It's 2016. Time to "celebrate" a big milestone inwards the history of Tampa Bay football.
It was xl years agone that the Buccaneers entered the National Football League every bit an expansion team. That's ever a skillful fourth dimension for a aspect dorsum at the skillful old days, which inwards the instance of the Bucs weren't thus good.
Tampa Bay needed niggling fourth dimension - less than 2 years, genuinely - to larn the criterion for bad football game teams. Author Jason Vuic takes a aspect dorsum at the fourth dimension inwards his brisk book, "The Yucks!"
The Tampa surface area wasn't well-known to many Americans inwards 1976. There had been a moving ridge of movement yesteryear people to the sunbelt to a greater extent than or less that time, merely the province to a greater extent than or less Tampa Bay - including Tampa, Petrograd as well as Clearwater, with other towns - didn't have got much of an identity.
Some metropolis leaders idea an NFL squad mightiness alter that. When the league expanded inwards 1976 yesteryear 2 teams, Tampa as well as Seattle were the winners. If that's the correct word. Seattle got lucky as well as picked upward a quarterback, Jim Zorn, as well as a broad receiver, Steve Largent, who were capable of making plays inwards the NFL. The Bucs had no such luck, inwards business office because the rules for stocking the novel teams were real tight as well as non much talent escaped the grasp of the established teams.
Thus one-time Southern California jitney John McKay didn't have got many skillful players when he arrived inwards preparation military camp inwards 1976, as well as most of those were on the defensive side of the ball. You don't score, as well as it's difficult to win. Sure enough, Tampa Bay lost its kickoff 26 games. I'm non sure that tape volition survive broken whatsoever fourth dimension soon.
Those kickoff 2 seasons, featuring 0-14 as well as 2-12 records, correspond the pump of this book, which goes yesteryear rather quickly. Bodies came as well as went quickly, every bit the squad desperately search for anyone who could play football game at the highest level. McKay provided the soundtrack to those 2 seasons, every bit he commonly came upward with quotes that were funny to some (mostly the tidings media) merely which had an border that didn't brand him every bit good pop with the players at times. It's fair to say, though, that all of that losing pose everyone on edge.
The Bucs did add together a quarterback inwards 1978 inwards Doug Williams, as well as ameliorate times presently were coming. Williams led Tampa Bay to the NFC Championship game inwards the Bucs' 4th twelvemonth of play inwards 1979. No 1 could believe it then, either, considered what came earlier it. Tampa Bay did win a Super Bowl once, merely otherwise the story has been pretty bleak for many of those xl years.
Vuic knows something near bad products. He wrote a majority on the Yugo, a car from the 1980s that didn't final long either individually or collectively. Vuic clearly did his homework hither inwards looking upward paper articles as well as books, as well as found many of the head-shaking moments that come upward with such bad teams.
There are a pair of drawbacks, though. There is less textile on the 2 bad seasons than you lot mightiness think. That may survive because at that spot are surprisingly few "I squall upward when" stories from interview subjects. Vuic apparently talked to some people associated with the franchise every bit business office of the research, merely to a greater extent than quotes from them would have got been helpful. Material on the origins of the franchise as well as the history of the squad come upward earlier as well as afterwards those 2 seasons, as well as the one-time is to a greater extent than interesting than the latter.
Vuic also has a slightly quirky writing style. For example, he sometimes deals inwards absolutes inwards unexpected ways. Charles Nelson Reilly is described every bit the worst comedian inwards the history of planet Earth, a chip harsh since Reilly was generally a comic histrion who was inwards some overstep Broadway shows. The bargain that sent Largent to the Seahawks for a depression draft pick was the most one-sided inwards history. It's a candidate inwards a inquiry that doesn't genuinely have got an answer.
Newly-born expansion teams commonly concur a identify of honor inwards the hearts of fans, inwards business office because everyone is thus innocent at the start. It's almost similar a kickoff crush. It's in all probability a strain to compare the 1976 Bucs to the 1962 New York Mets, merely "The Yucks" sure volition convey dorsum some funny memories to fans of that Florida team. In that sense, the majority accomplishes its goal.
Three stars
Learn to a greater extent than near this book.
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