The 2012 season was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 37th in the National Football League (NFL) and their first season under head coach Greg Schiano after the former head coach Raheem Morris was fired due to the team's record of 4–12 in 2011. This was Ronde Barber's last season before retiring in the 2013 offseason.
Though the team did not make the postseason, the team improved their record to 7–9, and finished the regular season with team records in several statistical categories. The team set a franchise record with 5,820 yards of total offense and 389 total points scored. The defense ranked No. 1 in the league against the rush (82.5 yard/game), also a franchise record. Individual team records include most touchdown passes (27) and most passing yards (4,065) by Josh Freeman, as well as Doug Martin's team rookie rushing record of 1,454 yards. Martin finished with five games of 100+ yards rushing, including a breakout game against Oakland in Week 8 rushing for 251 yards and four touchdowns. They also finished with the league's worst passing defense, allowing 4,758 yards (297 yard/game).
Offseason 2012 draft class
The Buccaneers traded its 2011 & 2012 fourth-round selection to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for the Philadelphia Eagles 2011 fourth-round selection to select tight end Luke Stocker during the 2011 NFL draft. The Buccaneers were selected to draft a player in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft, until a trade with the Houston Texans that took place causing the team to trade their third-round selection to move up certain spots to acquire Lavonte David in the second round. Drake Dunsmore was the only rookie that did not make the 53-man roster during roster cuts. However, Drake Dunsmore did end up making the practice squad of the Buccaneers, but he decided later to retire on May 2, 2013.
2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Round Selection Player Position College1 7 Mark Barron Safety Alabama31Doug Martin Running back Boise State 2 58 Lavonte David Linebacker Nebraska 5 140 Najee Goode Linebacker W. Virginia 6 174 Keith Tandy Cornerback W. Virginia7 212 Michael Smith Running back Utah State233 Drake Dunsmore Tight end Northwestern
Free Agent Acquisitions and Transactions Note that each player under new members is currently on the 53-man active roster or on the reserve list.
Players that joined the team, as new members
Dan Orlovsky Vincent Jackson Jamon Meredith Carl Nicks Gary Gibson Eric Wright
Sources: as of 12/30/2013 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Preseason
The Buccaneers 2012 preseason schedule was announced on April 4, 2012. On August 25, Davin Joseph was placed on injured reserve with a season-ending knee injury which occurred Week 2 of the preseason at home against the New England Patriots. The Buccaneers finished the 2012 preseason with a record of 2–2 under new head coach Greg Schiano.
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 at Miami Dolphins W 20–7 1–0 Sun Life Stadium Recap 2 Tennessee Titans L 7–30 1–1 Raymond James Stadium Recap 3 New England Patriots W 30–28 2–1 Raymond James Stadium Recap 4 at Washington Redskins L 3–30 2–2 FedExField Recap
Regular season
On opening day against Carolina, Ronde Barber started his 200th consecutive game as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 2002 Super Bowl team reunited in attendance for the home game against the Eagles in Week 14. The Buccaneers finished the 2012 season with a record of 7–9 under new head coach Greg Schiano.
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 9 Carolina Panthers W 16–10 1–0 Raymond James Stadium Recap 2 September 16 at New York Giants L 34–41 1–1 MetLife Stadium Recap 3 September 23 at Dallas Cowboys L 10–16 1–2 Cowboys Stadium Recap 4 September 30 Washington Redskins L 22–24 1–3 Raymond James Stadium Recap 5 Bye 6 October 14 Kansas City Chiefs W 38–10 2–3 Raymond James Stadium Recap 7 October 21 New Orleans Saints L 28–35 2–4 Raymond James Stadium Recap 8 October 25 at Minnesota Vikings W 36–17 3–4 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Recap 9 November 4 at Oakland Raiders W 42–32 4–4 O.co Coliseum Recap 10 November 11 San Diego Chargers W 34–24 5–4 Raymond James Stadium Recap 11 November 18 at Carolina Panthers W 27–21 6–4 Bank of America Stadium Recap 12 November 25 Atlanta Falcons L 23–24 6–5 Raymond James Stadium Recap 13 December 2 at Denver Broncos L 23–31 6–6 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Recap 14 December 9 Philadelphia Eagles L 21–23 6–7 Raymond James Stadium Recap 15 December 16 at New Orleans Saints L 0–41 6–8 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap 16 December 23 St. Louis Rams L 13–28 6–9 Raymond James Stadium Recap 17 December 30 at Atlanta Falcons W 22–17 7–9 Georgia Dome Recap
Season summary New head coach Greg Schiano installed a new regime and attitude at Tampa Bay upon his arrival. An improved offense set several team records and milestones, and the team ranked No. 1 in rushing defense in the NFL. A weak passing defense (32nd), however, and a five-game losing streak late in the season, saw the team ultimately fall from playoff contention.
