TAMPA, Fla. -- When the clouds parted, Greg Schiano allowed himself an hour. That's it -- sixty minutes to enjoy his first victory this season and shed enough baggage to fill a carousel at Tampa International: The 0-8 record, 13 losses in his past 14 games, the off-the-field drama, too many near misses not to squirm.
Indeed, the sun rose in the east Tuesday, and this was no dream: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Miami Dolphins on Monday night. It was a new day at One Buc Place, one that included a break in the downpour.
"It was a good hour," Schiano said.
Granted, the 22-19 result at Raymond James Stadium changed no forecast around here. This is still a team that has underachieved with eight Pro Bowl players. This is still a team that, until Monday, found maddening way after maddening way to lose when victory appeared more than possible.
There's Week 1 against the New York Jets.
There's Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints.
There's Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals.
There's Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons.
There's Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks.
So if the Bucs were to snap out of their malaise, Monday was a fine time to do so. All the box-office names were present for Warren Sapp's Ring of Honor induction at halftime: Derrick Brooks, Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden, big No. 99 himself and more.
The Bucs' Sunday best gathered for a nod to a proud past. The current team, which entered as the NFL's last winless group after the Jacksonville Jaguars upset the Tennessee Titans the day before, did enough not to let another chance pass them by.
Disappointment averted.
"We have to continue to do that and learn through the troubles that we're having and still be able to win games while you're learning," Schiano said. "That's our goal moving forward."
You'd think an escape from Land Zero would be reason to let loose a little. But Schiano was reserved Tuesday when recounting how he marked the result, his eighth victory in 25 tries here.
How did you sleep?
"Great," he said. "But I always sleep. I'm tired."
How did you feel when you woke up?
"Tired," he said. "It was good. All good."
This season has that effect, doesn't it? It's early November, but it feels much later, like all involved have lived enough craziness to be in the season's stretch run. When Miami's last drive sputtered then stalled, when Darrelle Revis intercepted Ryan Tannehill's pass intended for Mike Wallace on fourth-and-28, RayJay breathed a collective sigh of relief. The release was a long time coming.
Not more heartbreak. Not another late-game collapse. The winless 1976 Bucs would have no new company.
"I tried to get to sleep as fast as I could," Schiano said, "because real early we got onto Atlanta."
No rest for the worn. Tuesday, after all, wasn't all sunshine. Schiano announced that rookie Mike James, who ran well in two starts in Doug Martin's absence, will miss the rest of the season after sustaining a fractured left ankle early in the first quarter Monday.
That leaves Brian Leonard, a seventh-year pro, and Bobby Rainey, a second-year player claimed off waivers Oct. 21 from the Cleveland Browns, as the next men up in the Bucs' running-back shuffle. It's not the ideal situation envisioned in training camp, but it's the hand the Bucs will live by moving forward.
"I think Bobby Rainey showed that he's a good running back," Schiano said. "And Brian Leonard is a good running back. It may not be where one guy's getting all the carries or a lion's share of the carries. We're probably going to have to mix it up a little bit."
But as Schiano added Tuesday, "Nobody cares, right?" Come Sunday, when the hobbled Falcons visit, there's a new test. There will be new opportunity, all right.
Schiano's good hour will long be over.
"I don't care who you are," he said, "as the losses mount, then that one win becomes harder and harder."
Fortunately for him, he no longer must know the feeling.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
