The Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Time Team

Buccaneers Top 10 players

Tampa Bay has had a long storied past, from the ugly orange uniforms early on to the Super Bowl victory. Buccaneer football has come a long way since those bright uniforms and fans are still loyal in the Tampa Bay area. The hopes are that soon and very soon the football team can turn things around with a passionate fan base it can happen, but let’s look at the top 10 players from the Buccaneers:

10. Doug Williams-QB

Williams claim to fame was winning a Super Bowl championship with the Redskins but his start came with Tampa Bay. With the Buccaneers, Williams led them to 3 playoff appearances and also to an NFC championship game. Williams passed for over 16,998 yards with 100 touchdowns for Tampa Bay; he will always be a prominent figure in the emergence of the Buccaneers.

9. Simeon Rice-DE

Rice is a menacing figure; his presence on the field was always known by any offense he was up against. In his years with Tampa he was Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1996 made 3 Pro Bowls, tallied 475 tackles and 122 sacks and could be Tampa’s best defensive end ever.

8. Paul Gruber-OL

Gruber was a great offensive lineman for the Buccaneers; he had a 12 year career with the Bucs and was a 3 time all-pro. Gruber was a great blocker and was consistent for that offensive line.

7. John Lynch-S

One of the hardest hitters in the NFL, Lynch was a motivator in his years with Tampa Bay. With the Buccaneers for 11 years, in his career he had 26 interceptions and 733 tackles. His best season was in 1999 with over 80 tackles, he made his presence know whenever he was on the field.

6. Warren Sapp-DT

The best defensive tackle that Tampa Bay has ever seen, Sapp was a presence in the middle. Over his career he was elected to 7 Pro Bowls, he is a member of the 90 and 2000 decade teams; he was the 1999 defensive player of the year. In his career he racked up 569 tackles and 96.5 sacks, he was a real problem in the middle for any offense.

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5. Mike Alstott-FB

Maybe the most popular Tampa Bay Buccaneer in history, Alstott was a beast at fullback. In his 12 years he was a solid Buccaneer, his best year came in 1999 where he had 949 yards with 7 touchdowns.

4. Warrick Dunn-RB

The little big man, through his battles early on in life he turned it all around to become an outstanding back for the Buccaneers. In 6 years with the Bucs, he had 1000 yards in 2 of those seasons with his best year coming in 2000 with 8 touchdowns.

3. Derrick Brooks-LB

The picture of consistency for the Buccaneers he was a solid force for a long time in the Tampa Bay area. In his career he amassed an incredible 1698 tackles, 13.5 sacks and 25 interceptions, Brooks was the emotional leader for that defense.

2. Ronde Barber-CB

A true Buccaneer, he has been with the club for over 13 seasons and looks as though he could retire as a Buccaneer. Ronde’s best year came in 2001 where he had 10 interceptions, in his career he has over 1000 tackles and the list is growing every year.

1. Lee Roy Selmon-DE

A true beast on the defensive front, Selmon best season came in 1974 where he had an incredible 18 sacks and 65 tackles. Just a few career stats: 6 time Pro Bowler, 79’ defensive player of the year, 82’ Pro Bowl MVP, 79’ defensive lineman of the year; over his career he accumulated 742 tackles and over 78 sacks.

The Bucs had great success in the late 90’s their goal is to return back to those days, but they have a long way to go. With a new head coach and a rookie quarterback it could be a few seasons before they hit the promise land again.

By Sam Adams
Pro Football Fans Staff Writer