2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
| 2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Tony Dungy |
| General manager | Rich McKay |
| Owner | Malcolm Glazer |
| Home field | Raymond James Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Eagles) 9–31 |
| Pro Bowlers |
6
|
| AP All-Pros |
4
|
| Team MVP | WR Keyshawn Johnson |
The 2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 26th season in the National Football League.
The season began with the team trying to improve on a 10–6 season. Quarterback Shaun King was benched, and Brad Johnson was brought in from free agency. Johnson broke Tampa Bay team records for passing yards (3,406), completions (340), and attempts (540). However, the team stumbled out of the gate, and started the season with a 3–4 record. The team rallied in the second half of the season, however, improving to finish 9–7 and clinched a playoff spot.
In the Wild Card playoffs, however, Tampa Bay was routed by Philadelphia for the second year in a row. Two days later, head coach Tony Dungy was fired by the management.
The Ryan Leaf experiment ended about as fast as it started. Tampa Bay signed the troubled quarterback during the offseason. The Buccaneers were intrigued by his physical talent and planned to develop his abilities more slowly by having him watch and learn. However, Leaf's wrist still had not healed, and he refused to have surgery despite doctors' strong recommendations. After mediocre performances in the Buccaneers' four preseason games, the club asked Leaf to accept a lower salary. He refused, and the club released him just five days before the start of the 2001 season.
Brad Johnson started his first game for the Buccaneers, and led them to a 10–6 victory. Despite holding a poor Cowboys club to only 127 yards, a fourth-quarter touchdown run by Johnson was needed to seal the victory. It was the Bucs' first ever victory in Dallas.
Initially the game was a highly anticipated rematch from last season's wild card round. However, after 9/11, all week 2 games were postponed and eventually rescheduled to become week 18.
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