Download the Full Game Day PDF Here!
NOTE: Cam Newton will sit out Bucs game!
Here we are again, the start of a new NFL season, one that will bring all new memories, some good, and some bad. For the last several years, the bad seem to have outnumbered anything worth remembering. But instead of just ‘change’, the Bucs are making things really different by bringing in a familiar face; Head Coach Lovie Smith.
Smith may be many things to many people, but he is a coach who was fired for going 10-6 with his Bears, whom he took to the SuperBowl with a below average QB. The Bucs also acquired Josh McCown who had career best numbers while playing in relief for the Bears last year.
The Question is, will McCown be another Rich Gannon, or Rex Grossman? We should have all our answers by 7:30 today, and a better idea on if the 10th coach in the history of the franchise will be around a bit longer than the last two who had no experience.
As for Bringing things back from the past, we may see a true ghost on the field today, as the Original Tampa Two defense with one of its architects now in charge of its rebirth. That won’t be 55 and 99 on the field, instead reincarnated spirits will roam the field as 54 and 93. If you remember the old days, you will see 56, not on the field but roaming the sidelines; Hardy Nickerson, who will reprise Lovie Smith’s role as Linebackers coach.
At stake is 1 game lead over the reigning NFC Central champions, and the hope and dreams of Bucs fans longing for the days of relevance.
ALL TIME SERIES
The Panthers lead the all-time series 16-11. The two teams have alternated sweeping the season series each of the last five seasons, with Carolina winning both contests in 2013; 31-13 in Tampa on Thursday Night Football and 27-6 in Charlotte. Tampa Bay took both matchups in 2012: 16-10 in Tampa and 27-21 in Charlotte. In 2011, the Panthers won, 38-19, in Tampa, and 48-16, in Charlotte. Tampa swept the 2010 series, 20-7 at Carolina and 31-16 in Tampa. The Panthers won both meetings of the 2009 season, 28-21, in Tampa, with the game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the game, and the second meeting by a score of 16-6 in Charlotte. Tampa Bay is 5-8 at home all-time against the Panthers. Both teams won at home in 2008, including a 27-3 Buccaneers victory in Tampa (10/12/08) in the first meeting and a 38-23 Buccaneers loss in Charlotte (12/8/08) on Monday Night Football. In 2007, Tampa Bay defeated the Panthers in Carolina, 20-7, and then fell 31-23 in the last week of the regular season with Tampa Bay resting most of its starters to prepare for the playoffs. In 2006, the Panthers won 26-24 at Tampa Bay (9/24/06) and 24-10 at Carolina (11/13/06). The teams split the two meetings in 2005: Carolina won 34-14 at Tampa Bay (11/6/05) and the Buccaneers prevailed 20-10 at Carolina (12/11/05). Tampa Bay won three in a row from 1998-02 and started the series 4-1 before losing five consecutive meetings from 2003-05. Tampa Bay won both meetings in 2002, a 12-9 win at Carolina (10/27/02) and a 23-10 win at home (11/17/02). The Buccaneers were Carolina’s fourth opponent in the Panthers’ inaugural season in 1995, and Tampa Bay earned a 20-13 victory at Clemson Memorial Stadium (10/1/95). The following year, Carolina downed Tampa Bay 24-0 (12/1/96) on its way to the NFC Champion- ship Game in just its second year of existence. The Buccaneers captured the last meeting prior to the 2002 season, 16-13, in 1998 at home. Tampa Bay knocked off the Panthers in Charlotte on the way to each of its three NFC South titles in 2002, 2005 and 2007.
