Buccaneers 2002 vs. 2020: Which is more complete Super Bowl team?

Buccaneers 2002 vs. 2020 most complete roster

As far as Super Bowl teams are concerned, the Buccaneers are lucky to have two of the best during the 21st century. There have been numerous Hall of Fame-caliber players on each roster, and the Bucs are in a great position to repeat earn back some of the respect they won from their first championship.

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While the recency bias is a danger in comparisons like this, the current iteration of the Buccaneers is far more complete than the one that hoisted the Lombardi Trophy back in 2003. Keep in mind, more complete does not mean or imply better.

At its best, the current Buccaneer team is a top-ten offense and defense when it’s clicking. Tom Brady is the best quarterback of all time and makes a compelling case as the best in team history, so the early team’s offense has no answer for that side of the ball against the 2020 team.

The defensive side of the ball is certainly in favor of the 2002 team, but the offense drags down that team’s “completeness” rating. The defense in ’02 was so much better than the offense that it makes this years’ competence on both sides of the ball seem foreign to a Buccaneer playoff team.

The current team still has one more win to pull off before they truly get a seat at the table, but it’s time to stop pretending these teams aren’t at least a very close comparison at worst.

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