Five guys that deserve Buccaneers’ Ring of Honor recognition
By Bailey Adams
No. 5: Simeon Rice
Simply as one of the biggest pieces of the Bucs’ 2002 Super Bowl season, Simeon Rice deserves to at least have his name in the conversation here. But add to that what he did in the rest of his time with Tampa Bay and you get a resume that is completely worthy of the Ring of Honor recognition. His No. 97 may not be retired as the numbers of Selmon, Sapp and Brooks were, but his name should be up in Raymond James Stadium.
In that magical 2002 season, Rice was a major part of that renowned defense. He finished the year with 15 1/2 sacks, anchoring the defensive line along with Sapp. That defense was the best in the league and one of the best ever. The Illinois product was solid in the playoff run as well, tallying one sack in each of the first two games before racking up two in the Super Bowl.
What makes Rice’s Tampa Bay career so special, though is that 2002 was just one part of an impressive run of consistency. The 15 1/2-sack year he had in 2002 was his second straight season of double-digit sacks. He went on to finish with double-digit sacks in 2003, 2004 and 2005. That made for five consecutive seasons with 10-plus sacks to start his Tampa Bay career. His 69 1/2 sacks as a Buc have him third all-time among franchise leaders. The first two on the list? Lee Roy Selmon and Sapp, who are both already in the Ring of Honor. It’s time for Rice to be included too.