Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or as many fans like to call them, the Bucs were established during the NFL expansion in 1976. The Bucs are headquartered in One Buccaneer Place located in Tampa, Florida; where the stadium they play their home games in is also located, the Raymond James Stadium. They have had a bumpy history, going back and forth from winning seasons to losing seasons, but along the way they have been able to make their mark on the NFL. The team colors are Red, Pewter, Black, White, and Florida Orange, but they hardly ever wear the alternate uniform that has the Florida Orange. Their mascot is Captain Fear, a fearsome pirate with black hair and a thick beard. They have been part of and playing in the NFC South since 2002, after having played in the NFC Central from 1977.

 

Bucs Brief Team History

The Buccaneers joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team that was started by Tom McCloskey, at the same time that the Seattle Seahawks did as well. When they joined they were part of the AFC West, but after a year they switched over to play in the NFC Central; they played there until 2001 where they moved to the NFC South. They had a few seasons of poor performances until 1979 when their quarterback, Doug Williams, and tight end Jimmie Giles, and running back Ricky Bell made a huge improvement on the team’s performance; they had three playoff appearances in 1979, 1981, and 1982. What followed was another few seasons of a drought; the Bucs were unable to get into a playoff until the season of 1997.

In 1996, the team was sold to Malcolm Glazer, allowing the team to stay in Tampa and increase their player roster. That year they hired Tony Dungy as the head coach, who stayed with them until 2001. During the Dungy era, the Bucs showed a lot of promise, as they were finally able to get back into the playoffs four times during his tenure; he even created an amazing Cover 2 strategy for their defence. In 2002 the Bucs acquired Jon Gruden as their new head coach. In his first year as coach, Gruden led the Bucs to win the 2002 Super Bowl. After their stunning victory came a few seasons of struggle, as the team tried to work together while their coaches were at each other’s throats. They did manage to get to three playoffs while with Gruden. By 2008 they replaced Gruden with Raheem Morris, during which time the Bucs were unable to make it back to a single playoff; which is why they have just acquired Greg Schiano to start coaching in 2012.

 

Notable Bucs Figures

Even with the ups and down that the Bucs have had throughout their history they have still been able to have several important people on their team.

 

Past Bucs Figures

 

John McKay was the Bucs head coach from the start in 1976 until 1984. He managed to convert a new franchise team, with no experience into a hard-hitting playoff contender. He took the Bucs to three playoffs, along with an excellent defense. Even though he did not get a winning record with the Bucs, he still gave them the experience to continue winning.

 

Lee Roy Selmon was a defensive end for the Bucs from 1976 to 1984 and played under coach McKay. He led the Buccaneer defense those years, during which they became one of the best defenses in the league from 1979 until 1983. He ended his career with 7422 tackles, 78.5 sacks, and 28.5 forced fumbles.

 

Tony Dungy was highly influential for the Bucs future success, as he took a losing team with no hopes of getting to the playoffs and turned them into a team that would appear in four playoffs during his time. Even if he wasn’t coach when they won the Super Bowl, he is still credited with building the team that won it.

 

Present Bucs Figures

 

Josh Freeman is the current starting quarterback for the Buccaneers and has been playing with them since 2009. In his short period playing with them, he has already surpassed the 10,000 passing yards and has thrown for 62 touchdowns. He is an accurate quarterback that also knows how to run with the ball, making him versatile on the field.

 

Doug Martin is the Buccaneers main running back, and he is in his rookie year this 2012 season. Even though he is a rookie, he is on his way to becoming a great running back. He has great speed and versatility, as he is able to run effectively with the ball and score, as well as be in a position to help the QB and catch the ball.

 

Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams are two wide receivers that you should keep your eye on. They are both very fast and are able to catch the ball under pressure. They have both been able to catch for very long yards with few receptions, meaning they take advantage of their receptions to gain yards and score. During the 2012 season, Jackson already has 5 touchdowns and Williams has 3.

 

Present Team Personnel

The current owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is Malcolm Glazer, who bought the team in 1995 when they were being sold. This was a great move not only for Glazer but for the entire Tampa Bay area and Buccaneer fans, as they kept the team in Tampa and improved the team as well. The current head coach, just hired in 2012, is Greg Schiano. He has had plenty of experience with both college and professional football and is using that experience to try and get the Buccaneers back into playoff shape.