LAST GAME RECAP
Washington 24, Tampa Bay 10 (Thursday, August 28, 2014)
TAMPA – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the Washington Redskins to close out their 2014 preseason slate. Giving reserves a chance to log valuable snaps, each team started the game playing backups. The Buccaneers won the toss and elected to receive, but both teams ended up punting away their opening possessions. After the first series with quarterback Mike Glennon, Tampa Bay put in third quarterback Mike Kafka. Neither team advanced into the opponent’s side of the field until late in the first quarter, when Washington drove to the Tampa Bay 27, where kicker Kai Forbath completed a 45-yard field goal to put up the first points of the game. The Redskins’ lead was quickly extended, when, on the first play of the following drive, Kafka was sacked at the Tampa Bay 17 by linebacker Gabe Miller, which led to a fumble that Miller grabbed and returned to the two-yard line. Washington was then able to score with a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Colt McCoy to wide receiver Ryan Grant, bringing the score to 10-0. Following another Buccaneers punt, the Redskins again moved downfield, but McCoy’s deep pass was intercepted in the end zone by cornerback Keith Lewis. With time winding down in the first half, Washington made another move, putting together a drive to the Tampa Bay 6, but McCoy was intercepted a second time,
this time by linebacker Nate Askew, who nabbed the deflected pass in the end zone and returned it 15 yards, allowing the Buccaneers offense to take a knee and enter halftime with the score still at 10-0. Tampa Bay scored its first points in the third quarter, as Kafka led a 59-yard drive, which included an 18-yard pass to wide receiver Louis Murphy and ended with a 35-yard field goal by kicker Patrick Murray. However, on the ensuing drive, running back Lache Seastrunk took a McCoy pass 80 yards for another Redskins touchdown. The Buccaneers answered with a 67-yard drive, where running back Jeff Demps set up good field position with a 37-yard kickoff return before running the ball another 19 yards on the drive’s first play. Five plays later, Tampa Bay made the score 17- 10 with a touchdown on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Kafka to wide receiver Solomon Patton. A Washington drive that stretched from the end of the third quarter into the beginning of the fourth ended with a missed 39-yard field goal attempt. But the Redskins were successful in scoring on their next possession, as running back Silas Redd finished off the drive with a one-yard touchdown rush. The Buccaneers had one final possession in the fourth quarter, but were unable to score, allowing the Redskins to kneel and run down the final seconds of the game, handing the Buccaneers a loss at 24-10.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
LB Lavonte David
• David has 8.0 career sacks, and needs two more to pass Hardy Nickerson (9.0 from 1993-99) for eighth, three more to pass Winston Moss (10.5 from 1987-90) for seventh and five more to pass Kevin Murphy (12.0 from 1986-91) and Hugh Green (12.4 from 1981-85) for the fourth-most sacks by a linebacker in franchise history.
• David has six career interceptions, and needs two more to pass Hardy Nickerson (seven from 1993-99) for sixth, three more to pass Scot Brantley (eight from 1980-87), four more to pass Cecil Johnson (nine from 1977- 85) and Richard Wood (nine from 1976-84) for third and five more to pass Dave Lewis (10 from 1977-81) for the second-most interceptions by a linebacker in franchise history.
LB Mason Foster
• Foster has two career interceptions returned for a touchdown this season and, with one more, can tie CB Wayne Haddix (three from 1990-91), CB Aqib Talib (three from 2008-12) and CB Mike Washington (three from 1976-1984) for the third-most interceptions returned for a touchdown in franchise history.
WR Vincent Jackson
• Jackson has nine 100-yard receiving games as a Buccaneer, the fifth- most in franchise history. He needs three more to tie Joey Galloway (11 from 2004-08) for fourth-most, four more to tie Keyshawn Johnson (12 from 2000-03 – one in postseason) for third-most 100-yard receiving games in franchise history.
• Jackson has 15 receiving touchdowns as a Buccaneer and needs one more to tie Reidel Anthony (16 from 1997-2001) for 10th-most, two more to tie Gerald Carter (17 from 1981-87) and Keyshawn Johnson (17 from 2000-03) for eighth-most in franchise history.
RB Doug Martin
• Martin has 1,910 rushing yards as a Buccaneer and needs 30 more to pass LeGarrette Blount (1,939 from 2010-12) for the 10th-most and 137 more to pass Earnest Graham (2,047 from 2004-11) for ninth-most rushing yards in team history.
• Martin has six 100-yard rushing games as a Buccaneer and needs one more to tie Mike Alstott (seven from 1996-06), LeGarrette Blount (seven from 2010-12) and Reggie Cobb (seven from 1990-93) for seventh-most 100-yard rushing games in franchise history.
• Martin has 12 rushing touchdowns as a Buccaneer and needs one more to tie Doug Williams (13 from 1978-1982) and LeGarrette Blount (13 from 2010-12) for 10th-most, three more to tie Earnest Graham (15 from 2004- 11) and Lars Tate (15 from 1988-89) for eighth-most in franchise history.
DT Gerald McCoy
• McCoy has four career multi-sack games and needs one more to tie Chidi Ahanatou (five from 1993-2004) for the sixth-most, two more to tie David Logan (six from 1979-86) for fifth-most and three more to tie Broderick Thomas (seven from 1989-93) for fourth-most multi-sack games in franchise history.
