De La Torre's Top Ten Games in Tampa Bay Buccaneers History

I'm an oddity in Tampa Bay and no, I'm not talking about my "Spock Lives" T-shirt. I'm referring to the fact that I was born in Tampa and have lived in the Bay area my entire life.

In a community where the majority of the population are transplants, it makes me somewhat unique. Growing up, all I ever knew of professional sports was Buccaneers football.

As I went through school during the 80's, listening to Michael Jackson and Prince while sporting my mullet, I also wore Orange proudly as a fan of the Buccaneers.

I was one of the few 30,000 or so die-hard fans that endured 14 straight losing seasons...13 double-digit loss seasons.

While my friends rooted for the Bears, Dolphins, and Packers, I was a Bucs fans. When they teased me for the winking pirate logo, the 70's inspired creamsicle colors and the losing, I believed in the team.

I watched this team when it was 2-14 and felt the ultimate thrill when they achieved the pinnacle of professional football in winning Super Bowl XXXVII.

For the die-hards, those that were pre-Pewter Power, it was a day that some of wondered would ever come. A day we'd never forget.

While I've never played for the team or covered the football team for a local fishwrap - I felt like I accomplished something that day. I endured the catcalls of "Yuccaneers," "Succaneers," and other even less flattering nicknames to see my team lift Lombardi.

So with that you can understand the careful thought I put into considering what I believe are the greatest games in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history.

You may not agree with the list or the order but you have to agree that these games were huge moments in the history of the Buccaneers and their fans.

Without further blathering, here they are: my top ten games in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history.

10. Nov. 2, 2008 - Buccaneers 30, Kansas City Chiefs 27

Taking place last season, this one featured the greatest comeback in Buccaneer history. Coming off a loss to the Tony Romo-less Dallas Cowboys, the Bucs were on the road at Arrowhead stadium to face the lowly 1-7 Chiefs.

Kansas City, perhaps sensing a bit of a lackluster effort from Tampa Bay, came out blazing and perhaps exposed a weakness in the Bucs defense that would later derail their playoff hopes, costing Jon Gruden his job.

The Chiefs pounded the soft underbelly of the Bucs legendary Tampa Two defense with little bowling ball Jamaal Charles. Charles became the first running back to rush for 100 yards against Tampa Bay in 2008 while Kolby Smith scored the first rushing touchdown against the Bucs defense.

Tyler Thigpen looked like Steve Young, hitting Dwayne Bowe, then catching the Bucs secondary sleeping during the "wildcat" as wide receiver Mark Bradley took the direct snap, then finding a quarantined Thigpen for a 37 yard touchdown. The score built a shocking 24-3 lead for the Chiefs. The Bucs had never comeback from a double-digit deficit, especially on the road.

The game was changed by the smallest player on the field: Clifton "Peanut" Smith. Smith took the ensuing kickoff and raced 97 yard for a touchdown, becoming the second player in Buccaneers history to return a kickoff for a score. Matt Bryant would kick a long field goal at the end of the half to cut the lead to 11.

The Bucs went into their own bag of tricks as running back Earnest Graham fired a halfback pass to Alex Smith for a touchdown. After a failed two point try, the lead was five at 24-19.

After the Chiefs added a field goal to extend the lead to eight, Jeff Garcia marched the Bucs down the field, hitting Antonio Bryant for an unbelievable touchdown catch, then hitting Alex Smith for the two point conversion and sent the game into overtime.

Matt Bryant would kick the game winner in overtime, finishing off the greatest comeback in Tampa Bay history.

9. Nov. 13, 2005 - Buccaneers 36, Washington Redskins 35

Coming off a 4-12 season and off to a surprising 5-3 start, the Buccaneers were coming in desperate for a victory. They had lost two straight after a 5-1 start and whispers of "fluke team" had begun to circulate. In strode the equally desperate 5-4 Washington Redskins and what transpired in three hours of gridiron nirvana will never be forgotten by true Buccaneer fans.

It was excitement at its finest, a back-and-forth war that went down to the very last second. It would be won by one of the most beloved Buccaneers in franchise history, Mike Alstott, furthering the A-Train legend.

Alstott scored two touchdowns to spot the Bucs an early 14-3 edge, but back came the Skins, getting a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Ladell Betts.

After Chris Simms hit Joey Galloway in the end zone to push the Bucs to a 21-10 lead, the Redskins got some momentum as time expired when John Hall connected on a long field goal.

