With Leeman Bennett taking over as head coach, the Buccaneers lost their first nine games and limped to the first of two straight 2-14 finishes under Bennett's guidance. The Buccaneers landed future Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young in the USFL dispersal draft but he failed to make much of a mark while splitting time with Steve DeBerg. Neither quarterback had much of a surrounding cast beyond James Wilder, who had another productive season with 1,300 rushing yards and a team-leading 53 receptions. The Bucs' defense, which ranked 26 out of 28 teams, missed Lee Roy Selmon (injured reserve) and Richard Wood (not re-signed) and shipped Pro Bowl linebacker Hugh Green out to Miami in a midseason trade. The '85 season included a 62-28 loss to the New York Jets, who were seeking payback for the Bucs' blatant efforts to get James Wilder an NFL record the year before, marking the most points ever allowed in a game by Tampa Bay.
