1996 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season

1996 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
Head Coach	Tony Dungy
Home Field	Houlihan's Stadium
Results
Record	6-10
Place	5th NFC Central
Playoff Finish	did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	3 MLB Hardy Nickerson FB Mike Alstott (alternate) P Tommy Barnhardt (alternate)
Team MVP	MLB Hardy Nickerson
Timeline
Previous season	Next season
1995	1997

The 1996 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on an 7-9 season. It was the first season for Tony Dungy as the team's head coach who had no previous experience as a head coach. Prior to the season it was announced that the team would remain in Tampa Bay and would have a new stadium for the 1998 season. Also prior to the season the team drafted Mike Alstott, who became one of the most popular players in the teams history, and Donnie Abraham.

The offense struggled all season and was not helped by an ill-advised holdout from running back Errict Rhett, who next year would barely carry the ball with new running backs added.

The 1996 Buccaneers would be remembered as the team that turned it all around for the franchise. While a lot of fans feel it wasn't until the 1997 team with its new pewter based uniforms, most knowledgeable fans credit the changes that took place in 1996 for setting the stage for the Buccaneers rise to power.

It did not happen all at once. Despite being a 7-7 team at one point at the end of 1995, the 1996 team went 0-5 before getting their first win over Tony Dungy's former team the Minnesota Vikings. The 24-13 win over Minnesota started another streak few noted at the time, and some credit as the first sign of the turn-around, which is four games in a row that the Bucs Defense held opponents to 13 points or less. Despite this, game 10 had the Oakland Raiders coming into Tampa facing a Bucs team that is 1-8. A larger number of turn-around theorists mark this game, a 20-17 overtime win as the sign of change for things to come. Others will point out that Raider kicker Ford missed a short 27 yard field goal with regulation about to expire that would have ended the game but instead forced overtime.

Week 11 had the Bucs on the west coast, where they never win. Playing at San Diego, a road game, and vs the AFC, the Bucs spotted the Chargers a 14-0 lead. Instead of folding, the Dungy led Bucs fought back, and won on the road, on the west coast 25-17. They would win two of the next three, and five of the last seven games including an emotional win over the Chicago Bears 34-19 in which the Bucs did everything right, including returning a punt for a touchdown. It was the first time since the end of the 1979 season that Bucs and Bucs fans could not wait for the next year.

Rule changes earlier in the decade brought about a salary cap, and a minimum spending cap forced Bucs to spend more on players. With the new ownership, tax disclosures showed the old Culverhouse regime was running a 'for-profit' business in which players who were getting good were released before their contracts could get big, all the while claiming poor and trying to get some home games played in Orlando, Florida.

Many fans took encouragement from the team winning five of the last seven games and the emergence of Warren Sapp who had nine sacks on the season, Derrick Brooks, and Mike Alstott, who along with John Lynch and Hardy Nickerson were forming the core of one of the best defenses of the decade.

This also marked the final year the Buccaneers wore the orange and white uniforms.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Pick	Round	Player	Position	School
12	1	Regan Upshaw	Defensive End	California
22	1	Marcus Jones	Defensive End	North Carolina
35	2	Mike Alstott	Fullback	Purdue
71	3	Donnie Abraham	Defensive Back	ETSU
96	4	Jason Odom	Offensive Tackle	Florida
104	4	Eric Austin	Defensive Back	Jackson State
140	5	Jason Maniecki	Defensive Tackle	Wisconsin
180	6	Nilo Silvan	Wide Receiver	Tennessee
221	7	Reggie Rusk	Defensive Back	Kentucky

Personnel

Staff

1996 Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff
Front Office Owner/President – Malcolm Glazer General Manager – Rich McKay Director of Player Personnel – Jerry Angelo Director of College Scouting – Tim Ruskell Head Coaches Head Coach – Tony Dungy Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Backs – Herman Edwards Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator – Mike Shula Running Backs – Tony Nathan Wide Receivers – Charlie Williams Tight Ends – Clyde Christensen Offensive Line – Chris Foerster Offensive Assistant – Ricky Porter			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Monte Kiffin Defensive Line – Rod Marinelli Linebackers – Lovie Smith Defensive Assistant – Kevin O’Dea Special Teams Coaches Special Teams – Joe Marciano Strength and Conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Mark Asanovich Strength and Conditioning Assistant – Aaron Komarek

Regular season

Schedule

Regular season
Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Kickoff	Game site	TV	Attendance	Record
1	September 1, 1996	Green Bay Packers	L 34-3	4:00	Houlihan's Stadium	Fox	54,102*	0-1
2	September 8, 1996	at Detroit Lions	L 21-6	1:00	Pontiac Silverdome	Fox	54,229	0-2
3	September 15, 1996	at Denver Broncos	L 27-23	8:00	Mile High Stadium	TNT	71,535	0-3
4	September 22, 1996	Seattle Seahawks	L 17-13	4:15	Houlihan's Stadium	NBC	30,212*	0-4
5	September 29, 1996	Detroit Lions	L 27-0	1:00	Houlihan's Stadium	Fox	34,961*	0-5
6	Bye
7	October 6, 1996	Minnesota Vikings	W 24-13	1:00	Houlihan's Stadium	Fox	32,175*	1-5
8	October 13, 1996	at Arizona Cardinals	L 13-9	4:05	Sun Devil Stadium	Fox	27,738	1-6
9	October 28, 1996	at Green Bay Packers	L 13-7	1:00	Lambeau Field	Fox	60,627	1-7
10	November 3, 1996	at Chicago Bears	L 13-10	1:00	Soldier Field	Fox	58,727	1-8
11	November 10, 1996	Oakland Raiders	W 20-17	1:00	Houlihan's Stadium	NBC	45,392*	2-8
12	November 17, 1996	at San Diego Chargers	W 25-17	4:00	Jack Murphy Stadium	Fox	57,526	3-8
13	November 24, 1996	New Orleans Saints	W 13-7	1:00	Houlihan's Stadium	Fox	40,203*	4-8
14	December 1, 1996	at Carolina Panthers	L 24-0	1:00	Ericsson Stadium	Fox	57,623	4-9
15	December 8, 1996	Washington Redskins	W 24-10	1:00	Houlihan's Stadium	Fox	44,723*	5-9
16	December 15, 1996	at Minnesota Vikings	L 21-10	1:00	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	Fox	49,302	5-10
17	December 22, 1996	Chicago Bears	W 34-19	1:00	Houlihan's Stadium	Fox	51,572*	6-10

Notes:

^a All times in North American Eastern Time. (UTC–4 and UTC–5 during Standard Time)

• = blacked out locally

Standings

NFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Green Bay Packers	13	3	0	.813	456	210
Minnesota Vikings	9	7	0	.563	298	315
Chicago Bears	7	9	0	.438	283	305
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6	10	0	.375	221	293
Detroit Lions	5	11	0	.313	302	368