The 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's second season in the National Football League, the second playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the second under head coach John McKay. After one lone season in the AFC, it was the franchise's first season in the NFC, competing in the Central division. It continued the losing streak that encompassed the entire 1976 season, and extended it to 26 games, second only to the Chicago Cardinals who lost a total of 29 games in a row from 1942 to 1945 (including the franchise's one-season merger with the Pittsburgh Steelers as Card-Pitt). Fear of becoming the Buccaneers’ first victim provided motivation to opposing teams. It took nearly two seasons for the Buccaneers to achieve their first franchise victory, a 33–14 win over the New Orleans Saints in the second-to-last game of the year. The next week, the Bucs earned their first home victory, over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Offseason Rumors began to circulate alleging that the Buccaneers were a disorganized and confused organization, and returning veterans were promised that changes were forthcoming. It was pointed out that none of the team's administrative staff had any experience in their position, at the same time that a team of rookie players and coaches was being fielded. These problems were addressed with the firings and resignations of six coaches and administrators at the beginning of the year. Head coach John McKay used the opportunity to take control of more aspects of the organization, and selected replacements of his choosing. McKay was criticized over his handling of the players and was accused of cutting veterans who could have helped the team, such as Ira Gordon, over ego conflicts. A perception arose that McKay was intolerant toward challenges to his authority, as he frequently cut players who argued with him and surrounded himself with former USC players and staff. Concern that McKay preferred players who would keep their mouth shut, rather than players with talent, produced resentment among veterans who worried that their limited career spans would be spent with a losing team. Critics accused McKay of attempting a style of play that was more appropriate for the college game, and noted Don Shula's comment that preparing for the Buccaneers was like preparing to play USC. Reporters who covered the team indicated that McKay did not respond to the losing streak with the humor that it was hoped he would, but that he became an "old grouch" who complained about his coaching assistants, game-day officiating, and opposing coaches who he accused of running up the score. This was reflected in a bitter tone that had crept into McKay's trademark humor, with comments such as "I keep a picture of O. J. Simpson by my side at all times to remind me of the days when I knew how to coach".
Dennis Fryzel, coach of the Buccaneers’ much-criticized special teams, was replaced by USC offensive line coach Skip Husbands, who became the fifth USC assistant to join McKay in Tampa. Head trainer Dave Kendall was replaced by Northwestern University trainer Tom Oxley. Oxley was immediately given the task of rehabilitating the previous season's seventeen players who finished the year on injured reserve. A surprise trade brought Chicago Bears backup quarterback and Tampa native Gary Huff to the team, while incumbent quarterback Steve Spurrier was placed on waivers. Spurrier and McKay had often feuded during the previous season. McKay stated that cutting Spurrier meant that he would have a choice of teams with whom to sign. A rumored attempt to make a deal for Cleveland Browns quarterback Mike Phipps was denied, although a trade was later made for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mike Boryla.
NFL draft
Charley Hannah played defensive end in college, but was converted to offensive guard in the pros.
Draft trades A pair of trades gained three picks for the team, which helped compensate for the lack of selections in rounds 4–7. Cedric Brown went to the Oakland Raiders in return for selections in rounds 6 and 9, while guard John Miller brought a tenth-round pick from the San Francisco 49ers. Brown eventually returned to the Buccaneers after being waived from Oakland. The two sixth-round picks were traded to the Chicago Bears in return for quarterback Gary Huff, while the fifth-round pick was traded to the Miami Dolphins for the rights to linebacker Ray Nettles. The other two selections had been traded during the previous season: the fourth-round pick had gone to the Cincinnati Bengals for running back Charlie Davis, and the seventh-round pick had been traded to the New York Jets for linebacker Richard Wood.
Draft selections The Buccaneers held the first pick in the 1977 NFL draft, and chose Ricky Bell of USC. This was the first time since O. J. Simpson in 1969 that a running back was taken with the first overall draft pick. Bell was signed to a contract the same day and quickly reunited with his college teammate Dave Lewis, who was taken in the second round. Lewis became the eleventh former USC player on the Tampa Bay roster, and when given the news that he was now a Buccaneer, said, "You mean a Trojan Buccaneer". No other NFL team had as many players from any one school, and the Buccaneers received the unwanted nickname of "USC East". Scouting services regarded Lewis poorly, but the Buccaneers rated him as the best linebacker in the draft. McKay would later call Lewis "the steal of the draft", and say that he would be a top five pick if the draft were held over again. The previous year's offensive line woes were not addressed in the draft, as the team had no picks in the middle rounds, and didn't feel that there were any linemen worth taking in the later rounds. Third round pick Charley Hannah, brother of future Hall of Fame tackle John Hannah, would eventually be converted from defensive end to offensive guard.
