S Dwight Smith...Could he be part of the answer to one of the questions below?
It's that time of the year again.
School's out, and so is football, though both will be back before you know it.
But even if this is summer vacation for the kids and a final month of rest for the NFL, it is still, in the estimation of Buccaneers.com, the perfect time for a football quiz. It's July; training camp is looming; NFL diehards are feeding their gridiron jones with fantasy football mags; and Tampa Bay fans are feeling varying levels of anticipation and anxiety. Let's whet our 2004 appetite with a little Buccaneer trivia.
Each year in July, Buccaneers.com provides a dose or two of said trivia. At stake: nothing. This isn't a contest, it's a pastime. Below you'll find seven questions that test your Tampa Bay football knowledge, and below that, the answers. We trust you not to scroll prematurely.
Answer all seven right – score a touchdown, that is – and you're a bona fide Buccaneer expert. Miss the extra point and get just six…well, you're still probably a Buc aficionado, the type who would know Tom Blanchard from Blanchard Carter. Three to five right means you couldn't get it in the end zone but you've got enough Buccaneer acumen to hold your own at the water cooler on Monday. Less than a field goal? Well, let's just say we'll save a spot for you on the bandwagon when it gets rolling again this fall.
So, test your Buccaneer trivia knowledge, have fun, and remember: Three weeks until training camp!
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2004 BUCCANEER TRIVIA QUIZ
1. A Nose for the End Zone.
Over 28 seasons, 141 players have rushed the ball for the Buccaneers at least once. Of those 141 players, 47 have scored at least one touchdown. But only one man in team history scored a touchdown on his only carry as a Buccaneer. Who is that man?
2. The Ballots Are In.
Each year, the football writers who cover the Buccaneers determine the media's choice for team MVP by casting votes during the team's regular-season finale. For instance, QB Brad Johnson was selected by the writers as MVP during the team's 2002 Super Bowl season, and LB Derrick Brooks was the pick in 1999, when the team made it to the NFC Championship Game. Below are five more Buccaneers, four of whom also were named team MVP by the media at least once. Can you identify which man does not belong on the list of former MVPs?
a. Trent Dilfer b. Paul Gruber c. Bruce Hill d. Errict Rhett e. Steve Young
3. Slippery When Wet.
One of the most memorable games in team history was played on December 16, 1979 against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs. Needing a victory to win the NFC Central and make their first-ever playoff appearance, the Buccaneers outlasted the Chiefs, 3-0, in a torrential downpour. The weather conditions made even the most basic maneuvers treacherous and left the outcome in the hands – or rather, the foot – of kicker Neil O'Donoghue in the fourth quarter. O'Donoghue's 19-yard field goal won it, ending one of the most intensely-fought contests ever played in Tampa Stadium. Below are five details about that game, four of which are completely accurate. Can you identify the inaccurate statement?
a. The Bucs fumbled into the slop five times but were able to recover four of them. b. In the entire game, neither team completed a single pass to a wide receiver. c. Tampa Bay QB Doug Williams gained almost half as many yards rushing as he did passing. d. RB Ricky Bell ran the ball 39 times, including 14 times in the fourth quarter. e. The Bucs' top-ranked defense allowed just 80 yards of total offense on the day.
4. Charge It to San Diego.
Over the last decade, the Buccaneers have made several trades with the San Diego Chargers that have worked out well in Tampa. For instance, the Bucs picked up an extra first-round pick in 2000 by sending a second-round pick 1998 to San Diego, and eventually used that extra first-rounder as part of the package to acquire WR Keyshawn Johnson. Another deal with the Chargers worked out in 1993, when the Bucs agreed to move down 18 spots in the third round in exchange for an additional fifth-round pick. The Bucs still got their man in the third round – none other than San Diego native John Lynch – and used the extra fifth rounder on a player who would make a fine contribution to their offense from 1993-97. Who was that player?
5. Tackle This One.
During their five seasons together with the Buccaneers, Derrick Brooks and Hardy Nickerson conducted an annual battle to see who would lead the team in tackles. Brooks and Nickerson, in fact, stand 1-2 on the Bucs' all-time tackle chart. Who is the last player to lead the Bucs in tackles in a single season other than those two Pro Bowl linebackers?
6. Even at Home.
Tampa Bay's first home game of the 2004 regular season is set for September 19, against the Seattle Seahawks. Let's say the Bucs win that game, then their next home contest, against Denver on October 3. From that point, if the team was to continue winning every game played at Raymond James Stadium, in what season would the franchise's all-time record at home get back to the .500 mark? (Regular season games only.)
a. 2004 b. 2005 c. 2006 d. 2007 e. 2008
7. Take It Away.
The Bucs' 48-21 drubbing of Oakland in Super Bowl XXXVII is obviously the most important win in franchise history, though some fans would say the NFC Championship Game win at Philadelphia that preceded it was even more of a thrill. Ah, but let's not shortchange the playoff win that sent the Bucs to Philly, a 31-6 dismantling of the San Francisco 49ers on January 12, 2003. Tampa Bay dominated that game in part by forcing five turnovers. Two Buccaneers had a pair of takeaways each in that game. Name those two.
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The answers are below. To break up the screen for those who don't want to see a spoiler – and maybe dissuade those who were thinking of peaking – we offer you the following space-filler: An official explanation of how the NFL passer rating is figured.
You'll thank us later. Or maybe not.
NFL Passer Rating System
The NFL rates its passers for statistical purposes against a fixed performance standard based on statistical achievements of all qualified pro passers since 1960. The current system replaced one that rated passers in relation to their position in a total group based on various criteria.
The current system, which was adopted in 1973, removes inequities that existed in the former method and, at the same time, provides a means of comparing passing performances from one season to the next.
It is important to remember that the system is used to rate passers, not quarterbacks. Statistics do not reflect leadership, play-calling, and other intangible factors that go into making a successful professional quarterback.
Four categories are used as a basis for compiling a rating:
