Buccaneers special teams ace Miles Killebrew saw 'calmness' that led to the team's turnaround

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Miles Killebrew didn’t know what to expect when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers started 0-4.

The long-time special teams ace was in his first season with a new team and he’s experienced some rough times in an 11-year career that included five years in Detroit and five in Pittsburgh.

“I didn’t know what I was going to come to work and see. Was the building going to be on fire? Were guys going to be pointing fingers? I’ve seen these things before,” Killebrew said on the AP’s “Football Unfiltered” podcast. “I was blown away by the fact that that did not happen. Actually, just the complete opposite. It was just a hey: ‘We know that we’re a good team. We’re gonna keep doing the things that we’ve been doing and the results will come.’ It was an awesome sense of just calmness and I’m talking about from leadership on down and I am not surprised that we are in this position now that we are starting to see some success because guys just keep showing up. And I appreciate it. That’s how I’m wired, so I know I’m in the right place.”

The Buccaneers (3-5) began their turnaround with a 24-16 victory at Dallas on Oct. 8. After blowing a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter at home against Pittsburgh, they responded with a 43-13 rout in Carolina.

Last week, the Bucs beat Atlanta 16-0 in a game in which Baker Mayfield didn’t even complete a pass. Mayfield was 0 for 3 but Bucky Irving ran for 170 yards, Kenny Gainwell had 140 yards and the team set a franchise record with 324 yards on the ground.

“It was electric,” Killebrew said. “It’s so exciting watching offensive linemen have a field day. … It was fun watching them put on a clinic.”

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