It was a little over a decade ago that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on top of the football world. The Super Bowl champions had conquered with their own brand of football. On offense, conservative passing and a tough ground game. On defense, a bend but don’t break mentality and a dynamic, play-making front seven. Now the Bucs are poised to do it again, with almost exactly the same model.
Rewind to the late 90’s and you will see Tony Dungy leading the Tampa Bay sideline. This was when the Buccaneers started running a type of defensive coverage that would eventually be called the “Tampa 2” defense. In a nutshell, the principals of the defense were to keep two safeties deep, not give up any easy big plays, and let the defensive line wreak havoc on the offensive backfield. Though it was in its infancy, this idea would go on to dominate the NFL for a time. It just so happens that, new Bucs head coach, Lovie Smith was the linebackers coach for Tampa at the time.
After bringing that brand of football to the St. Louis Rams, as defensive coordinator, and to the Chicago Bears, as head coach, who is a better candidate to bring back the glory of the Tampa Bay golden age? Smith helped get both the Rams and Bears to a Super Bowl berth. He brings credibility, knowledge, and respect to a position that has desperately needed it since Jon Gruden was fired after the 2008 season.
However, Lovie can’t do it alone. Just like Dungy (and then Gruden) when the defense was among the best in the NFL, Smith needs the right players to play his brand of football. The disruptive defensive line was highlighted by Simeon Rice on the edge and Warren Sapp in the middle. The play-making linebacking corp was lead by Derrick Brooks on the weakside. While the hard-nosed secondary included John Lynch and Ronde Barber.
Using a combination of new signings and players that were already on the roster, the new regime actually resembles this very closely. They brought in Michael Johnson to bring a freakish combination of size and athleticism to the edge of the line while Gerald McCoy has always idolized and modeled his game after Warren Sapp. Lavonte David became a stud play-maker last year. He just so happens to be playing in the same weakside linebacker spot that Derrick Brooks once held. Mark Barron, Dashon Goldson, and Johnathan Banks all just happen to fit the mold of a Tampa 2 secondary.
Forget the fact that the 2014 NFL Draft is still around the corner. The Buccaneers already quietly put together a young and very promising defense. The players fit the coaches and that doesn’t even include the offense yet.
The 2002 Buccaneers offense was the perfect pairing for the stout defense they already had. A bruising rushing attack who’s motto for the season was, “Pound that rock!” was spearheaded by Michael Pittman and Mike Alstott. The underrated receiving corp included Keyshawn Johnson and Keenan McCardell. The offensive line was a functional unit pieced together with a mix of new and old players. Last but not least, veteran journeyman Brad Johnson lead the offense from under-center.
Once again, Tampa is poised to mimic the old formula. Doug Martin should return to the lineup in good health. He brings a dynamic combination of explosive quickness and power to the ground game. The receiving corp is once again underrated as it includes Vincent Jackson (who has quietly pilled up over 2500 receiving yards in two years as a Buccaneer) and the returning Mike Williams. The offensive line is coming together nicely with incumbent guard Carl Nicks being joined by new signings, Anthony Collins, Evan Dietrich-Smith, and Oniel Cousins. That adds up to one solid offensive line, and that’s putting it lightly. The only spot left is quarterback, which looks like it will be filled by Josh McCown, a 12-year veteran who was impressive as he filled in for the injured Jay Cutler last year in Chicago.
The offseason is still young and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are already looking like the second coming of the Dungy/Gruden era. The new man in charge helped build the organization once before. The current players bare an eerily close resemblance to those from the past. As another fun-fact for the superstitious, the Buccaneers just revealed new uniforms for the 2014 season. The last time they changed uniforms was when they retired the “Creamsicle” jerseys after they went 6-10 in 1996. They went 10-6 in 1997. The 2014 NFL season can’t come soon enough but until then one has to wonder: Is this too good to be true? Or is the NFL in for another rude awakening?
Image courtesy of http://www.logo-designer.co/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Tampa-Bay-Buccaneers-logo-design-NFL-Nike-2.jpg
