TAMPA, Fla. -- Excitement fizzled, and losses mounted. Optimism became despair, and hope turned to frustration.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 14 games. Coach Lovie Smith says they're close. Others in his locker room feel the same.
But 2-14 is no molehill. It's a mountain, the trek to contention rough, rocky and filled with more possible pitfalls.
Another failed free-agent class. Misses in the draft. More dreadful offense.
Would any of it surprise in 2015?
Not at all, and that's the takeaway after the Bucs wrapped up their miserable year Monday with trash bags, reflections and goodbyes all around. It was a season of failed hope after high aspirations, the stench strong enough to linger throughout winter's quiet months, the draft, training camp and into Week 1 next fall.
"The football season didn't turn out exactly the way we wanted it to," Smith said. "There's no way around that. We hadn't envisioned a 2-14 season. But what I did know is that sometime you have to first establish a foundation, which I felt like we've done. We've set a foundation for our ballclub going forward."
Smith must fall back on his vision in the coming months. He arrived in Tampa riding high on a reputation of success built from his nine-year stint with the Chicago Bears, a resume that included a Super Bowl appearance after the 2006 season. Everything about the hire seemed right. Everything about his presence seemed to sooth after a nightmare 2013, when Josh Freeman and Greg Schiano left a crater at One Buc Place's front door.
Turns out, a new failure replaced an old one. The pain is the same.
"I had to grow up even more," Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said of this fall.
"I know it's going to change from here on out. But I know how to handle losing, let me put it like that. I don't want to handle losing no more. It's time to start handling winning."
The offense's shortcomings proved to be Tampa Bay's main problem in many of those losses. The Bucs never overcame coordinator Jeff Tedford's absence after a heart procedure in August. They never overcame a weak line that produced red flags in the preseason.
Everything on that side of the ball collapsed from there, like cards tumbling in a gust of wind: Josh McCown and Mike Glennon, Doug Martin and Charles Sims. Mike Evans was a discovery. But beyond him, few others were spared.
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay's defense made strides in the season's second half. But even strong play from McCoy, named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl, and Lavonte David wasn't enough to end a long and sustained bleed.
"At the end of the day, we get paid to win, and you wish those things would happen," Bucs center Evan Dietrich-Smith said. "But it just didn't go our way this year."
So where do the Bucs go from here?
There will be the No. 1 overall pick, another free-agency class and more promises of a better tomorrow. There will be evaluations, transactions and fresh hope delivered.
But is a massive turnaround in the win column possible next year? Will a renaissance happen?
There are too many questions to say. Time will show, but the situation looks bleak.
WHAT WENT WRONG
So much, and most of the trouble happened on offense. The Bucs ranked 30th in total offense (292 yards per game), 29th in both scoring (17.3 points per game) and rushing (85.9 ypg) and 25th in passing (206.1 ypg). McCown, Smith's hand-picked choice at quarterback in free agency, was miserable in completing 184 of 327 passes for 2,206 yards with 11 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. Martin finished as the Bucs' leading rusher with 494 yards and two touchdowns on 134 carries.
LOW POINT
Two moments stick out. A 56-14 pasting by the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 and a 48-17 rout by the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6 were both surreal. The Bucs were built on the thought that strong defense and good-enough offense would lead to victories. But in those games, the Falcons and Ravens shredded the Bucs for a combined 963 yards of total offense. Tampa Bay had no chance in either face plant. The Falcons led 35-0 at halftime, and the Ravens' lead ballooned to 38-0 by the break.
WHAT WENT RIGHT
Bright spots were hard to find, but Evans turned out to be a star in the making. He led the Bucs with 1,051 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns, his highlight coming in a 209-yard, two-touchdown day in a rout over the Washington Redskins in Week 11. His production tailed off toward the end -- he was held to fewer than 50 yards receiving in five of his last six games -- but he did enough for Bucs' opponents to take notice. Evans should remain a significant part of Tampa Bay's plans in years to come.
HIGH POINT
A surprise victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4 turned out to be the Bucs' best moment. Tampa Bay took advantage of a lackadaisical effort from the eventual AFC North champions by scoring 10 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to spring the upset at Heinz Field. Glennon connected with Vincent Jackson on a 5-yard touchdown pass with seven seconds left to give the Bucs the 27-24 victory. Tampa Bay's defense rose to the occasion by dropping Ben Roethlisberger for five sacks.
MVP
Gerald McCoy, defensive tackle
In a season abbreviated because of injury, McCoy showed why he's the Bucs' best talent. He finished with 35 tackles and a team-high 8 1/2 sacks despite missing one game because of a broken left hand and two contests because of a sprained right knee. It's fair to wonder if McCoy would have passed 10 sacks for the first time in his five-year career this season had he finished healthy. Still, the year was lucrative for him. Tampa Bay locked him up with a seven-year, $95.2 million extension in October worth a possible $98 million with incentives.
FREE AGENTS
OFFSEASON QUESTIONS
1. Who will become the Bucs' offensive coordinator?
The answer could depend on what Tampa Bay does with the No. 1 overall pick. If the Bucs choose a quarterback, it would make sense for the coordinator to tailor his scheme to the rookie's strengths. One thing is clear: They need a true coordinator after this season's disaster without Tedford.
2. Will the Bucs draft a quarterback with the No. 1 pick?
Most fans will go nuts if Tampa Bay passes on Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston, if both are available. But Smith and general manager Jason Licht must be diligent with the opportunity ahead. A big choice awaits.
3. Are the Bucs in store for another torrid free-agency shopping spree?
Possibly. But should the Glazers trust Smith and Licht to evaluate the free-agent pool? The smart move would be to build through the draft, which the Bucs will try to do. But after so many misses in free agency -- McCown, Michael Johnson, Anthony Collins, Dietrich-Smith, etc. -- observers should follow Tampa Bay during free agency with caution.
4. Can Smith get it right this time?
After all the offseason change following his hire in January, Smith finds himself in a similar building position. He must hire an offensive coordinator. He must get the draft right. He must sign the right free agents. To little surprise, he's confident the Bucs are close. But 2-14 can't happen again or this time next year will include more tension.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
