Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 15 greatest pass rushers in franchise history
By Dan Parzych
DT. (1995-03). Warren Sapp. 1. player. 48.
Cards on the table, is anyone really all that surprised to see Warren Sapp sitting in the top spot on this list?
Throughout his playing career in Tampa Bay, Sapp was always the face of the Buccaneers’ defense. It only took his third NFL season to earn that first trip to the Pro Bowl after finishing with 10.5 sacks.
In fact, the 1997 NFL season was the first of seven Pro Bowl honors in a row for Sapp, making Tampa Bay look even better for its decision in 1995 to use a first-round pick on the former Miami star.
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Recording 77 sacks in nine seasons with the Buccaneers is just one of many examples why Sapp deserves to be considered the best pass-rusher of all-time in Tampa Bay. It doesn’t look like anyone is going to catch his sack total soon since Gerald McCoy was the closest and is no longer with the team.
From becoming a Super Bowl champion on that amazing team from the 2002 NFL season, to eventually earning a spot in Canton for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013, Sapp finished his NFL career with plenty of great accomplishments.
Seeing Sapp end his playing career as a member of the Oakland Raiders during his final four seasons was tough for some Buccaneers fans to watch, but also he’s another one of those player they will always appreciate.
Next. Buccaneers: 30 greatest players in franchise history. dark
Without Sapp, there’s no way Tampa Bay’s defense would have been as dominant all those years. There’s a good chance of him holding on to the top spot on this list for years to come, since no current member of the Buccaneers is even close at the moment.