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Wake-Up Call: '79 Bucs say win could be a start

Staff photo by CLIFF McBRIDE

Lee Roy Selmon and Raheem Morris embrace before the start of Sunday's Bucs-Packers game.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 9, 2009

Updated: 11/09/2009 06:39 am

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• Audio slideshow: Bucs-Packers
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The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

When the deed was finished, when the Bucs completed their 38-28 victory against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium, the pressure finally lifted.

There will be no more talk about finishing 0-16.

It is only one victory - and yes, the Bucs are still 1-7 - but the first win changes everything.

There were 15 men on the field at halftime who can attest to that.

On Throwback Sunday, when the Bucs donned their old orange uniforms and honored the 1979 NFC Central Division championship team, there were 15 players present who also played in 1977, when the Bucs ended the franchise's infamous 0-and-26 beginning that made them national punchlines.

They know all about the feelings experienced by today's Bucs, the combination of exhilaration and relief, the possibility that something good finally might be under way.

"Let this be the cornerstone," former Bucs linebacker Dewey Selmon proclaimed on Dec. 11, 1977, when the Bucs defeated the New Orleans Saints 33-14 at the Louisiana Superdome for the franchise's initial victory.

Sure enough, it became a cornerstone.

Two years later, the Bucs were in the NFC Championship Game, finishing just 10 points away from an appearance in Super Bowl XIV.

It's highly debatable whether something that dramatic can happen for the current Bucs.

But like the 0-and-26 alumni, these players can now dispense with the horrendously distracting 0-for-the-season talk and get about the normal business of winning football games.

"When you get the first win, the outlook changes a lot," said former defensive end Lee Roy Selmon, who became the first member of the team's Ring of Honor during a halftime ceremony. "The locker room changes. You're just dialed in that much tighter.

"It makes it that much easier, once you cross that hurdle. You realize you want to do it again."

Dewey Selmon, Lee Roy's older brother, said he wouldn't be surprised if a few more victories happen for the Bucs this season.

"You don't want to lose focus or give up on yourself," Dewey Selmon said. "Right now, it's the perfect opportunity to come together as a team, offensively and defensively.

"People might think it's big things that hold you back, but actually you've got to be on the little things, the details. You get that one break, that one emotional over-the-hump feeling, and you're ready to go. It happened that way for us. I think it can happen for them, too."

Now that the black cloud has disappeared, anything seems possible.

"You never want to see any team go the whole season without winning a game," former Bucs safety Mark Cotney said. "When you haven't won, you might go through the schedule, game by game, and it looks bleak. And you might think, 'My gosh, 0-16 could actually happen.'

"You just need good things to happen, so you can break through."

And once the breakthrough occurs, it might be easier to win close games.

According to former linebacker Richard Wood, that's what helped the old Bucs nearly reach the Super Bowl in 1979.

"We had lost 26 straight games or whatever it was, but it's not like we had been blown out 26 times," Wood said. "Some of them were real close. We were fighting our hearts out. But we had nothing to show for it.

"A win is a win, man. Forget about the style points. You just want to get wins, however you can get them. Then you want to string a bunch of wins together. But you've got to start with that first one."

Two straight for Freeman?

Since the 1970 merger, 80 quarterbacks have been selected in the NFL draft's first round.

Sunday, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman became the 20th first-round QB in that time span to win his first start as a rookie. He'll go for two straight Sunday at Miami.

And only nine of those won their first two starts as a rookie. Obviously, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was off the charts as a rookie in 2004, winning all 13 of his regular-season starts.

Here are the others from the 80-QB first-round pool:

Won first four rookie starts

• Giants QB Phil Simms (1979) - defeated Bucs 17-14, 49ers 32-16, Chiefs 21-17 and Rams 20-14.

Won first three rookie starts

• Rams QB Jim Everett (1986) - defeated Saints 26-13, Jets 17-3 and Cowboys 29-10.

• Jets QB Mark Sanchez (2009) - defeated Texans 24-7, Patriots 16-9 and Titans 24-17.

Won first two rookie starts

• Broncos QB John Elway (1983) - defeated Steelers 14-10 and Colts 17-10.

• Oilers QB Steve McNair (1995) - defeated Jets 23-6 and Bills 28-17.

• Chargers QB Ryan Leaf (1998) - defeated Bills 16-14 and Oilers 13-7.

• Bears QB Rex Grossman (2003) - defeated Vikings 13-10 and Redskins 27-24.

• Ravens QB Joe Flacco (2008) - defeated Bengals 17-10 and Browns 28-10.

Rough homecoming for Pickett

It wasn't the expected homecoming for Packers nose tackle Ryan Pickett (Zephyrhills).

Again.

Pickett is 0-for-3 against the Bucs in games at Raymond James Stadium, including a loss by the St. Louis Rams, his first team, in 2002, then last season's defeat by the Packers.

"You can't go anywhere but up if you ask me," Pickett said. "It's a pretty low point. Hard loss. We realize that nobody is going to be feeling bad for us. That's the thing about the NFL. You have to play every week.

"If you don't, you can lose to an 0-7 team, just like we did. It hurts to say it. But it happened."

Beck up for Harlon Hill Award

University of North Alabama quarterback Harrison Beck (Countryside) is among 24 finalists for the Harlon Hill Award, given annually to the NCAA Division II college football player of the year.

UNA (10-1) is the No. 1 seed in the Division II national playoffs - Coach Terry Bowden's Lions have a first-round bye and don't play until Nov. 21 - but must rebound from Saturday night's 31-28, four-overtime home loss against West Alabama.

Beck was 26 of 54 for 237 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Overall, Beck has completed 244 of 418 passes (58.4 percent) for 3,201 yards, 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Reaves starts for Argonauts

Quarterback Stephen Reaves (Plant) got his first start for the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts in Saturday afternoon's 42-17 loss against the Montreal Alouettes. Reaves, previously the third-string quarterback who spent most of the season on the practice squad, was 23 of 40 for 209, but he threw four interceptions.

The Argonauts (3-15) finished with an eight-game losing streak and the franchise's worst season since 1993.

Early returns: Rays ranked ninth

The champagne is barely dry from the New York Yankees' World Series celebration, but The Sporting News Today already has released its 2010 MLB Power Poll. Here's the top 10, which is bound to change due to offseason moves:

1. New York Yankees.

2. Philadelphia Phillies.

3. Boston Red Sox.

4. Los Angeles Angels.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers.

6. St. Louis Cardinals.

7. Colorado Rockies.

8. Atlanta Braves.

9. Tampa Bay Rays.

10. San Francisco Giants.

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to former Bucs tight end Dave Moore, who quite possibly made the greatest catch ever seen at Raymond James Stadium (an over-the-shoulder one-hander against the Bears when the stadium opened in 1998). Moore is now an analyst on the Bucs' radio network. Wednesday, Moore turns 40.

The Answer Man

Here's the answer to Friday's trivia question:

Los Angeles Rams place-kicker Frank Corral scored all the points in a 9-0 win against the Bucs in the 1979 NFC Championship Game. Corral connected on field-goal attempts of 19, 21 and 23 yards.

Monday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.

The Bucs now have 21 all-time regular-season victories against the Green Bay Packers after Sunday's 38-28 win at Raymond James Stadium. In franchise history, the Bucs have more regular-season wins against only one other team. Which team?

Check for the answer in Tuesday's Wake-Up Call.

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