Gary Huff ~The Magic Dragon~ was on the verge of leading the winless Bucs into overtime against the Broncos when he was picked off by safety Bill Thompson. Huff, in spite of lacking attributes, had worked his magic up until that point, lofting loafing balls that covered receivers were gobbling up. Prior to the pick Huff was 9/15 on the day. His main target was Morris Owens, who managed 141 yards on 6 grabs and a TD, but even the likes of TE Dana Nafziger puzzled the crowd by leaping up amidst a crowd of Denver defenders to haul in a 23 yard pass.

The Broncos were favored heavily by everyone it seemed, save for their own coach. In the first quarter the Denver defense quickly put the brakes on the Buc offense, forcing a punt, and then followed with an equally fast scoring drive, culminating in a Craig Morton 35-yard TD pass to Rick Upchurch.

After the score Coach Slimstud uttered, `It`s going to be that easy all game,` whereby Cheapcatch replied, `Don`t jinx it.` Cheapcatch knew some funny business was in the air, and his occupation with the orange and yellow creamsicle curse was confirmed when Slim added, `I`m trying to.` The Bucs marched down the field on their next possession, tying the game at seven. From then on the Bucs and Broncs were locked in a struggle that would not be undone until 39 seconds remained in the 4th quarter.

It was the Bucs who initially were on the brink of taking the late lead, until the Denver defense stiffened, forcing a long FG that fell short. From there Denver made no hesitations about skying it out to Haven Moses. Moses would finish the day with 5 catches for 145 yards and the game winning 45 yard TD. Craig Morton, meanwhile, had easily his best game of the season completing 7 of 12 passes for over 200 yards and 2 TDs.

Indeed Denver escaped with a victory, becoming the third team to reach (3-0), but no matter the outcome, the magic of Huff cannot be undone. Al Davis famously remarked, `Just win baby.` To that the Bucs may stand beside Davis, in the halls of timely quotations, remarking: `Huff, Huff, Pass mutha******.`

The score was 14-7 in favor of the 49ers. It was the start of the second half of play and the Buccaneers found themselves at a crossroads. So Coach Slim called for the field goal to make the score 10-14. Desperate for wins, the Buccaneers faithful booed the decision on the field, than watched to see if the creamsicle warriors would screw up another game.

To the crowds surprise, the FG was a fake! Gary Huff pulled the ball up and threw a laser past coverage and right into the hands of Morris Owens in the endzone. The game was tied, but more importantly it led to 21 unanswered points for the stunning victory against the 49ers. On the ensuing kickoff, 49ers returner Stan Black coughed up the ball inside the 49er 10 yard line and the Bucs recovered.

The next score capped off an unlikely 14 points in 30 seconds. Morris Owens said of the series of plays: I have never seen anything like it, all year we had been the team making those killer mistakes. This time it felt great to be on the good side. The Bucs improve to 2-10 heading into a Lions squad without starting QB Greg Landry.

No Movie (Yet)

This is a series that will feature clips from Fake NFL games, and commentary of players and teams of the current Tecmo Legacy League, designed to bring further familiarity to the 16-bit replicas we already know and love. 

In the first installment, the fledgling Bucs head to Minnesota. Can Tampa Bay finally make a solid name for themselves, or will it be more of the folly filled Bucs? Maybe a little of both. Check out the short game recap below.