Tampa Bay won on opening day, but lost three straight games to NFC East opponents in September. However, the team rebounded and won five of their next six games, primarily behind the breakout efforts of rookie running back Doug Martin. In week 8, the team raised eyebrows by winning a nationally televised Thursday night game against the playoff-bound Vikings, then followed it up by a stellar performance by Martin the following week. At Oakland in week 9, Martin rushed for 251 yards and four touchdowns, one of the most prolific statistical performances in NFL history. After a comeback overtime win at Carolina, the team sat at 6–4, and actually controlled their own destiny for a wild card playoff berth.
Late in November, however, the team began a slump, and fell from the playoff picture. A one-point loss against Atlanta, and a last-second loss versus Philadelphia were part of a five-game losing streak. The team rebounded and finished on a high note, beating the #1 seed Falcons on the road in the final week of the regular season. After a dismal 4–12 record in 2011, the team finished a fairly respectable 7–9 in 2012.
Game summaries Week 1: vs. Carolina Panthers
The Tampa Bay defense held Carolina to only 10 yards rushing, snapping a ten-game losing streak dating back to week 6 of the 2011 NFL season. Tampa Bay's last win was at home on October 16, 2011, against the Saints (26–20). Ronde Barber started his 200th consecutive game, finishing the game with a sack and an interception.
Week 2: at New York Giants
Eli Manning threw for 510 yards, while the Tampa Bay defense allowed over 600 yards to the New York Giants' offense. This was the most offensive yards allowed in Buccaneers franchise history. Tampa Bay had the lead throughout the third quarter, but the Giants came back to win the game in the fourth quarter scoring 25 points.
Week 3: at Dallas Cowboys
Aqib Talib intercepted Tony Romo on the fourth play of the game, which led to a Tampa Bay touchdown and an early lead 7–0 over the Cowboys. However, the Buccaneer offense sputtered, and failed to score on their next nine possessions. In the first 57 minutes of the game, Tampa Bay had only 96 net yards of offense. Adrian Clayborn injured his knee throughout the second half and was expected to miss the rest of the season after the Buccaneers placed him on injured reserve.
Week 4: vs. Washington Redskins
The Buccaneers allowed 160 rushing yards to the Redskins. This was the first time Tampa Bay allowed a 100-yard rushing performance to any team this season. The Buccaneers came back late in the 4th quarter leading 22–21. However, the Redskins scored the winning field goal to take the win 24–22.
Week 6: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Josh Freeman threw for 328 yards and three touchdown passes, as Tampa Bay routed the Kansas City Chiefs 38–10. Tampa Bay had 463 yards of total offense, which was third best for a home game in franchise history. Brady Quinn started at quarterback for Kansas City for the injured Matt Cassel, who suffered a concussion in the previous week's game against the Ravens. During the third quarter, Ronde Barber returned a 78-yard interception for a touchdown. Barber has 12 career return touchdowns, which is tied for third all-time in NFL history. Barber now is the first player in NFL history with at least eight interceptions returned for touchdowns, four fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns and a punt return for a touchdown. Barber's eight career interceptions returned for touchdowns tied him for seventh in NFL history. Barber only needs one more return touchdown to tie Rod Woodson and Darren Sharper, who have 13 return touchdowns in their respected careers. Paul Gruber was inducted into Tampa Bay's Ring of Honor during halftime. Tampa Bay held the Chiefs to 80 rushing yards on 30 carries. Kansas City came into the game averaging 180.8 rushing yards a game, which ranked second in the NFL. Jamaal Charles was the #1 rushing leader in the NFL with 551 rushing yards coming into the game, but the Tampa Bay defense held Charles to only 40 rushing yards during the entire game.
Week 7: vs. New Orleans Saints
Ronde Barber intercepted Drew Brees in the first quarter to record his 46th career interception. The Saints defense allowed over 500 offensive yards to the Buccaneers. Josh Freeman threw for a career-high 420 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tampa Bay defense held the Saints to 81 rushing yards. Vincent Jackson had 7 receptions for a franchise record 216 yards and a touchdown. Jackson had a 95-yard catch, but failed to score after Malcolm Jenkins tackled him from behind.
Trailing by seven points in the final two minutes, Freeman drove the Buccaneers deep into the red zone. On the final play of regulation, Freeman threw an apparent game-tying touchdown pass to Mike Williams in the back of the endzone as time expired. However, the touchdown did not count because it was determined that Williams had stepped out of bounds before making the catch. This was the first home game of the season that was not blacked out and televised locally, and the first Sunday afternoon game at home to not be blacked out since 2009.
Week 8: at Minnesota Vikings