LAST MEETING
Carolina 27, Tampa Bay 6 (December 1, 2013)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Meeting for the second time on the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and division-rival Carolina Panthers both entered the game on winning streaks, but it was the Panthers that came out on top in the matchup, as Carolina’s top-ranked defense kept the Buccaneers at bay. After forcing Carolina to punt on the game’s opening drive, Tampa Bay put up the day’s first points as quarterback Mike Glennon completed passes of 16 and 23 yards to wide receiver Tiquan Underwood, moving the ball down the field. The drive stalled at the Carolina 9, where kicker Rian Lindell completed a 27-yard field goal to give the Buccaneers an early 3-0 lead. The Panthers answered quickly, with quarterback Cam Newton breaking free on a 56-yard rush that set up a 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon LaFell two plays later, making the score 7-3. Though the Buccaneers were forced to punt, they got the ball back following an interception by defensive back Keith Tandy, who returned the pick 20 yards to the Carolina 32. Tampa Bay attempted a 53-yard field goal, which Lindell completed to bring the game to 7-6. After a Carolina punt, Tampa Bay drove to the Panthers’ four-yard line, but Glennon fumbled the ball as he scrambled on third- and-4, and Carolina recovered to end the Buccaneers’ scoring threat. The Panthers proceeded to drive to the Tampa Bay 5, where kicker Graham Gano completed a 23-yard field goal. The Buccaneers went three-and- out on their next drive and the Panthers proceeded to extend their lead to 17-6 going into halftime, as they traveled to the Tampa Bay 1 where Newton leapt over defenders on fourth-and-1 for the touchdown. With the ball to open the second half of play, Tampa Bay recorded a second turnover after Glennon was picked off by safety Mike Mitchell. Carolina capitalized on the interception, scoring with a 36-yard touchdown pass from Newton to wide receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. The Buccaneers drove to the Carolina 30 on their next possession, but this time Lindell’s 48-yard field goal attempt went wide left and Tampa Bay surrendered the ball to the Panthers. Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David then grabbed a Newton pass deep in Tampa Bay territory, returning the ball 16 yards and giving Tampa Bay’s offense another chance, but the Carolina defense forced another punt. The Panthers opened the fourth quarter of play stringing together a nearly nine-minute drive that ended with a 22-yard Gano field goal to extend their lead to 27-6, the score upon which the game would end.
SERIES HIGHLIGHTS
The first game in the series took place at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, and the Buccaneers came away with a 20-13 victory, despite a strong effort from the expansion Panthers (10/1/95)… Carolina actually outgained Tampa Bay 393-310 but were victimized by a John Booty interception and three lost fumbles… QB Casey Weldon subbing for an injured Trent Dilfer, provided the winning points in the fourth quarter with a one-yard TD… Tampa Bay allowed just 215 total yards, but it was Carolina’s defense that did in the Bucs in a 24-0 shutout in a driving rain at Ericsson Stadium (12/1/96)… Panthers DE Shawn King sacked Dilfer, forced a fumble and returned the fumble 12 yards for a score… Two Tampa Bay interceptions led to Carolina touchdowns in the second half… QB Trent Dilfer rallied Tampa Bay to two touchdowns in the last five minutes in a tight 16-13 win over Carolina at Raymond James Stadium (10/18/98)… Tampa Bay K Martin Gramatica connected on all four of his field goal attempts, including a game-winning 47-yard field goal with five seconds remaining, to lift the Buccaneers to a 12-9 win at Ericsson Stadium (10/27/02)… A tenacious Bucs defense forced four turnovers and held the Panthers to a season-low 130 total yards… Tampa Bay’s defense produced four turnovers and four sacks in a 23-10 win over Carolina at home, giving Tampa Bay its best start in team history at 8-2 (11/17/02)… QB Brad Johnson threw touchdown strikes to WR Keyshawn Johnson (23 yards) and WR Keenan McCardell (36 yards) at Carolina (11/9/03)… Tampa Bay set an NFL record with a sack in its 69th consecutive game… CB Tim Wansley recorded two INTs, one for a touchdown ,in the game… In a 21- 14 loss, WR Michael Clayton broke the all-time record for receiving yards in a season by a rookie, surpassing WR Lawrence Dawsey (11/28/04)… WR Michael Clayton set the rookie record for touchdown receptions in a season, after hauling in two touchdowns, to give him six on the year in a 37-20 loss (12/26/04)… In a 20-10 victory at Carolina, CB Ronde Barber recorded his 20th career sack, making him the only cornerback in NFL history to have 20 sacks and 20 interceptions in a career (12/11/05)… CB Ronde Barber moved into a tie on the Buccaneers’ all-time interception list, after notching his 31st career interception on Monday Night Football (11/5/06)… WR Ike Hilliard caught seven balls for 114 yards, and Tampa Bay gained 189 yards on the ground to highlight a complete team effort and a 20-7 Buccaneer win (9/30/07)… In a 27-3 win, rookie LB Geno Hayes recorded his first career blocked punt and touchdown, as he recovered the ball and returned it 22 yards for the score (10/12/08)…
