1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It was only the third day of training camp, and already fans in Tampa were voicing their opinions about how to fix the Buccaneers' passing attack. During one of the first drills for receivers, a squeaky little voice from a few rows up in the bleachers could be heard yelling, "Hey, they aren't throwing the ball to Daddy enough! Throw the ball to Daddy!" The advice came from Sydni Emanuel, the two-year-old daughter of wideout Bert Emanuel, whom the Bucs lured from Atlanta in April with a four-year, $16.4 million deal.

Sydni shouldn't fret. Daddy will be getting plenty of chances this season in a vastly improved Tampa Bay passing game, one that provides the Buccaneers the means of overtaking Green Bay in the NFC Central.

In the last two drafts the Bucs raided the University of Florida for wideout speed, taking Reidel Anthony in the first round in 1997 and Jacquez Green in the second round this year. Not until Emanuel's arrival, however, was the last link to the franchise's pathetic, pastel past erased.

Tampa Bay's last big free-agent signee at wide receiver was Alvin Harper, who arrived from the Cowboys in 1995 with much fanfare and a $10.6 million contract and left town after two seasons with the nickname Maxwell House ("good to the last drop"). Harper's departure, though unlamented, didn't make matters much better. Despite quarterback Trent Dilfer's breakout year—his rating of 82.8 was 18 points better than his previous career high—the team still finished dead last in the NFL in passing offense in '97. Anthony, whose 35 receptions led all Tampa Bay wide receivers, had just one catch over the final four games of the regular season. The Bucs' top three wideouts had fewer receptions combined (101) than Detroit's Herman Moore (104).

Coach Tony Dungy knows what a feeble passing attack does to his team. He has seen game film of the Packers loading the line with eight defenders to stop the Bucs' run, and of Green Bay safety LeRoy Butler creeping to within two yards of the line of scrimmage. "When teams dare you to throw the ball like that, you have to be able to nail a big play and make them pay," says Dungy. "Now we've got the home run hitters. And if we can exploit one-on-one coverage on the outside, then maybe the last key for us is in place."

Emanuel may be just the man for the job. At 5'10", he is blessed with speed and silky moves; he has averaged 71 catches and 984 yards receiving over the last three seasons. What's more, the former quarterback from Rice is adept at reading defenses and anticipating passes, which gives him an uncanny ability to come up with big grabs under pressure.

The 5'11" Anthony, who bounced back from his late-season slump to catch four passes for 114 yards in the playoffs, will start opposite Emanuel. When Dungy needs size for blocking or wants a bigger lineup, he can rotate in veteran Horace Copeland (6'3"), and to help keep a possession going he can call on Karl Williams (17.1 yards per catch on third down). As for Green, he'll see most of his action at first on special teams.

"A Steady Eddie passing game isn't good enough to get this team where we want to go," says Dilfer. "Because of our run-oriented offense, when it's time to pass, everyone in America knows we're going to throw the ball. So we usually need that great catch under pressure. Now we have the players who can do it. This offense is ready to kick butt."

The big leap for Emanuel will be to adjust to the fact that a huge year in the Buccaneers' offense might mean only 60 catches, and that his primary job is to help prevent opponents from loading up to stop the Bucs' run. The thrust of the Tampa Bay attack will again be the formidable one-two rushing punch of Warrick Dunn, the 1997 NFL rookie of the year, and Mike Alstott, who has morphed from a traditional fullback into a kind of bulldozer back with speed and soft hands.

The upgrade at wideout will benefit not only the offense but also the Bucs' swarming D, which held opponents to 16.4 points per game in '97. "One reason our defense plays great is because of what the offense does for them," says Dilfer. "We eat up huge chunks of the clock, and we win the field-position battles. So they go out there rested and in good position."