2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season 29 Brief
The 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 29th season in the National Football League. This season began with the team trying to improve on their 7–9 record in 2003, but they fell even further to a 5-11 record and missed the playoffs. Brian Griese set a number of franchise records for passing. Michael Clayton set a rookie record for receiving.
The Bucs acquired Hall of Fame wide receiver Tim Brown, who was well known for his tenure with the Raiders. After spending his only season in Tampa Bay, Brown decided to hang it up after 17 seasons.
Offseason Review
Before the 2004 training camp, personnel issues and the salary cap became primary concerns. Gruden successfully lobbied the Glazers to hire his former general manager from Oakland, Bruce Allen. After Allen's arrival in the Buccaneers' front office, the team announced that it would not re-sign two of their notable defensive players (John Lynch and Warren Sapp). Both of their contracts were expiring, and younger players would fill their positions. Lynch was released after medical exams indicated ongoing injury problems. Many Buccaneers fans were stunned by the move, as Lynch was a very popular player whose aggressive, intelligent play earned him several Pro Bowl appearances. He was also well regarded for his philanthropic work in the Tampa-area. Lynch was quickly signed by the Denver Broncos, where he had consecutive injury-free Pro Bowl seasons. Sapp signed with the Oakland Raiders, where he played in a limited role in 2004, and sat out much of the 2005 season with injuries but returned to form in 2006. Since wide receiver Keenan McCardell refused to play until he was given a better contract or traded, he was sent to the San Diego Chargers for draft compensation.
Tampa Bay's free agent signings in 2004 included a number of expensive and aging players meant to jumpstart Gruden's offense. These players included tackle Todd Steussie, running back Charlie Garner and tackle Derrick Deese. The 32-year-old Charlie Garner signed a reported $20-million contract with a $4-million signing bonus but only played 3 games before going on IR, he would never play again. Todd Steussie was often injured while Derrick Deese only played for the team for one year before retiring.
Preseason
In August, Hurricane Charley brought training camp to a screeching halt. The Buccaneers' first preseason game was also postponed (from Saturday to Monday) due to the storm. After returning to Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, it was determined that the soaked fields and disrupted schedule was too much to overcome. The team broke camp over a week early, and returned to Tampa. A "rump" week of camp took place at the team facilities, and at the same time, some players and team officials tended to damaged homes in the wake of the storm.
Regular Season
The distracted Buccaneers began the 2004 season with a 1–5 record, their worst start since 1996. The fading accuracy of kicker Martin Gramatica did not help matters, as the team lost many close games en route to a 5–11 record. The Buccaneers became the first NFL team to follow up a Super Bowl championship with back-to-back losing seasons. The lone highlights of 2004 were the high-quality play of rookie wide receiver Michael Clayton and the return of Doug Williams, who joined the Bucs front office as a personnel executive.
The Buccaneers finished their year under Jon Gruden with the 22nd ranked offense and the 5th ranked defense.
| PRESEASON | ||||
| Date | Opponent | Week/Record | Outcome | |
| Monday Aug. 16 |
|
Cincinnati Bengals Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
PS - wk 1
1-0 |
Won 20-6 |
| Friday Aug. 20 |
|
@ Jacksonville Jaguars Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, FL |
PS - wk 2
1-1 |
Lost 6-14 |
| Saturday Aug. 28 |
|
Miami Dolphins Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
PS - wk 3
2-1 |
Won 17-10 |
| Thursday Sep. 2 |
|
@ Houston Texans Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX |
PS - wk 4
3-1 |
Won 17-9 |
2004 Season ResultsRecord: 5-11, DIV: 2-4 (4th in NFC South) |
||||
| Date | Opponent | Week/Record | Outcome | |
| Sunday Sep. 12 |
|
@ Washington Redskins FedEx Field, Landover, MD |
RS - wk 1
0-1 |
Lost 10-16 |
| Sunday Sep. 19 |
|
Seattle Seahawks
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 2
0-2 |
Lost 6-10 |
| Sunday Sep. 26 |
|
@ Oakland Raiders
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, CA |
RS - wk 3
0-3 |
Lost 20-30 |
| Sunday Oct. 3 |
|
Denver Broncos
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 4
0-4 |
Lost 13-16 |
| Sunday Oct. 10 |
|
@ New Orleans Saints
Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA |
RS - wk 5
1-4 |
Won 20-17 |
| Monday Oct. 18 |
|
@ St. Louis Rams
Edward James Stadium, St. Louis, MO |
RS - wk 6
1-5 |
Lost 21-28 |
| Sunday Oct. 24 |
|
Chicago Bears Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 7
2-5 |
Won 19-7 |
| Sunday Oct. 31 |
BYE | RS - wk 8
2-5 |
||
| Sunday Nov. 7 |
|
Kansas City Chiefs
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 9
3-5 |
Won 34-31 |
| Sunday Nov. 14 |
|
@ Atlanta Falcons
Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA |
RS - wk 10
3-6 |
Lost 14-24 |
| Sunday Nov. 21 |
|
San Francisco 49ers
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 11
4-6 |
Won 35-3 |
| Sunday Nov. 28 |
|
@ Carolina Panthers
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC |
RS - wk 12
4-7 |
Lost 14-21 |
| Sunday Dec. 5 |
|
Atlanta Falcons
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 13
5-7 |
Won 27-0 |
| Sunday Dec. 12 |
|
@ San Diego Chargers
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA |
RS - wk 14
5-8 |
Lost 24-31 |
| Sunday Dec. 19 |
|
New Orleans Saints
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 15
5-9 |
Lost 17-21 |
| Sunday Dec. 26 |
|
Carolina Panthers
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
RS - wk 16
5-10 |
|
| Sunday Jan. 2 |
|
@ Arizona Cardinals Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ |
RS - wk 17
5-11 |
Lost 7-12 |
| PLAYOFFS | ||||
| Date | Opponent | NFC/Superbowl | Outcome | |
| Season Ended |
|
@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL |
None
None |
00-00 |
