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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