This choice was questioned by many, as there was still an element of society who claimed that a black quarterback was not mentally capable of winning in the NFL, and prejudice is believed to have been a factor in Williams having been drafted as low as seventeenth.
[1] Second-year tight end Jimmie Giles, part of the trade that landed Williams, emerged as the Buccaneers’ first receiving threat and still holds several of their scoring records.
[2] Offseason coaching changes led to continued accusations of disorganization, as vice-president of operations Ron Wolf resigned, citing only "personal matters".
[3] This renewed speculation that head coach John McKay, who replaced Wolf with two of his own longtime assistants, was trying to consolidate front-office power.
[10] Council Rudolph, the only player who had started in all 28 of the Buccaneers’ games to date, was made expendable by the trade and was dealt to the Miami Dolphins for a draft pick.
[12] Unlike the previous year, when it was made clear early on that Ricky Bell was to be their choice, the Buccaneers kept quiet about who they might draft, further fueling speculation about a trade.
[13] Tight end was considered to be the Buccaneers’ single greatest need, with Ken MacAfee of Notre Dame often mentioned as a likely draft target.
The Buccaneers’ 3rd-, 4th-, and 6th round picks were traded to the Oakland Raiders for guard Dan Medlin, tackle Jeff Winans, and linebacker Rik Bonness, respectively.
Representatives of several other teams, including Green Bay Packers coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr, called the Buccaneers to congratulate them on his selection.
[21] McKay pointed out that many of the previous year's quarterback sacks had been the result not of offensive line breakdowns, but of failure of running backs to pick up blitzes.
Holmes, who was once involved in a shotgun standoff with police after an incidence of acute paranoid psychosis, was traded for on the understanding that his personal problems were behind him.
[26] Doug Williams’ first preseason pass, a 75-yard incompletion that sailed 10 yards past receiver Isaac Hagins, drew a standing ovation from the Tampa Stadium crowd.
[28] Johnny Davis and Jimmy DuBose performed so well in the preseason that newly acquired fullback Don Hardeman was sent to the Baltimore Colts for a future draft pick.
[32] The team's regular-season opener against the New York Giants marked the first time that Las Vegas oddsmakers favored the Buccaneers to win, with Jimmy the Greek naming them as 1-point favorites.
The Atlanta Falcons, who in 1977 had set an NFL record for fewest points allowed, held the Buccaneers to no first downs and one pass completion in the first half.
The Falcons were caught sitting on a 2-point lead when the Buccaneers put together a 57-yard fourth-quarter drive, capped by a touchdown pass from Doug Williams to Jim Obradovich, to win the game.
Mike Washington scored on a blocked field goal, and a Ricky Bell fumble led to Steve Bartkowski's 5-yard pass to Al Jackson.
[61] The Buccaneers ran out the clock by holding the ball for the final five minutes of the game, something coach McKay didn't think the team would be able to do against the Atlanta defense.
The Buccaneers, playing with the goal of keeping the Kansas City Chiefs’ Wing-T offense on the bench as much as possible, held them to little more than half of their regular rushing average.
A fourth-quarter Tony Adams pass was ruled a touchdown, although replays showed that receiver Henry Marshall failed to keep both of his feet inbounds.
[75] Ricky Bell, until recently seeing primary duty blocking for Jimmy DuBose, returned to his lead runner spot and gained 95 yards on 28 carries.
[76] Dave Lewis intercepted Bob Avellini twice in the final two minutes, and the Buccaneers’ defense held Walter Payton to a season-low 34 yards rushing in the Bears’ fifth consecutive loss.
[80] Tampa Bay's uncharacteristic move to a man-to-man defense left Steve Odom open to catch Whitehurst's 18-yard pass on a fourth down during that drive.
[83] Although the Rams were not on McKay's list of 18 teams that he felt the Buccaneers were competitive with,[84] Tampa Bay rallied to a 23–23 fourth-quarter tie before losing on a late Frank Corral field goal.
Again playing without their entire starting backfield, the Buccaneers outgained Green Bay in several major offensive statistics, including a 321–173 yardage advantage, but were outscored by the Packers.
George Ragsdale, Johnny Davis, Jim Obradovich, Neil O'Donoghue, and Danny Reece were also injured during the game, which left the Buccaneers with only three running backs on the roster.
[98] The Packers scored on a 10-yard David Whitehurst pass to James Lofton, a 27-yard Chester Marcol field goal, and a 1-yard Barty Smith run.
In a meeting between the NFL's two worst offenses, the San Francisco 49ers’ Ray Wersching kicked a fourth-quarter field goal to win the first game in which the Buccaneer defense held their opposition without a touchdown.
The previous week's injury to Neil O'Donoghue became an issue, as Green's limited range prevented the Buccaneers from attempting potential game-winning or -tying field goals.
The boredom of the game was such that one of the coaches spoke of setting himself on fire on the sideline, prompting a Buccaneer publicist to request that the team band be ready to play "You Light Up My Life".