Preseason The expected preseason quarterback battle between Mike Boryla and Gary Huff failed to occur, as both suffered knee injuries in the first two preseason games. (Boryla's injury knocked him out for the entire season.) This left the team with just two healthy quarterbacks: Parnell Dickinson, who had less than a full year's experience due to a knee injury, and rookie Randy Hedberg. Jeb Blount was eventually claimed off waivers from the Oakland Raiders. Hedberg won the starting job with strong performances in the final two preseason games. Dickinson proved prone to throwing interceptions, due to trouble reading defenses and a tendency to throw late passes over the middle, and was cut from the team during training camp. The former Minot State quarterback Hedberg's surprising rise from fourth-stringer to opening-day starter led to shouts of "Why not Minot?", sales of "RH Positive" T-shirts, and the addition of a radio affiliate in faraway North Dakota.
A building strategy that emphasized developing young players instead of playing veterans who didn't fit into the team's future plans led the team to trade veteran offensive tackle Mike Current to the Miami Dolphins for troubled former first-round draft pick Darryl Carlton. McKay called Carlton "amazing", and said that "he just doesn't make mental mistakes". Dan Medlin and Jeff Winans, a pair of guards obtained from the Raiders via trade, were touted as the first Buccaneer guards with the speed to lead running plays. The team tried to address their lack of experience at linebacker by arranging a trade for Jack 'Hacksaw' Reynolds, at the time a training camp holdout from the Los Angeles Rams. Reynolds questioned the validity of his contract, and refused to report to what his agent called "Outer Mongolia". The Buccaneers eventually negated the trade, and obtained Rik Bonness from the Raiders. Bonness, a former Nebraska center in only his second season as a linebacker, added depth but not experience. Former 1974 first-round draft choice Bill Kollar came to Tampa Bay after being let go by the Cincinnati Bengals due to injury concerns. Jeris White came over from the Miami Dolphins to solidify the trouble spot at left cornerback.
Regular season The Buccaneers took their place in the NFC Central division, while the other 1976 expansion team, the Seattle Seahawks, switched conferences with Tampa Bay and joined the AFC West. This fulfilled the NFL's plan of having the expansion teams play each other twice and every other NFL franchise once during their first two seasons. Tampa Bay's 1977 schedule consisted of a game against each of the other 13 NFC teams, and the Seahawks.
Coach John McKay declared the team to be "stronger at every position, with the exception of the quarterback position" than the 1976 team. The improved Buccaneer lineup included such oddities as running back Anthony Davis, who entered the NFL after playing in the World Football League and the Canadian Football League and thus was a rookie for the third time, and Cecil Johnson, a free-agent linebacker from Miami who chose the Buccaneers over three other teams so that he "wouldn't have a long, sad ride home" if he didn't make the squad. Progress was apparent with the defense, who allowed no 100-yard rushing performances other than Walter Payton's. A wave of injuries to the offense forced constant lineup changes. Redskins defensive end Ron McDole observed that, while the offensive line featured good individual blockers, their lack of experience playing together hindered their ability to operate as a unit, and that they were easily beaten by pulling stunts. Defenders thus had little trouble thwarting the "Student Body Right" plays favored by McKay. Never able to establish any offensive consistency, they were shut out an NFL-record six times (a league record that still stands) and managed only six touchdowns in the entire season. Their first twelve games produced a mere 53 points, of which 23 occurred against fellow expansion team Seattle, and seven from a fumble return touchdown against Dallas. McKay illustrated the team's situation with comments such as "We couldn't score against a strong wind", and "I may quarterback the team myself." Quarterback was the position most obviously affected, but the tight end position was struck similarly. A season-ending knee injury suffered by tight end Bob Moore in one game left Dana Nafziger, an injured rookie whose regular position was linebacker, as the team's only player available at a position that was crucial to McKay's offense. Ricky Bell had some injuries to contend with, but when healthy, displayed sluggish play and a tendency to fumble on crucial drives. Injuries, especially at quarterback and offensive line, prevented the offense from gaining any consistency, while the inexperienced line was able to provide neither adequate pass protection nor lanes for the running backs. Opponents lauded the Buccaneer defense's performance and stated that the team needed to improve its offense; they posted a record numbers of sacks against the Tampa Bay offense.
0–26 losing streak ends Q. Name two disasters that were accompanied by band music... A. The and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. – Johnny Carson