TAMPA, Fla.
In the 10 months since they last registered a victory, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been transformed from Super Bowl contenders to an NFL punch line.
And here comes the same villain that kick-started the slide to oblivion.
"This thing all began with Carolina -- it sure would be nice to end it with them," Bucs middle linebacker Barrett Ruud said, referring to today's home game against the favored Panthers.
Carolina's 38-23 nationally televised victory at chilly Bank of America Stadium on the evening of Dec. 8 triggered a nine-game losing streak for the Bucs. After Sunday's 33-14 setback to the Eagles dropped Tampa Bay to 0-5, the Bucs were described as both "wretched" and "hapless" in Philadelphia media reports.
"I think the fan base down in Tampa is shell-shocked right now," said Fox analyst Tim Ryan, who has worked the past two Bucs games. "The changes were so sweeping, so fast and so unexpected, people don't know what to expect now."
Under Coach Raheem Morris and General Manager Mark Dominik, both in their first seasons, Tampa Bay has replaced half of its starters since that Monday night debacle in Charlotte, where the Panthers ran for 299 yards and scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to break a 17-17 tie.
The Bucs are 3-point underdogs today, and if they don't emerge with a win, they will have lost 10 consecutive regular-season games for the first time since the fall of 1977.
When Morris was still in diapers.
"Tampa's no different than Kansas City or Detroit," said Tony Dungy, the former Bucs coach who is now an NBC analyst. "It's a struggle to turn things around. What's happening in Denver (5-0 under its rookie coach, Josh McDaniels) is really the rare thing. You've got to get your philosophy established and be patient."
While an epic December collapse cost the Bucs a playoff berth and prompted the dismissal of Coach Jon Gruden, Carolina won the NFC South before quarterback Jake Delhomme unraveled against Arizona in the postseason.
The Panthers lost their first three before rallying to beat Washington 20-17 last Sunday, taking some heat off Coach John Fox.
Still, Carolina has been outscored 104-57 on the season, and opponents average 5.0 yards per rushing attempt.
"Carolina was going through the same stuff we were," Ruud said. "Then they found a way to win last week and put an end to it. We've got to do the same -- get a break or two and capitalize and finish out a game.
"Whatever it takes, we need a win bad around here."
Ira Kaufman is a reporter for The Tampa Tribune
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