The 1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 6th season in the National Football League the 6th playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the 6th under head coach John McKay. The team improved on their 5–10–1 record from the 1980 season and finished 9–7.
The team was considered to be superior to the 1979 team that finished the season one game shy of the Super Bowl. With the running game and special teams ineffective, the Buccaneers depended heavily on the pass, and particularly on the big play.Tierney, Mike. "Bucs' halfway verdict: just so-so". St. Petersburg Times. 17 Oct 1981 Jimmie Giles returned to form, establishing numerous team receiving records.Henry, Mike. "Jimmie & Wilbur: Reality is their dream". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 22 Oct 1981 Doug Williams became (with Jim Zorn) the second active quarterback to need only four seasons to reach the 10,000 career passing yards mark.Associated Press. "Buccaneers Blaze Closer To Central Division Crown". Ocala Star-Banner. 9 Dec 1981 The defense improved over the previous season, a change that McKay attributed to less reliance on blitzes, and a general improvement in speed due to changes in the secondary and the drafting of Hugh Green.Zier, Patrick. "Bucs back to basics". The Lakeland Ledger. 13 Nov 1981 Their defense allowed the fewest touchdowns of any NFL team, and was described by opponents as "outstanding"Huber, Mic. "Sims Sums Up Tampa Bay: Best Defense We've Faced". The Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 6 Oct 1981News Services. "Buccaneers Get Title, but No Champagne". The Washington Post. 21 Dec 1981 and "almost awesome". The team was dogged by inconsistent play throughout the season. Players and coaches believed the Buccaneers to be a playoff-worthy team, but a tendency to self-destruct kept them on the edge of the playoff race, thanks in part to a failure of any other team to take control in either the NFC Central division or the NFC wild-card chase.Chick, Bob. "There's still so much to prove". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 5 Oct 1981 "We make more mistakes at crucial times than any team I've ever been associated with", said ex-Buckeyes, -Raiders, and -Dolphins safety Neal Colzie.Cardon, Mark. "Eagles Fly With Help From Bucs". The Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 26 Oct 1981 Opposing coach Dick Vermeil said, "I'm not sure they know how good they are", after his Philadelphia Eagles team beat the Buccaneers despite having been outplayed. Nevertheless, the team developed a maturity through the season which allowed them to remain competitive instead of collapsing when behind or when being outplayed.McDonald, Tim. "Bucs rejoice in their new-found maturity". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 22 Dec 1981
Late-season coaching adjustments improved the effectiveness of the offense and cut down on opposing teams' ability to control the ball against the defense. This resulted in their playing with more confidence, and less predictability.McDonald, Tim. "Changes had to be made; now the Bucs are scoring". 8 Dec 1981 It also resulted in a three-game winning streak that put them in control of the division race. The regular season culminated in a season-finale matchup between the Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions, two 8–7 teams vying for the division lead in the Pontiac Silverdome, where the Lions had gone undefeated all season.Jackson, Orval. "Win Or Lose, Buccaneers Aren't Out Of It". The Sarasota Journal. 15 Dec 1981 The Buccaneers won and entered the playoffs as the number three seed in the NFC, where they lost to the Dallas Cowboys in a 38–0 rout which tied the NFL record for largest margin of victory in a playoff game.Tierney, Mike. "CLUNK!". St. Petersburg Times. 3 Jan 1982
Offseason NFL draft 1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Draft order Player name Position College Round Selection 1 7 Hugh Green Linebacker Pittsburgh 2 34 James Wilder Sr. Running back Missouri 4 89 John Holt Defensive back West Texas A&M 8 199 Denver Johnson Offensive tackle Tulsa 9 228 Mike Ford Quarterback SMU 10 254 Ken McCune Defensive end Texas 11 283Johnny Ray Smith Defensive back Lamar 12 310 Brad White Nose tackle Tennessee 1981 Draftees, pro-football-reference.com. Accessed 2 Oct 2009. Archived October 4, 2009.
