The2006 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 31st season in theNational Football League (NFL), the 9th playing their home games atRaymond James Stadium, and the 5th under head coachJon Gruden.

The team failed to improve on their 11–5 record in2005, tumbled to a 4–12 record and missed the playoffs for the third time in four seasons.

After winning their division in 2005, the Buccaneers suffered through an abysmal 2006 season. The season was plagued by injuries, with starters such as guardDan Buenning, wide receiverMichael Clayton, running backCarnell Williams, defensive endSimeon Rice, cornerbackBrian Kelly, and quarterbackChris Simms all being placed on injured reserve at some point in the season. The season also saw a lot of rookies starting for the Buccaneers, such as quarterbackBruce Gradkowski, tackleJeremy Trueblood, and guardDavin Joseph. The league schedule was also unfriendly to the Buccaneers, scheduling them for 3 games (two of them away games) within 11 days of each other.

There was more to the lost season than just injuries, as most of the players put on injured reserve had been done so after the team's 0–3 start, and offensive shutouts in the first two games in which no touchdowns were scored by the Buccaneers. The departure of several key defensive coaches and assistants didn't bode well with players, who complained to some in the media of not being able to hear coaches in team meetings.

Inconsistent and unorganized are how some players referred to one of the newcomers, who most players had a hard time making the transition from longtime favoritesRod Marinelli and others. Some believe the problems in 2006 were rooted in recent years mistakes, lack of salary cap room to bring in high impact free agents, lack of top 50 draft picks over the last 5 or 6 years due to trades, and maybe even a failure to properly assess talent resulting in a lack of contribution from second day draft picks in recent history.

The Buccaneers started off the season 0–3, with quarterbackChris Simms throwing only 1 touchdown to 7 interceptions. In the third game of the season, a last-minute loss to the Carolina Panthers, Simms'sspleen was ruptured, and he was placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season. After their bye week, the Bucs elected to start rookie quarterbackBruce Gradkowski, a 6th-round pick from Toledo.

Gradkowski started off performing decently. People who in hindsight claim the Buccaneers should have started the more experiencedTim Rattay forget the Buccaneers nearly upset the New Orleans Saints, and then went on to win two narrow victories: one, against theCincinnati Bengals, winning on an overturned call resulting in a touchdown; and another against the Philadelphia Eagles, thanks toMatt Bryant’s 62-yard field goal. After these victories, though, Gradkowski's performance declined. After a 17–3 loss to the New York Giants in heavy winds, the Buccaneers proceeded to lose 5 of their next 6 games, leading them to a record of 3–10 (0–6 in their division). In the loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Gradkowski was replaced in the 4th quarter by Rattay.

In the first half of the Buccaneers' next game, against the Chicago Bears, Gradkowski was again replaced by Rattay, who led the team from a 24–3 deficit to a score of 31–31, with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. However, the Buccaneers then lost the game in overtime, 34–31. Rattay was then named the new starting quarterback for the last two games for the season. The Buccaneers finished their season with a 4–12 record, tied for third worst in the NFL. The overall defense was ranked in the low 20s, the first time a Tampa Bay defense was not ranked in the top ten since 1996.

The Buccaneers sent three players to the2007 Pro Bowl, cornerbackRonde Barber, tight end/long snapperDave Moore (A "Need" player according to Saints coachSean Payton), and late addition outside linebackerDerrick Brooks (as an injury replacement). This would be Brooks's 10th consecutive Pro Bowl and 10th Pro Bowl overall.

It was also the final season for longtime fullback Mike Alstott. Although he was on the roster the following season, he was unable to play due to a preseason neck injury against New England.

In the2006 NFL draft, the Buccaneers used their first pick on Oklahoma GuardDavin Joseph. They then used their next pick on Boston College offensive tackleJeremy Trueblood. The rest of their picks included Notre Dame wide receiverMaurice Stovall, Penn State cornerbackAlan Zemaitis, Stanford defensive endJulian Jenkins, Toledo quarterbackBruce Gradkowski, North Carolina State tight endT.J. Williams (who was lost for the upcoming season to injury when he tore his right Achilles tendon the week of June 19), Oregon cornerbackJustin Phinisee, Clemson defensive endCharles Bennett, and Michigan tight endTim Massaquoi.

