio City Music Hall on April 28–29, 2007. The Buccaneers were either to pick third or fourth in the draft, to be determined by a coin flip with the Cleveland Browns because the two teams had identical records and strength of schedule. Buccaneers GM Bruce Allen called heads and the coin landed tails. For the first round, the Buccaneers picked fourth. The two teams alternated picking third and fourth in each round. In addition to their given picks, Tampa Bay also holds the Colts' second round pick, the 64th pick overall (because of a midseason trade for Anthony McFarland), but also lost a sixth round pick in a trade for tight end Doug Jolley formerly of the New York Jets. They also received two compensatory picks, awarded for losses during free agency. During the draft, the Buccaneers swapped fourth-rounders with the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for their pick in the sixth round.
Preseason The Tampa Bay Buccaneers held Training Camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex from July 26 through August 16. They played four preseason games.
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 New England Patriots W 13–10 1–0 Raymond James StadiumRecap 2 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 31–19 1–1 Jacksonville Municipal StadiumRecap 3 at Miami Dolphins W 31–28 2–1 Dolphin StadiumRecap 4 Houston Texans W 31–24 3–1 Raymond James StadiumRecap
Notes On August 9, 2007, fullback Mike Alstott was placed on injured reserve due to a neck injury, ending his 2007 season. On August 30, 2007, with three minutes left in preseason, during the final touchdown against the Texans, wide receiver Paris Warren suffered a severe injury to his leg, and he was placed on injured reserve. Prior to the beginning of the regular season, the Buccaneers made their final cuts. Among others, notable players included DT Ellis Wyms, a starter last season, and CB Alan Zemaitis a 2005 Fourth Round Draft pick.
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 9 at Seattle Seahawks L 6–20 0–1 Qwest FieldRecap 2 September 16 New Orleans Saints W 31–14 1–1 Raymond James StadiumRecap 3 September 23 St. Louis Rams W 24–3 2–1 Raymond James StadiumRecap 4 September 30 at Carolina Panthers W 20–7 3–1 Bank of America StadiumRecap 5 October 7 at Indianapolis Colts L 14–33 3–2 RCA DomeRecap 6 October 14 Tennessee Titans W 13–10 4–2 Raymond James StadiumRecap 7 October 21 at Detroit Lions L 16–23 4–3 Ford FieldRecap 8 October 28 Jacksonville Jaguars L 23–24 4–4 Raymond James StadiumRecap 9 November 4 Arizona Cardinals W 17–10 5–4 Raymond James StadiumRecap 10 Bye 11 November 18 at Atlanta Falcons W 31–7 6–4 Georgia Dome Recap 12 November 25 Washington Redskins W 19–13 7–4 Raymond James StadiumRecap 13 December 2 at New Orleans Saints W 27–23 8–4 Louisiana SuperdomeRecap 14 December 9 at Houston Texans L 14–28 8–5 Reliant StadiumRecap 15 December 16 Atlanta Falcons W 37–3 9–5 Raymond James StadiumRecap 16 December 23 at San Francisco 49ers L 19–21 9–6 Monster ParkRecap 17 December 30 Carolina Panthers L 23–31 9–7 Raymond James StadiumRecap
Standings
Regular season game summaries
Week 1: at Seattle Seahawks
The Buccaneers began their 2007 campaign on the road against their fellow 1976 expansion mate, the Seattle Seahawks. In the first quarter, kicker Matt Bryant provided two field goals for Tampa Bay (a 38-yarder and a 32-yarder) to begin the game. In the second quarter, the Seahawks took the lead with kicker Josh Brown's 28-yard field goal, while RB Shaun Alexander got a 1-yard TD run. During a scoreless third quarter, injuries sidelined Tampa Bay running back Cadillac Williams (ribs) and quarterback Jeff Garcia (head). Garcia, however, returned to the game. Seattle wrapped up the win with Brown's 46-yard field goal, while QB Matt Hasselbeck completed a 34-yard TD pass to RB Maurice Morris.
With the loss, the Buccaneers began their season at 0–1, their third opening day defeat in the past four seasons.
Week 2: vs New Orleans Saints
The Buccaneers played their home opener against the 2006 NFC South champion New Orleans Saints. After scoring only 6 points the week before, the Buccaneers dominated the Saints, on offense and defense, at one point taking a 28–0 lead. Early in the first quarter, Barrett Ruud recovered a Deuce McAllister fumble, which set up a Tampa Bay scoring drive. Carnell Williams, who was back in the lineup after injuring his ribs the week before, capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Early in the second quarter, Joey Galloway scored on a 69-yard catch and run from quarterback Jeff Garcia. Inside the two-minute warning, Garcia and Galloway scored again, this time with a 24-yard touchdown, to take a 21–0 halftime lead. Halfway through the third quarter, Cato June intercepted a pass from Drew Brees. Two plays later, Garcia and Galloway connected for yet another big play, a 41-yard completion to the New Orleans 9-yard line. Williams capped off the drive with his second 1-yard touchdown. New Orleans' first score came with a 1-yard touchdown run by Mike Karney, aided by a 58-yard catch by Phillip Buchanon moments earlier. The Buccaneers improved to 1–1, into a tie for the NFC South lead. New Orleans fell to 0–2.
Following the game, with 16 tackles, and 2 forced fumbles, middle linebacker Barrett Ruud was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday September 19.
Week 3: vs St. Louis Rams