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Fast facts

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 3, 1998

For starters: Opening the season with four consecutive games against NFC Central opponents (at Minnesota, at Green Bay, vs. Chicago, at Detroit), the Bucs will find out early how they’ll stack up in the division race. But quick starts are not Tampa Bay’s forte. Its opening game record is 9-13, fourth-worst in the league.

We want one of these at home: Did you know the new BucsVision video and scoreboard system at Raymond James Stadium will take more than 30 technicians to operate on Game Day? The two video boards, one in each end zone, measure 92-by-24 feet and can show as many as six NFL games from other sites simultaneously before and after Bucs games.

Getting closer to the top: Last year’s second-place finish by the Bucs in the NFC Central marked only the second time since 1981 they were that close to the top. After winning the division in 1979 (10-6) and 1981 (9-7), the only other time the Bucs cracked the division’s top two was when they tied with Detroit, Green Bay and Minnesota at 6-10 in 1990 and technically finished second based on tiebreakers.

Dodging the draft: By trading its first-round draft choice and moving into the second round (selected Jacquez Green), the Bucs failed to have a first-round pick for only the fifth time in history. The other four: in 1979 (traded to Chicago for DE Wally Chambers), 1983 (traded to Chicago for 1982 second-round pick), 1984 (traded to Cincinnati for QB Jack Thompson) and 1992 (traded to Indianapolis for QB Chris Chandler).

Bucs’ favorite colleges: Heading into this season, what college had developed more Buccaneers than any other? Southern California, with 23, followed by Florida with 22 and Florida State with 21. USC gained another with the arrival of CB Brian Kelly, and Jacquez Green put the Gators ahead of the Seminoles. Other schools with Bucs connections: Alabama (18), Miami (16), Tennessee (13), Nebraska and Penn State (12), Clemson and Ohio State (11) and Pittsburgh (10).

It’s always a tough schedule: Tampa Bay has an all-time winning record against just two teams (Buffalo 4-2 and Jacksonville 1-0) and a .500 record against just three more (Arizona 7-7, Carolina 1-1 and Washington 4-4). The Bucs can earn winning records with wins over Carolina (Oct. 18) and Washington (Dec. 19).

Sellouts mean we all can watch: Since Tampa Bay’s strike-shortened playoff season in 1982, the Bucs had sold out only 12 home games prior to the 72-hour blackout (allowing them to be televised locally), with four of those coming last year and six of the other eight in games against Chicago. The Bucs sold out all eight home games this season by Aug. 15.

1997 by the numbers: Tampa Bay’s final league rankings in 1997: 29th in total offense, 11th in rushing offense, 30th in passing offense, 3rd in total defense, 6th in rushing defense, 10th in passing defense.

Not the trading kind: The Bucs have only one player on the current squad acquired through a trade with another team: fullback Lorenzo Neal, for whom Tampa Bay traded a fifth-round draft choice to the New York Jets.

Bachelors with bucks: Gold diggers have plenty to mine in the Bucs starting lineup. Among the eligible (and wealthy!) bachelors: Chidi Ahanotu, Mike Alstott, Reidel Anthony, Derrick Brooks, Jorge Diaz, Warrick Dunn, Jeff Gooch, Michael Husted, Frank Middleton, Charles Mincy, Karl Williams, Floyd Young and Jacquez Green.