Tag: Derrick Brooks

29 years ago today, Bucs made NFL draft history

The Bucs’ 1995 draft class will always go down as one of the best in NFL history

Only one time in NFL history has a team picked two Hall of Fame defenders in the first round of the same draft.

It was 1995, the team was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

At the No. 12 overall pick, the Bucs landed Miami defensive lineman Warren Sapp. At the 28th overall selection, Tampa Bay stayed in-state once again with Florida State linebacker Derrick Brooks.

Sapp and Brooks became two of the best players in NFL history at their respective positions, and helped change a losing culture in Tampa Bay, a transformation that culminated with the team’s first Super Bowl win back in 2002.

Those two selections continue to live on as one of the best drafts in NFL history, and easily the most important one the Bucs have ever had.

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ESPN ranks both Bucs’ Super Bowl teams in all-time list

ESPN ranked every championship winner of the Super Bowl era, and both Bucs teams placed fairly high on the list.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the lowest win-loss percentage in NFL history. Despite this, Tampa Bay has two Super Bowls to its name.

The Bucs put together two of the most impressive Super Bowl victories in recent history − both in pretty lopsided fashion. How does each Tampa Bay championship team rank among all 58 Super Bowl winners? Here’s what ESPN writer Aaron Schatz thinks:

2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers had nearly all the pieces to call themselves a championship-caliber team. They just needed a quarterback.

So when the Bucs made a splash in free agency and won over QB Tom Brady, they found the final missing piece of the puzzle. Brady hoisted Tampa Bay to its first playoff appearance since 2007, and eventually led the way in a 31-9 Super Bowl victory against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Schatz ranked the Bucs’ 2020 Super Bowl team as the 20th-best championship team of all time. Here’s what he said about the team:

“The Buccaneers were fourth in total DVOA for 2020 although they would have been No. 1 without a single game, a 38-3 stomping at the hands of the Saints in Week 9. Overall, the Bucs were third on offense and fifth on defense.”

Schatz made sure to give credit to the massive turnaround Tampa Bay made after their bye week. The Bucs were 7-5 and won the final four games of the regular season, and then, of course, swept the playoffs.

2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Everything finally came together during the Bucs’ first Super Bowl-winning team. After letting go of HC Tony Dungy in the offseason and trading a first-round pick for former Raiders HC Jon Gruden, Tampa Bay found its footing in the playoffs. The Bucs arguably had one of the best defenses of all time and earned the No. 14 spot amongst championship teams by ESPN.

Here’s what Schatz wrote about the 2002 Bucs:

“This team ranked only 22nd in offensive DVOA. But the Bucs had the best pass defense DVOA ever put up in a full nonstrike season, and the third-best total defense in DVOA history behind the 1991 Eagles and 1986 Bears. Both sides of the ball worked together well once the Bucs got to the postseason, as they won by an average margin of 23.0 points per game.”

Tampa Bay cleared through the NFC, winning 31-6 against the 49ers and 27-10 against the Eagles. Led by 2002 Defensive Player of the Year Derrick Brooks, the Bucs stomped the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in the Super Bowl.

Tampa Bay defensive back Dwight Smith logged two pick-sixes off Rich Gannon, and Bucs WR Keenan McCardell caught two touchdown passes from QB Brad Johnson.

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Florida State announces plans to retire Jameis Winston’s college jersey

Florida State announced plans to retire Jameis Winston’s college jersey at Saturday’s game versus North Alabama:

Now this is cool: Florida State announced plans to retire Jameis Winston’s college jersey at Saturday’s game versus North Alabama, recognizing the New Orleans Saints quarterback for his accomplishments in Tallahassee. Winston led the school to a 14-0 record and a Rose Bowl win back in 2013, setting the stage for a College Football Playoff run in his 2014 sophomore season.

Winston only played two years at Florida State, but he left with the fourth-most career passing yards (7,964) and second-most touchdown passes (65) in school history, plus a 26-1 record.

And now, a decade since he turned pro, Winston will see the jersey he wore honored in an exclusive group. He’s just the eleventh player to earn this recognition at Florida State, joining the likes of Fred Biletnikoff, Derrick Brooks, Terrell Buckley, Warrick Dunn, Marvin Jones, Deion Sanders, Ron Sellers, Ron Simmons, Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke.