The third quarter belonged to Washington, getting two touchdown passes and a two-point conversion from veteran quarterback Mark Burnell to garner a 28-21 edge. Back came Tampa Bay, as Simms hit Ike Hilliard for a touchdown, to tie it at 28 headed into the fourth quarter.

The Redskins would counter midway through the final stanza, with Clinton Portis weaving through an exhausted Buccaneers defense for an eight yard score, spotting the Skins to a 35-28 advantage.

It would set up one of the most exciting moments in Tampa Bay history. Simms marched the Buccaneers down the field, then connected on a spectacular 30-yard touchdown pass to Edell Sheppard to pull the Bucs within one. Foregoing the game-tying extra point, Head Coach Jon Gruden went for two.

In dramatic fashion, The A-train Mike Alstott plowed into the line and then went airborne, landing just inside the goal line for the game winning two-point conversion (still disputed by Redskin fans who believe Alstott never got in).

8. 1999 NFC Championship Game - St. Louis 12, Buccaneers 6

Of all the great defenses in Buccaneers history, the 99 Buccaneers may have been the best defense. Saddled with an anemic offense and a rookie quarterback, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch willed the Buccaneers to the NFC Championship game where the faced the Greatest Show on Turf: the seemingly unstoppable St. Louis Rams.

This was Sapp and company in their prime, folks. They battered, bruised, and abused the high-flying Rams in their own barn but only managed two field goals on offense.

Leading 6-5 and only four minutes to the Super Bowl, Kurt Warner got off an unbelievable pass to Buc Killer Ricky Proehl, who juggled then hauled in the only touchdown of the game to give the Rams a 12-6 edge.

The Bucs drove back down the field, but a controversial "incomplete" pass from Quarterback Shaun King to Wide Receiver Bert Emanuel killed the drive and the rest, as they say, is history.

7. Aug. 31, 1997 - Buccaneers 13, San Francisco 49ers 6

Coming off a 6-10 year, the Bucs shed the creamsicle colors and had a new stadium being built next door. Optimism was abound in Tampa Bay for the first time in quite awhile.

The team had suffered through 14 consecutive losing seasons and to begin the Pewter Power era, one of the best teams in the NFL came calling: the San Francisco 49ers.

Heavily favored entering the game, San Francisco took two decisive blows early, losing quarterback Steve Young to a concussion and wide receiver Jerry Rice for the season with a blow ACL - both were injured by Warren Sapp.

Much-maligned quarterback Trent Dilfer gave Tampa Bay the lead with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Dave Moore to complete the upset and announce to the NFL that things had changed in Tampa Bay.

6. Dec. 16, 1979 - Buccaneers 3, Kansas City Chiefs 0

To go from worst to first, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had to win a game in a monsoon at Tampa Stadium. After starting the season a shocking 5-0, the Bucs had struggled down the stretch, losing three straight games to fall to 9-6. Some called the Buccaneers the "Chokeneers" as they seemed to be choking away the NFC Central division.

Facing a must-win game, Tampa Bay emerged from the tunnels to see the skies open in torrential rains.

The Bucs managed the only points in the game, a Neil O'Donohue 19-yard field goal. Its been said that they could have played 16 quarters and the Chiefs would have never scored on the Buccaneer defense that day.

5. 1979 NFC Divisional Playoffs - Dec. 29, 1979 - Buccaneers 24, Philadelphia Eagles 17

Coming off the Chiefs victory, the Bucs enjoyed a week off, then hosted the first playoff game in Tampa Bay history against Dick Vermeil's Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles came in heavily favored as no one truly believed the Buccaneers had a chance at winning in the playoffs.

The Bucs responded with a terrific game by running back Rickey Bell, who pounded the Eagles defense for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bucs held off a late comeback by the Ron Jaworski-led Philadelphia offense to secure a shocking win and a berth in the 1979 NFC Championship game.

4. Dec. 11, 1977 - Buccaneers 33, New Orleans Saints 14

It was (and still is) the longest losing streak in NFL history. Twenty-six straight losses. Coming off an 0-14 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their first 12 games of 1977 and headed to New Orleans for their final road game of the season.

Tampa Bay intercepted New Orleans quarterbacks Archie Manning and Bobby Scott a combined six times and returned three of those interceptions for touchdowns, helping the Bucs build a 26-0 lead.

