The Buccaneers have been a pretty great team in recent years, although for a couple of years, Brady was to thank for their success. However, Brady is not the only legend to be the reason the Bucc’s influenced the FanDuel NFL spreads.
The Buccaneers joined the NFL in 1976, and they were short on success at first, losing 26 games between 76 and 77. They ended up winning two Super Bowls after the turn of the Century.
In this time, when they have reaped the most success, they have had some awesomely talented players. Let’s take a look at some of these awesome players who have influenced the game so much!
Derrick Brooks
Firstly, we have Derrick Brooks, an 11-time Pro Bowler, selected for 9 All-Pro seasons and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2002. Many would call him the greatest Buccaneer of all time. He was a linebacker, playing his whole career with Tampa Bay for 14 whole seasons. As well as his aforementioned achievements, he was also a key component of the Bucc’s first Super Bowl win in 2003.
In all the games of the playoffs that year, he made 2 interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, 17 tackles, and a fumble victory. He has the most tackles at 1,300, the second-highest count of defensive touchdowns at 7, the fourth-highest tackles for a loss at 68, and the fifth-most interceptions at 25.
Warren Sapp
Warren Saap was a 7 time Pro Bowler and made 6 All-Pro selections while also being the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 1999. Warren played for the Bucs for most of his career but also spent his last seasons with the Raiders.
Sapp was a defensive tackle, playing with the Bucc’s from 95-03. Sapp was present for the franchise’s Super Bowl run in 2003, and during this, he had 5 tackles and 1.5 sacks in the postseason alone. Sapp has the second most sacks in the franchise at 77, sixth in tackles for loss at 64, and fifth in forced fumbles.
Lee Roy Selmon
Lee Roy Selmon was the 1979 Defensive Player of the Year, selected for five All-Pro seasons, and was a 6 time Pro Bowler. He also played defense as a defensive tackle, playing all of his 9 seasons in the NFL with the Buc’s. He was with Tampa from the start of their franchise, and while the team did not have an impressive amount of success during this time, he put up some awesome numbers himself.
Selmon has the most sacks in the history of the franchise with 78.5 and is tied for tenth in fumble recoveries with 10. He ranked high in tackles and tackled for losses. However, these stats were not recorded until 1994/1999.
Mike Alstott
Mike Alstott made 4 All-Pro Selections, was a 6-time Pro-Bowler and made the most rushing touchdowns in the history of the franchise. Alstott is the first offensive player we have mentioned and played all his seasons with the Buccaneers, from 1996 until 2006. He was an incredible player from the get-go, enough to shift NFL odds all on his own.
He finished third in the Offensive Rookie of the Year votes in ‘96. He rushed 100 yards and scored 4 rushing touchdowns in 3 playoff games in 2003 alone. Alstott scored the most rushing touchdowns with 57 total; he also rushed for the second-highest yardage at 5,088 and played in the 3rd most amount of games with 158.”
John Lynch
Yet another member of the 2003 Tampa Bay Super Bowl team, Lynch, has 4 All-Pro selections, is a 5 time Pro Bowler, and was a champion of the Super Bowl in 2003. Lynch was safety and defensive back from ‘93 until ‘03. In the playoffs of 2003, Lynch defended 2 passes and made 10 total tackles over the postseason.
Lynch comes 6th in interceptions with 23, 5th in total tackles with 541, fifth in games played with 154, and 8th in passes defended with 42. Lynch played for four years to end his career with the Broncos. He was still recognized for his play and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in ‘21.
Mike Evans
Mike Evans is a four-time Pro Bowler, an All-Time franchise leader in receiving yards with 9,301, and was All-Pro in 2016. Evans has been with Tampa Bay as a wide receiver since 2013 and was a key player as they ran to the Super Bowl in 2021. In those 4 playoff games, Evans made 11 catches for 204 yards, scoring 2 touchdowns in the four playoff games of that season.
In his first season, he also came third in the Offensive Rookie of the Year votes. On the receiving list for Tampa, Evans has the most yards of all time, which is the most in franchise history. He also has the most receptions at 606, the most receiving touchdowns with 75, and the most yards per game with 76.2!
Overall
These are the greatest Tampa Bay Buccaneers of all time. While Tampa Bay did not do so well in the last season, they might surprise us in the 2023-2024 season!
