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Buccaneers: Five Best Teams Since 2003

By Michael Horan

Dec 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins (87) shoes standing next to his helmet before the start of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins (87) shoes standing next to his helmet before the start of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 27, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) smiles as he pumps his fist against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 14-5. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) smiles as he pumps his fist against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 14-5. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Year: 2016

Record: 9-7

Pro Bowlers: Mike Evans, Gerald McCoy

The 2016 Buccaneers are the best version of the Bucs since the 2002-2003 Super Bowl victory. Yeah, I said it.

Now, I’m aware that this pick might be a bit controversial. After all, how do you rank a nine win team ahead of a ten or eleven win team? How could two playoff teams be behind a team that didn’t make it to the dance? Admittedly this is a tough sell, but let me attempt to anyways. First of all, a team’s record isn’t always indicative of how good the team is. The margin of victory in the NFL is so small that a nine win team could very easily be a seven win team or an eleven win team if not for one or two plays in a few games. That was the case with the Bucs this year, who very plausibly could have won 11 games if not for fluke debacles against the Rams and Raiders.

From a talent/personnel perspective, the 2016 Buccaneer team stacks up with all four of its counterparts on this list. They broke several team records for offensive output thanks to the explosive duo of Jameis Winston and Mike Evans, who both might already be the best Buccaneer players in franchise history at their respective positions. Cameron Brate, Adam Humphries, Charles Sims and Doug Martin all make for explosive complimentary players, while the offensive line did just well enough in both pass and run protection.

On defense we saw an athletic, well-coached unit led by Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David, Brent Grimes and Kwon Alexander, that could create turnovers and get pressure on the quarterback. Under new defensive coordinator Mike Smith there were some early season growing pains, but once the defense got healthy and comfortable they become a formidable unit that sparked a late-season playoff run. While they weren’t quite up to par with the 2005 group that had much of the Super Bowl core in place, they did enough to suggest they’ll be a deadly group in 2017.

More than anything this team just feels more cohesive and tight-knit than any other unit over the last fifteen years. There’s no Jon Gruden quarterback carousel, no rotating door of veterans at key positions, no worrying about Aqib Talib getting arrested, and no inexperienced coach out drinking with players during the week. This team is squarely focused on winning a Super Bowl to the degree that we haven’t seen in a long, long time.

Next: Buccaneer Options At Running Back

So, Buccaneer fans, what do you think? Am I crazy for thinking that this Bucs team is the best one since the Super Bowl? Let us know in the comments what your top five is!

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