Archie Manning would throw two touchdowns late but it wouldn't matter: the Bucs defense stood strong. Players like future Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon wept as "The Streak" came to an end. New Orleans head coach Hank Stram was canned the next day.

3. NFC Wildcard Playoffs Dec. 28, 1997 - Buccaneers 20, Detroit Lions 10

For 14 years, I had waited for this night. It was bitterly cold (for Tampa) and I remember camping out in front of old Tampa Stadium to ensure I got tickets.

Once again, coming into the game the Bucs weren't expected to win despite playing in front of their home crowd.

Co NFL-MVP Barry Sanders had carved up the Bucs defense earlier in the year and the pundits expected more of the same. Warren Sapp and company weren't having any of that.

Powered by Horace "Hi-C" Copeland and Mike Alstott, the Bucs built a 20-0 lead while the defense held Sanders to 65 rushing yards and no scores. The legend of the A-train had begun.

They would hold on to win 20-10, giving Tony Dungy his first playoff victory and sending the Buccaneer faithful into jubilation.

2. Super Bowl XXXVII - January 26, 2003 - Buccaneers 48, Oakland Raiders 21

I know you're thinking I'm crazy for listing the Super Bowl at No. 2. I understand, I question it myself: but this is my list and for me, its in the right spot. Super Bowl XXXVII was Jon Gruden at his best.

His old team, the Raiders, hadn't changed much from when he coached them the previous year. He knew the team in and out, conveying the strengths and weaknesses to his new team, the Buccaneers.

The defense responded with one of the greatest defensive performances in Super Bowl history but it was the offense that put Tampa Bay up early. Michael Pittman had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season, while Mike Alstott and Keenan McCardell found the endzone as the Bucs built a dominating 20-3 halftime lead.

The Bucs defense would put the game away, scoring a Super Bowl record three times in the second half as the Bucs blew the Raiders away, with the Raiders' play "Sluggo C" being placed into Tampa Bay lore.

"Sluggo C" was a play identified by safeties John Lynch and Dexter Jackson that led to one of Jackson's two interceptions.

Gruden's knowledge and the will of the men of Brooks, Sapp, and Lynch led to Tampa Bay's first World Championship.

1. 2002 NFC Championship Game - January 19, 2003 - Buccaneers 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10

After crushing the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs, Tampa Bay headed to their personal house of horrors, Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, where Buccaneer seasons went to die.

For me, this was the greatest game in Buccaneers history because it exorcised so many demons. No more where the Buccaneers "Paper Champions."

They were no longer the "Yucks" or the "Sucks". They slayed their own dragons and conquered the NFC.

They reached where no Buccaneer team had ever gone before: the Super Bowl.

It didn't seem like it would happen early on. After the Eagles opening kickoff return put them at point blank range, one play later Duce Staley walked into the end zone for a touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead for Philadelphia.

After managing a field goal, the Bucs defense held, setting up one of the most famous plays in Buccaneer history. Gruden motioned the gutty Joe Jurevicius, setting up a mismatch. Jurevicius wasn't even expected to play as his infant son was ill, fighting for his life in the hospital.

Somehow, Joe showed up and he burned an Eagles linebacker. Quarterback Brad Johnson hit Jurevicius in stride and he ran...and ran...and ran. Buccaneers play-by-play legend Gene Deckerhoff made the call heard round Tampa Bay: "YOU GO JOE! YOU GO!"

Seconds later, Mike Alstott plugged into the end zone for the Bucs first touchdown in Philadelphia in over a decade.

From there, the Buccaneers took over, adding another touchdown pass to Keyshawn Johnson and a field goal by Martin Gramatica to build a 20-10 lead.

But it would be Ronde Barber that brought tears to my eyes. After Donovan McNabb made an acrobatic play to put the Eagles in point blank range and giving them a chance to crawl back into the game, Barber erased all doubt, intercepting McNabb and racing 92 yards for perhaps the greatest touchdown in Buccaneer history.

Instead of a celebration in the final game at the Vet, there was desolation. The long faces of the Eagle fans will be etched in my mind forever: hearts broken...as they had done to the Buccaneer fans the two previous years...but this one was for the big prize.

"Go Home, Eagle Fans!" Deckerhoff's voice seemed to echo.

It is without question the greatest moment in Buccaneer history.