Tampa Bay’s defense allowed just 40 yards on the ground, forcing three interceptions along with the blocked punt… RB Warrick Dunn rushed for a game-high 115 yards on 22 carries (5.2 avg), marking the 30th 100-yard rushing game in his career… WR Antonio Bryant had a record- setting performance with nine receptions for a career-high 200 yards, the second-highest receiving yards total in franchise history, and two touchdowns (12/8/08)… Rookie QB Josh Freeman threw for 321 yards, while RB Carnell Williams ran for 92, but turnovers proved to be costly, as the Panthers knocked-off the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium by a score of 16-6 (12/6/09)… A strong defensive performance keyed the Tampa Bay victory, as Carolina RBs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were limited to just 97 yards and no touchdowns on 25 carries, and recorded four sacks on Carolina QBs Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen (9/19/10)… Buccaneers QB Josh Freeman threw two touchdown passes, and TE Kellen Winslow led the Buccaneers receivers with four receptions for 83 yards… RB’s LeGarrette Blount and Cadillac Williams combined for 153 rushing yards and two touchdowns, as the Buccaneers defeated the Panthers 31- 16 to sweep the season series (11/14/10)… K Connor Barth went four for four on field goal attempts, the shortest of which was 44 yards, and the longest of which was 50 yards, in a Panthers win (12/4/11)… The Tampa defense held Carolina to 10 yards total rushing, tying a franchise record for fewest rushing yards allowed, in a Buccaneers 16-10 win (9/9/12)… RB Doug Martin set the pace for the offense, rushing for 138 yards on 24 carries… After trailing 21-10 with six minutes remaining in the game, the Buccaneers scored twice to tie the game, including a touchdown drive that began with 1:02 remaining, capped off by a 24-yard touchdown pass and subsequent 2-point conversion, both from QB Josh Freeman to WR Vincent Jackson… After winning the overtime coin toss, Martin and the Bucs marched down the field, sparked by Martin’s 11- and 27-yard rushes to start the period, and won the game on the first overtime touchdown in franchise history, a 15-yard strike from Freeman to TE Dallas Clark (11/18/12)… QB Mike Glennon, in the first primetime start of his career, set career highs in passing yards (275), while also setting Buccaneers rookie records for completions (30) and attempts (51) in a Buccaneers loss (10/24/13)… LB Lavonte David recorded 12 tackles, including one sack, in the game… The Buccaneers defense recorded two interceptions of Panthers QB Cam Newton in the loss, one each for LB Lavonte David and S Keith Tandy (12/1/13)…
..see pdf for personnel stats vs Panther
MEET PANTHERS COACH RON RIVERA
Ron Rivera was named the fourth head coach in Carolina Panthers’ history on Jan. 11, 2011.
In 2013, Rivera led the Panthers to a 12-4 record , including a franchise- record eight consecutive wins and an NFC South Championship, which helped him land the NFL Coach of the Year award. He has helped the team improve from 2-14 the season prior to him taking over, with a 6-10 finish in
2011 and a 7-9 finish in 2012. He has helped lead back-to-back season with a Top-10 defense, including the 2013 unit that finished second in the NFL.
Before joining the Panthers, Rivera worked with the San Diego Chargers from 2007-10, coaching inside linebackers before taking over as defen- sive coordinator midway through the 2008 season. With Rivera’s guid- ance, the pass defense steadied itself – intercepting nine passes and yielding 229.6 passing yards per game and 11 touchdown passes over the final eight games. Those numbers contrasted to the first half of the season when San Diego notched just seven picks and was victimized for 265.1 yards per game and 14 touchdowns through the air.
From 2004-06, Rivera oversaw the Chicago Bears defense, engineering the unit to two top-five finishes in the league. Under Rivera’s direction, five different defensive players went to the Pro Bowl: linebacker Lance Briggs, safety Mike Brown, defensive tackle Tommie Harris, linebacker Brian Urlacher and cornerback Nathan Vasher.
In his first season as a defensive coordinator in 2004, Rivera presided over a defense that produced nine more takeaways and 17 more sacks than the previous year and scored a franchise record and NFC high six defensive touchdowns. The Bears also thrived on third down and buckled down inside their own 20-yard line, ranking first in the NFL in third-down efficiency (30.5%) and topping the NFC in red zone defense (42.6%).
Prior to becoming a defensive coordinator, Rivera spent five seasons from 1999-2003 as the linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, who advanced to the NFC Championship game in each of his final three seasons. Twice during Rivera’s tenure with the Eagles, the team finished second in the NFL in scoring defense and in 2001 held all 16 of its op- ponents to less than 21 points – making them just the fourth team in NFL history to do so.
While with Philadelphia, Rivera helped develop linebacker Jeremiah Trot- ter. In his first year as a starter in 1999, Trotter posted a team-high 202 tackles and subsequently earned Pro Bowl honors in 2000 and 2001. In Rivera’s five seasons with the Eagles, a member of his linebacking corps led the team in tackles four times.
Rivera gained his first coaching experience with the Bears as defensive quality control coach from 1997-98.
He is just the third Latino head coach in NFL history, joining Tom Flores with the Oakland Raiders from 1979-87 and Seattle Seahawks from 1992-94 and Tom Fears with the New Orleans Saints from 1967-70.
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