The 1985 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began on a hopeful note, with the hiring of Leeman Bennett as the team's head coach. A massive turnover of personnel occurred, which included the offseason career-ending injury of Lee Roy Selmon, the trade of Hugh Green, and the early-season signing of Steve Young. The numerous roster changes produced a team which, while talented, struggled in their new system. Mistake-prone play combined with a difficult early-season schedule helped the team to lose their first nine games, which eliminated them from title contention before the end of October.