Draft trades The Buccaneers' third-round pick was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 1978, for guard Greg Horton. Their fifth-round pick had been traded to the Oakland Raiders in 1978 as part of the trade for quarterback Mike Rae. Their sixth-round pick was traded to the New Orleans Saints in 1979 for punter Tom Blanchard. Finally, their seventh-round pick went to Dallas as part of the previous season's trade for Dave Stalls. The 1981 Buccaneer Draft Review. Accessed 8 Jan 2009
Draft selections Pittsburgh defensive end Hugh Green was a surprise selection, as the Buccaneers were considered to need help in the secondary, and were expected to pick either USC safety Ronnie Lott or UCLA safety Kenny Easley (who had already been taken by the Seattle Seahawks by the time of Tampa Bay's selection). Green's Pittsburgh team produced eight NFL starters, believed to be the most by far from any single college team. By contrast, the Georgia team that finished ahead of them in the national championship race produced only two NFL players, neither of them a starter. Personnel director Ken Herock described Green as "dominating...a heavy hitter...an impact player" and said that there was no choice but to draft him. Scouting services described him as a 220-lb linebacker with the lateral movement of a 180-lb cornerback.Chick, Bob. "Color The Bucs Selection Green". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 28 Apr 1981Wallace, William N. "N.F.L. Finds Gold at Pitt". The New York Times. 13 Sep 1981 It was doubly surprising that, considering their fondness for ex-USC players, the Buccaneers would pass over Lott to select a player at a position at which they already were so deeply stocked with talent. However, the staff did not deliberate long before calling his name, and soon felt him worthy of Rookie of the Year honors. With no premier defensive backs available in the second round, and with running back having been identified by the coaching staff as a problem area of the team, they selected Missouri running back James Wilder Sr. Wilder's selection and subsequent training camp performance made starting fullback Johnny Davis expendable, and he was traded to San Francisco for James Owens. With their middle-round picks traded away, West Texas A&M cornerback John Holt became the Buccaneers' last selection of the first day of the draft.Tierney, Mike. "A pleasant surprise for Bucs: Green". St. Petersburg Times. 28 Apr 1981Mizell, Hubert. "Just how does the Bell toll in Bucs' plans?" St. Petersburg Times. 3 Jul 1981Walston, Charles. "In One Way, At Least, 1981 Already A Success For Bucs". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 4 Sep 1981Tierney, Mike. "Hugh! Hugh!" St. Petersburg Times. 3 Nov 1981 When McKay saw cornerbacks Holt and Johnny Ray Smith return punts, he immediately cut original Buccaneer Danny Reece, who had handled nearly every punt return in the team's first five years. Reece, who had set a league record by calling for fair catches only twice in the previous two seasons, had fallen out of favor due to several fumbles during the previous season, and never had the speed expected of a return man.Tierney, Mike. "Realizing they can now afford it, Bucs give Reece the boot". St. Petersburg Times. 19 May 1981 Smith did make the team, but was immediately placed on injured reserve. Eighth-round pick Denver Johnson left camp unexpectedly shortly before the first preseason game, despite strong prospects of making the squad. It was later revealed that he had been accepted to law school, and chose that over a football career.Walston, Charles. "Another Problem To Tackle". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 10 Aug 1981
Preseason Tailback having been a problem spot the previous season, the Buccaneers attempted to accommodate Ricky Bell's desire to play in California, but were unable to work out a trade. The contract of Jerry Eckwood, who had received much criticism for fumbling at key moments the previous season, was renegotiated in accordance with his 1979 production, rather than his 1980 production. His agent's statement that "he will either play and do well, or he's not gonna be here" was interpreted to mean that Eckwood would be paid too highly to remain as a backup, but would not feel underpaid should a Bell trade place him in a starting role.Zier, Patrick. "Eckwood will play for Bucs, or he won't stay around long". The Lakeland Ledger. 18 Jul 1981Zier, Patrick. "Bucs' backfield has several loose ends". The Lakeland Ledger. 19 Jul 1981 The decline in Bell's performance was such that Eckwood moved ahead of him on the depth chart.Mizell, Hubert. "McKay: the good times are yet to come". St. Petersburg Times. 5 Jul 1981 The existence of the muscle disease that would soon lead to Bell's retirement and death was not yet known.McDonald, Tim. "Buc deals". St. Petersburg Evening Independent. 25 Aug 1983 Bell cited McKay's criticism as a reason for requesting a trade, but smoothed over differences in a meeting with McKay. Defensive line became an area for concern during preseason, as Reggie Lewis and two rookies walked out of camp. This was the second year in a row that the highly regarded Lewis left camp, but this time he sent word of his retirement through his agent.Zier, Patrick. "Bell silent on his status with Bucs". The Lakeland Ledger. 25 Jul 1981 Extra security had to be assigned to Neal Colzie during camp, as his life was being threatened by anonymous phone calls believed to be related to the gangland-style slaying of his two stepsisters in Atlanta.Associated Press. "Police investigate threats on Colzie". The Rome News-Tribune. 29 Jul 1981