We're supposed to sing about pirate-y things...

The sound of the cannons "warming up" for the game boomed from inside the stadium as Bucs fans started to gather in parking lots, local parks, and front yards.

They spread out on grass medians beneath swishing palm trees, and flocked in huge numbers to the many commercial tailgate parties featuring NFL themed games, music, and catered food.

But of course, the best food was being cooked up out on the blacktop!

Being Thanksgiving weekend, we're told the crowds were a bit thinner than they usually are. But we found some fans who were just using the holiday weekend as an excuse to keep the party going, frying a turkey and hanging out with friends and family.

Others had already embraced the spirit of the Christmas season. The Bucs were sponsoring a holiday toy drive, and as gametime approached fans could be seen carrying bags and boxes across the lot to donate for local kids.

It was definitely a family atmosphere, with lots of kids and couples enjoying the day together.

Bears fans made a good showing, too. Both the local variety, and the kind that escaped to sunny Tampa for their holiday weekend. (Let's just hope they made it out of town before the rain came on Monday!)

We saw some great food on the grills around our lot, including a tasty whisky pork loin that would have been a contender in the taste-off if it didn't disappear so darn fast.

When I asked the guys for the recipe, they staged this picture for me. Simple enough. (Who needs a pen when you've got a camera?)

Of course, the Bucs fans were in the spirit, all decked out in red, and the Bears, too, were wearing their Chicago jerseys, hats, etc.

But we found one fan who seemed, on the surface, to be a bit confused about his team loyalty. He was tailgating in a Viking jersey, complete with blond braids. But on his head he had a pirate ship instead of the customary Viking helmet.

When we stopped him to ask about his seemingly schizophrenic style, he explained that he's a "Bucs fan for the day" because the Vikings "really need the Bears to lose today."

Our Taste-off contestants again brought over some great food, and had a good time with the trash-talking.

And we discovered a great new condiment for all our tailgating favorites. Vickie from Papa Dominick's brought over a couple of jars of their Garpeno for us to try. Peppers, olives, onions, garlic... yummm... We're all hooked!

The judges taste tested MGD steak, Bailey Breakfast sandwiches, Buccaneer burgers, bratwurst and southern gumbo.

After the judges took just one bite of the gumbo, Willie Washington grabbed the Explorer Grill and announced, "I'm gonna go ahead and take my grill now. "

He might as well have. It was hard to resist one of the most beautiful bowls of gumbo we've ever seen.

With large chunks of sausage, okra, and chicken, whole shrimp and a savory broth with just enough kick, Willie had the right to boast.

And so did Tina Simon, who took second place with her Buccaneer Burger. It can be tough for a burger to get the respect it deserves, but Tina's juicy patties were packing more than just beef. She added cheese, onions, and seasoning inside, and added a new Dutch Oven Kit from Camp Chef to her tailgating gear!

We were sorry to see the Bucs lose (our record isn't looking so good anymore!), but the only real disappointment was that through all the festivities of the day we never saw a single pirate.

Yargh! What gives?