Buccaneers 2002 vs. 2020: Which is more complete Super Bowl team?
By Rob Leeds
Tampa Bay Buccaneers offenses
Eras change, and it gets difficult to compare offensive strengths and weaknesses accurately. The Buccaneers were a run-first team back in 2002, with Mike Alstott and Michael Pittman leading the charge on the ground, which is a far cry from the current offense.
Brad Johnson is no Tom Brady, and it’s worth noting that Brady already won a Super Bowl before this point in his career, just to show his insane longevity.
While pure numbers don’t work because they don’t consider the changes in throwing the football, the 2020 Buccaneer offense is far better than what the Bucs took the field with in 2002. Ronald Jones averaged 5.1 yards per carry this season and has been far better than Pittman was, and while it is hard to count out Mike Alstott on short-yardage situations, Fournette is producing at the same pace.
Alstott still brought more to the table than Fournette, especially in the passing game, but Jones brings far more than Pittman did.
Given the fact that this pass-heavy offense has been better running the football than the one that was known for actually running the football, the 2020 roster takes the lead with the better offense and strength of schedule in the playoffs.
Tom Brady has already put together the best single-season by a Buccaneer quarterback ever, and the Buccaneer wide receivers now with Mike Evans as the best receiver in franchise history are an all-time great unit.