After a potential season-ending injury to backupquarterbackLuke McCown, the Buccaneers signed veteran quarterbackJay Fiedler to back upChris Simms on June 29. The signing maintains the four-deep status of the backup quarterback position, asTim Rattay,Jared Allen, andBruce Gradkowski are still on the roster (as of July 18). Additionally, the team signed two-year veterantight endMatt Kranchick to replace T.J. Williams, who was lost for the season due to injury, as noted above.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played fourpreseason games. The home team is in capital letters.[1]

• August 11 BUCCANEERS 16,Jets 3
• August 19Dolphins 13, BUCCANEERS 10
• August 26Jaguars 29, Buccaneers 18
• August 31Texans 16, Buccaneers 13

In the 2006 regular season, the Bucs’ non-divisional conference opponents were primarily from theNFC East, although they also playedthe Seattle Seahawks who headed the 2005NFC West, andthe Chicago Bears who had headed the 2005NFC North. Their non-conference opponents were from theAFC North.

  Indicates theThanksgiving Day game.

  Indicates game isMonday Night Football.

The Buccaneers opened the regular season at home againstthe Baltimore Ravens on September 10 by being shutout for the first time since Week 14 of the 2005 season. The game began with the Ravens scoring a touchdown after a clock-killing 80-yard drive, and the Buccaneers were never able to respond. Buccaneers quarterbackChris Simms threw three interceptions and many of his passes were batted down at the line of scrimmage, an issue that was present during the pre-season and would continue to plague Simms in the next two games. In addition, second-year running backCarnell Williams struggled with back spasms and was held to just 22 rushing yards on 8 carries.

The Bucs went to theGeorgia Dome for a Week 2 contest against their division rival,Atlanta Falcons. Historically, the Buccaneers had been able to effectively contain Falcons' quarterbackMichael Vick, shutting down the Falcons' offense in the process. However, the Buccaneers' performance here had not improved much from Week 1. The defense was unable to stop the running duo of Vick and running backWarrick Dunn, whose combined performance netted 261 yards, and 306 for Atlanta as a team—a new Falcons team record. Also illustrating their sharp fall in performance from their #1 NFL ranking the previous season, the Buccaneers' defense also allowed a 1-yard quarterback touchdown run by Vick and a 4-yard touchdown pass to fullbackFred McCrary. Buccaneers quarterbackChris Simms continued to struggle, throwing another three interceptions, whileCarnell Williams was held to just 37 yards on 15 carries. The Buccaneers' only points came on a chip-shot 22-yard field goal by kickerMatt Bryant.

The Bucs played one of their most heated rivals,the Carolina Panthers, at home. In the first half, it was a rout 20–7 with Buccaneers quarterbackChris Simms' first pass intercepted by the Panthers'Chris Gamble. In the second quarter, Tampa Bay finally scored its first touchdown of the season on a short pass from Simms toJoey Galloway, then followed that up in the third quarter withCarnell Williams scoring his first touchdown run of the season. Later that quarter, Simms led a drive that was wrapped up by a 2-yard bootleg by Simms on a fake toMike Alstott, but Simms was hit hard on the play, and had to leave the game momentarily to let rookieBruce Gradkowski take over. Simms returned in the fourth quarter to lead another scoring drive which ended with a long field goal byMatt Bryant. Unfortunately for the Bucs, the Panthers' kickerJohn Kasay hit his fourth field goal of the day, winning the game for the Panthers with only six seconds to spare. After the game, it was learned that Simms had a rupturedspleen and went into emergency surgery to remove it. Originally diagnosed as bruised ribs, it was only discovered shortly after the game ended. If discovery had been delayed any longer, Simms would have died. The injury cost Simms the rest of the season.

The Buccaneers bye week was scheduled for week 4.

Coming off their bye week, the Buccaneers were still looking for their first win of the season. The Buccaneers traveled to theLouisiana Superdome for their third divisional match-up in a row—this time, againstthe New Orleans Saints. The Buccaneers scored first as rookie quarterbackBruce Gradkowski threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverJoey Galloway in the first quarter; the Saints responded with a 21-yard field goal from kickerJohn Carney. The Saints continued scoring, with a 24-yard touchdown run from running backDeuce McAllister in the second quarter, and a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight endErnie Conwell in the third quarter. The Buccaneers finally responded with a 1-yard touchdown run from fullbackMike Alstott, and took the lead in the fourth quarter with Gradkowski's 3-yard touchdown pass to tight endAlex Smith. Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, a special teams breakdown led to Saints running backReggie Bush getting his inaugural NFL touchdown on a 65-yard punt return, which sealed the win for the Saints.

