Buccaneers: History Begins to Repeat Itself in Tampa Bay
History has started a return to Raymond James stadium, and for Buccaneers fans, that isn’t a bad thing.
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A philosopher/poet named George Satayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it”. For the Buccaneers, however, that isn’t so bad.
The Bucs have had a history of defense, even in the lean years. Lee Roy Selmon might not have been around for many wins, but he was around for some strong defensive play. The defense led the team to the Super Bowl title in 2002.
Well, folks, take a look at these numbers:
Points per game allowed: 13.3 (rank 1st)
Takeaways: 11 (rank 1st)
Passer rating allowed: 67.3 (rank 1st)
Third-down percent: 28.9 (rank 2nd)
Sacks: 12 (rank 5th)
Yards per game allowed: 300.3 (rank 5th)
Are those the numbers from 2002? Nope. According to the NFL, they are the current Bucs defensive rankings since week ten. It’s no coincidence that since week ten, the Bucs are undefeated. It’s how it works down here in Tampa.
Now look at these numbers from 2002:
Points per game allowed: 12.2 (rank 1st)
Interceptions: 31 (rank 1st)
Sacks: 43 (rank 5th-tied)
Yards per game allowed: 252.8 (rank 1st)
Very, very interesting, wouldn’t you say?
That team boasted players like Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, and Simeon Rice that rushed the quarterback with a vengeance. Currently, we have Gerald McCoy, Noah Spence, and Robert Ayers to lead the way.
In the glory days, the Bucs had a young player on the outside named Ronde Barber. Today, the focus is on Vernon Hargreaves. Barber wasn’t a rookie at the time, but he was a growing star. Hargreaves is early in the process, but he is headed in that direction.
Now am I saying that the Bucs are all the way there? Of course not. The growth is in the far earlier stages. But, they are on their way. On their way to something special.