Bucs Nation
We kick off our quarter century team countdown with the backs.
The first 25 years of the 21st century contained the most successful seasons in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history – a tapestry being slowly untangled from the largely painful memories of the 1970s-90s and re-weaved into one of the more illustrious and respectable amongst the NFL at-large.
While there was still a great deal of agony, embarrassment, and general discontent from the mid-aughts through most of the 2010s, Bucs Nation has two Lombardi trophies and some all-time greats with which to revel.
Let’s do our best to pull from the history books of recent past and present to form an all-quarter-century roster to rival any other’s in the NFL.
We begin on offense with the quarterbacks and the running backs.
There’s no debate here: Tampa’s QB1 is the GOAT.
Plenty of skepticism accompanied Brady when he migrated south after 20 years and 6 championships in New England. Was he washed? Could he operate in a brand new environment without Bill Belichick’s steady, but unceasingly obstinate hand?
Well, Tampa’s first winning season in 10 years, its first playoff appearance in 13 years, and first Super Bowl win since 2002 decidedly answered those questions.
Brady played just three seasons (50 games) with the Bucs but cemented his legacy with 14,643 yards, 108 touchdown passes, and just 33 interceptions to go along with a refreshingly positive 32-18 record. He’s the team’s single-season leader in touchdown passes (43), yards (5,316), and game-winning drives (5, twice).
Brady’s helped spark a cultural rejuvenation that has transformed the Bucs into one of the most consistent franchises in the NFL within the last five years (sixth-best overall record, four straight division titles, and five straight playoff appearances). While that wasn’t solely the TB12 Method at work, it also wouldn’t have happened without his influence.
We’re pulling from recent history once again, which does go to show how dismal Tampa’s QB situation has been for the better part of this millennium. That said, it’s impossible to deny Baker Mayfield’s accolades in his short time in the bay.
His resurgence has helped the Bucs pick up seamlessly from where the Brady era left off, as Mayfield has led a prolific offense each of the last two years (earning two offensive coordinators head coach promotions in the process). In just two years, Mayfield has totaled 8,544 yards and 69 touchdowns (the latter leads the NFL in that timeframe), as well as some barreling scrambles (541 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns).
Add in two Pro Bowl nods, and Mayfield gives the Bucs the swagger and ceiling they sorely lacked for many years.
“Winning” will never be the first word that comes to mind when waxing poetic about the Jameis “eat a W” era. “Wild” is a fair descriptor, probably not as much as “wrenching,” but still fair.
The former No. 1 overall pick is the...