The Buccaneers were predicted by many as an underdog by several sports commentators to defeat the 3–1 Bengals, and they pulled off an upset win, with Bruce Gradkowski throwing 2 touchdowns, and Cadillac Williams running for 94 yards. With 34 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter, Gradkowkski threw a pass to wide receiverMichael Clayton, who appeared to cross the goal line in a dive, but dropped the football in the end zone. The pass was initially ruled incomplete. The replay official initiated a review, and refereeMike Carey determined that Clayton had possession of the football when he crossed the plain of the goal line. The call was reversed, and the Buccaneers were awarded the touchdown. At the end of regulation,Shayne Graham had a chance to win the game with a 62-yard field goal, but missed it wide right, giving the Buccaneers their first win of 2006.

The Buccaneers entered week 7 against an Eagles team looking to build upon their 14–13 win over the Bengals. The Buccaneers defense stepped up big early, particularlyRonde Barber, who returned twoDonovan McNabb interceptions for touchdowns. The Buccaneers however blew a 17-point lead whenBrian Westbrook scored on a 52-yard touchdown with 33 seconds left. With two timeouts remaining, the Buccaneers drove to the Philadelphia 45-yard line with 4 seconds left. KickerMatt Bryant then converted on an improbable, franchise record 62-yard field goal as time expired to give the Buccaneers a 23–21 victory. Ironically, the kick was the same distanceBengals'Shayne Graham missed from the previous week. The Buccaneers improved to 2–4. The kick was one yard short of the NFL record (63 yards) and the second-longest game-winning field goal in NFL history.

With an announced crowd of 65,808 the game stands as the highest-attended regular season Buccaneers game all-time atRaymond James Stadium.

Hoping to build on their dramatic home win over the Eagles, the Buccaneers flew toGiants Stadium for their Week 8 game withthe New York Giants. Buccaneers cornerbackRonde Barber would be facing his brother, running backTiki Barber for the last time in NFL competition as the latter planned to retire after the season. In the first quarter, Tampa Bay fell behind early, as quarterbackEli Manning completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverPlaxico Burress for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, the Buccaneers' woes continued as Giants running backBrandon Jacobs got a 1-yard touchdown run. KickerMatt Bryant would get Tampa Bay a 43-yard field goal, but that would all of the points that the Buccaneers would get, because after a scoreless third quarter, Giants kickerJay Feely kicked a 31-yard field goal to put the game away. With their loss, the Buccaneers fell to 2–5.

Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Giants, the Buccaneers went home for an NFC South rematch withthe New Orleans Saints. In the first quarter, the Buccaneers trailed early as Saints quarterbackDrew Brees completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverMarques Colston and a 52-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverDevery Henderson. In the second quarter, kickerJohn Carney helped New Orleans improve its lead with a 46-yard field goal. Tampa Bay would valiantly fight back, as quarterbackBruce Gradkowski completed a 44-yard touchdown pass and a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverJoey Galloway, but that would be as close as they would get. In the third quarter, Saints pulled away with running backDeuce McAllister completing a 3-yard touchdown run and Brees completing a 45-yard touchdown pass to Henderson. With a scoreless second half, the Buccaneers would fall to 2–6, and were swept by the Saints for the first time since 2002.

The Buccaneers travelled toBank of America Stadium for an NFC South rematch onMonday Night Football withthe Carolina Panthers. In the first quarter, quarterbackBruce Gradkowski completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverIke Hilliard for the only score of the period and the first half. However, in the third quarter, the Panthers struck back with a vengeance as kickerJohn Kasay nailed a 28-yard field goal, quarterbackJake Delhomme completing a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverKeyshawn Johnson, and fullbackBrad Hoover contributing a 5-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, even though kickerMatt Bryant would nail a 28-yard field goal, Carolina managed to put the game away with Delhomme completing a 36-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverSteve Smith. With the loss, the Buccaneers fell to 2–7.

Hoping to rebound from their three-game losing streak, the Buccaneers went home for rematch of last season's NFC Wildcard match-up withthe Washington Redskins. In the first quarter, the Buccaneers drew first blood with kickerMatt Bryant nailing a 26-yard field goal, while Redskins kickerNick Novak got a 45-yard field goal. After a scoreless second quarter, Washington took the lead in the third quarter with quarterbackJason Campbell completing a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight endChris Cooley. Tampa Bay would respond with quarterbackBruce Gradkowski completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight endAnthony Becht. In the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers managed to wrap-up the game with Gradkowski completing a 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverJoey Galloway, while Bryant kicked a 31-yard field goal. Even though the Redskins would get a 4-yard touchdown pass from Campbell to tight endTodd Yoder, the Buccaneers held on to win and advance to 3–7.