Good for him. Winston’s jersey will be retired in a ceremony at the end of the first quarter in Saturday’s home game at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. It’s also senior night, and kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT with television coverage on The CW network.

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27 Days, 27 Picks: LB Derrick Brooks

Our second-to-last player in our series is perhaps Tampa Bay’s greatest legend.

In 27 Days, 27 Picks, Bucs Wire will analyze the last 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round draft picks, one for each day leading up to the 2023 NFL draft. We’ll take a look at the player’s college stats, their pre-draft numbers (either via the NFL Combine or their Pro Day), their NFL stats, some player footage and analysis at the end on whether the pick itself was a good one.

Our next player, like our last one, is a man who needs no introduction — he’s probably Tampa Bay’s greatest NFL export.

Here’s the draft rundown on [autotag]Derrick Brooks[/autotag]:

Grading ceremonial first pitches from current and former Bucs players

As the Tampa Bay Rays are set to play on opening day, we wanted to see which Bucs players threw the best opening pitches on the mound at Tropicana.

It’s opening day, and there’s baseball in Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay Rays are set to host the Detroit Tigers for some MLB action on Thursday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, so that got us thinking — of all the former and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers players who got the opportunity to throw out a first pitch, who did the best? So we at Bucs Wire did the natural thing: We rounded up as many videos as we could of current and former Bucs players throwing a first pitch and graded them on the result.

So without further ado, here are five opening pitches from current or former Buccaneers at the Trop and our opinion on how they did:

WATCH: Bucs Hall of Famers congratulate Rondé Barber on his induction

Check out this awesome tribute video for Rondé Barber from his Hall of Fame teammates

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have another Hall of Famer, as legendary defensive back Ronde Barber will be the next member of the franchise to be enshrined in Canton.

To celebrate the occasion, the Bucs released a video of Barber’s Hall of Fame teammates congratulating him on the game’s highest honor.

Watch the video above to see Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, Warren Sapp and Tony Dungy welcome Barber to football heaven.

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Rondé Barber’s Hall of Fame nod cements legacy of Bucs’ 2002 defense

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ championship defense of 2002 now boasts four Hall of Fame players

The ’85 Bears? Three Hall of Fame defenders.

The 2000 Ravens? Two.

Only the “Steel Curtain” defense of the Steelers in the 1970s boasted four gold jackets until the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ championship unit from 2002 joined them Thursday night.

Ronde Barber is No. 4 for that Bucs defense, joining former teammates Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, and John Lynch in Canton as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2023 class.

A semifinalist for six years, and a finalist the last three, Barber finally broke through, as his rare combination of versatility, big-play ability, and longevity was recognized at long last by the voters.

Anyone who watched the Bucs’ defense that year should remember their rare dominance, which included being the first unit to lead the league in total defense, points allowed, and interceptions since that 1985 Bears squad. Tampa Bay allowed an opponent passer rating of just 48.4, which was slightly higher that what the rating would be if that opposing quarterback spiked the ball into the ground on every snap (39.6). They scored nine defensive touchdowns that year, playoffs included.

That dominance culminated in one of the most epic Super Bowl performances in history. Despite facing the NFL’s No. 1 offense, Tampa Bay steamrolled their way to their first Lombardi Trophy, intercepting league MVP Rich Gannon a Super Bowl-record five times, returning three for touchdowns in a 48-21 victory.

That’s right, the Bucs’ top-ranked defense actually outscored the NFL’s top-ranked offense in the Super Bowl. One of the Oakland Raiders’ three garbage-time touchdowns came on a blocked put, leaving Gannon and the offense with just two trips to the end zone, compared with three for the Tampa Bay defense.

It was the exclamation point on one of the most dominant seasons the NFL has ever seen from a defense, a group that had future Hall of Famers at every level: Sapp in the trenches, Brooks in the middle, Lynch on the back end, and Barber literally everywhere in between.

There’s even a strong case to be made for Simeon Rice, a disruptive edge rusher who racked up 122 career sacks in 12 seasons, for his own spot in football heaven.

But now that Barber is finally getting his bronze bust, that 2002 Bucs defense can fully take its rightful place as one of the greatest in NFL history.

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WATCH: Rondé Barber gets the Hall of Fame knock from Derrick Brooks

Watch the moment Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Rondé Barber finds out he’s going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

It took a while, but Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Rondé Barber is finally going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The official announcement came Thursday night during the “NFL Honors” event in Phoenix, as Barber joins the Hall of Fame’s 2023 class, which will officially be inducted this fall in Canton.

An revolutionary ironman and dynamic playmaker who spent all 16 of his NFL seasons with the Bucs, Barber got the knock that every player hopes to get at some point after their playing days are over, and his came from a familiar face in former teammate (and now fellow Hall of Famer) Derrick Brooks:

Barber now joins Brooks, Warren Sapp, and John Lynch as members of the Bucs’ 2002 championship defense in Canton, as well as Bucs legend Lee Roy Selmon, the team’s first Hall of Famer.

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Broncos QB Russell Wilson named a global flag football ambassador

Russell Wilson’s efforts to spread the game of football worldwide takes him into a new role as a global ambassador of flag football.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has been named part of the first team of Global Flag Football Ambassadors in a joint statement released by the NFL and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).

“The National Football League (NFL) and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) today announced the first team of Global Flag Football Ambassadors to champion, amplify and support the long-term growth of the game worldwide,” the statement reads.

In addition to Wilson, other ambassadors include Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks, former New England Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest, current Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp and former groundbreaking NFL assistant coach Katie Sowers.

“The Flag Football Ambassadors team will support the combined global efforts of the NFL and IFAF to increase awareness, interest, and participation in flag football internationally and drive forward the development of the game,” the release says of Ambassadors’ responsibilities. “Currently played by men, women, boys, and girls of all ages in more than 100 countries around the world, flag football is poised for even greater expansion as the cornerstone of the NFL’s domestic and international participation and development strategies.”

Wilson is no stranger to being active in the world of flag football. In February 2021, Wilson was named as a Co-Owner and Chairman of NFL FLAG, and was the face of flag football in Washington before his trade to the Broncos.

“I have always been a big fan of flag football which is why I started leagues in Seattle,” Wilson said in the statement. “It is the ultimate team sport that combines fitness, creativity and strategy in a fast, fun and exceptionally exciting format. The skills and competitiveness at the elite level are truly next level and really showcase everything that is great about the sport.”

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Texans LB Christian Harris points to Buccaneers’ Derrick Brooks, Lavonte David for Tampa 2 success

Houston Texans LB Christian Harris knows how Derrick Brooks and Lavonte David excelled in the Tampa 2 and hopes to have similar success.

Christian Harris is very aware of the Tampa 2 defense.

The Houston Texans’ third-round pick from Alabama knows that the Cover 2 defense that originated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1990s under coach Tony Dungy is a chance for linebackers to shine and have fabulous careers.

The fact that Harris gets to play for coach Lovie Smith with the Texans, who are in their second year deploying the defense, has the 21-year-old fired up.

“Just hearing about the history of the linebackers that have been in this similar defense and have had success like Derrick Brooks and Lavonte David,” Harris told reporters on May 13 inside NRG Stadium during rookie minicamp. “I mean those are two guys I’ve watched a little bit.”

Brooks and David are also guys Smith coached a little bit. From 1996-2000, Smith was the linebackers coach for the Bucs, and Brooks added two of his five first-team All-Pros during that span along with four of his 11 career Pro Bowl selections.

Smith had his hands on David as the Bucs’ coach from 2014-15. For 30 games, David generated 186 combined tackles, 27 tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, 4.0 sacks, 17 pass breakups, six forced fumbles, and three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. David earned his lone Pro Bowl selection following the 2015 campaign.

Harris has the confidence that wherever the Texans ask him to play among the three linebacker spots, he will fulfill Smith’s expectations.

“I think in my spot and my role, whatever they want me to do, I feel like I can have a high success rate with that and be very successful, so I want to keep that going,” said Harris.

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