Hoping to build on their home win over the Redskins, the Buccaneers flew toTexas Stadium for aThanksgiving game againstthe Dallas Cowboys. In the first quarter, the Buccaneers capped off their opening drive with fullbackMike Alstott getting a 1-yard touchdown run. However, the Cowboys responded with quarterbackTony Romo getting a 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverTerry Glenn. In the second quarter, Romo and Glenn hooked up with each other again on a 2-yard touchdown pass. The Buccaneers could only respond with kickerMatt Bryant getting a 46-yard field goal. Dallas would respond with Romo getting a 1-yard touchdown pass to running backMarion Barber. In the third quarter, Romo and Barber would hook up with each other again on a 2-yard touchdown pass, with Romo also hooking up with wide receiverTerrell Owens on a 7-yard touchdown pass. In the fourth quarter, kickerMike Vanderjagt would close out the scoring with a 22-yard field goal. With the loss, the Buccaneers fell to 3–8.

Bruce Gradkowski's homecoming was also his worst game of the season. In the first quarter,Ben Roethlisberger threw his only interception early in the game tolinebackerDerrick Brooks. Later in the quarter, Gradkowski tossed his first interception to Steeler linebackerLarry Foote. In the final seconds of the first quarter, Roethlisberger threw a short touchdown pass totight endJerame Tuman. Later in the second half, Gradkowski tossed another interception in the red zone toBryant McFadden. Steelers kickerJeff Reed, kicked a 50-yardfield goal to end the first half. After another interception of Gradkowski in the second half, Roethlisberger completed a touchdown pass in the early fourth quarter. By thetwo-minute warning, the score was 20–0, in the favor of the Steelers. Tampa Bay kickerMatt Bryant, made sure the Buccaneers did not get shut out with a 27-yard field goal in the last seconds of regulation.

Trying to snap a two-game losing skid, the Buccaneers went home for an NFC South rematch with theAtlanta Falcons. In the first half, the Buccaneers jumped out to an early lead as kickerMatt Bryant got a 42-yard field goal in the first quarter, while nailing a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter. However, for the rest of the game, it was all Atlanta. In the third quarter, the Falcons took the lead with outside linebackerDemorrio Williams returning a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown, while fullbackJustin Griffith got a 21-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, Atlanta wrapped up their season sweep over Tampa Bay with kickerMorten Andersen nailing a 23-yard field goal. With the loss, the Buccaneers fell to 3–10.

The Bears entered week 15 of the NFL season hoping to secure a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Chicago led 24–3 with 5:22 left in the third quarter and were en route to winning their third straight. During the first quarter, the Buccaneers had only reached 80 yards in total offense. Head coachJon Gruden sent in back-upTim Rattay, who completed 20 of 35 for 268 yards with 3 touchdowns and one interception as the Buccaneers battled back to tie the game up at 31 during the fourth quarter. A controversial move was made by Chicago Bears' head coachLovie Smith as he decided to let time expire during the fourth quarter and thus send the game into overtime. Tampa Bay won the coin toss, and both teams had three possessions in overtime. After missing earlier in the overtime period,Robbie Gould connected on a 27-yard field goal with 3:37 remaining to give the Bears the victory, 34–31. This loss sent the struggling Buccaneers to 3–11 which secured last place in the NFC South standings.

Trying to end a four-game losing skid, the Buccaneers flew toCleveland Browns Stadium for a Week 16 interconference fight withthe Cleveland Browns onChristmas Eve. In the first half, the Buccaneers got off to a decent start with kickerMatt Bryant nailing a 23-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter. In the third quarter, Tampa Bay increased its lead with running backMichael Pittman's 11-yard touchdown run (following extra point was blocked). In the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers defense got a chance to score with outside linebackerDerrick Brooks returning an interception 21 yards for a touchdown. Afterwards, the Browns would get their only score of the game as cornerbackDaven Holly returned a fumble 40 yards for a touchdown. After that, the Buccaneers wrapped the game up with Bryant's 37-yard field goal. With the win, the Buccaneers improved to 4–11.

Trying to end their season on a high note onNew Year's Eve, the Buccaneers hosted theNFC West championSeattle Seahawks. Tampa Bay trailed early as Seahawks kickerJosh Brown nailed a 35-yard field goal, which was followed by running backShaun Alexander's one-yard touchdown run. In the second quarter, the Buccaneers got their only score of the game with quarterbackTim Rattay completing a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverJoey Galloway. Afterwards, Seattle continued its dominance with quarterbackMatt Hasselbeck completing a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverD.J. Hackett. After that, the Seahawks wrapped up the game in the second half with Brown getting a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter and a 23-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. With the loss, the Buccaneers ended their year at 4–12.

• 2006 in sports in Florida
• 2006 NFL season by team
• 21st century in Tampa, Florida
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers seasons

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