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We kick off the defensive side of the team with the pass rushers.
Discussing defensive ends is how we’ll start off the defensive half of the
Buccaneers’ all-quarter-century team.
Let’s see who makes the cut.
Edge Rusher
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1st team: Simeon Rice
When it comes to the Buccaneers getting to the quarterback, the first two names that come to mind are Lee Roy Selmon - the team’s original GOAT - and Simeon Rice.
Needing that heralded finisher to push a tough defense to another level, the team spent big in 2001 to acquire Rice in free agency after his first five years with the
Arizona Cardinals saw him rack up 51.5 sacks.
Rice ascended with the rest of the defense, as he provided lethal quarterback-hunting ability for Tampa. After his first season saw him finish with 11 sacks, he served as a true game-wrecker for the 2002 championship team. Logging 15.5 sacks, 11(!!) passes defensed, and 50 combined tackles (12 for loss), Rice received first-team All-Pro honors and a
Pro Bowl nod. He also added two sacks in the
Super Bowl.
The next three seasons were similarly fruitful despite the team as a whole largely faltering, as Rice recorded 41 more sacks, 13 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions, and 35 tackles for loss before injuries basically forced him out of the league.
Rice’s pass-rushing prowess (69.5 sacks in 7 years) would be sorely missed in Tampa for more than a decade after his departure in 2007, as the team failed to have even one player record double-digit sacks until 2018. The team will induct him into its Ring of Honor in 2025.
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2nd team: Shaq Barrett
As just mentioned, the Bucs went through a long stretch of general ineptitude when it came to rushing the quarterback, with many swings and misses at fixing the position. So ironically, one of the team’s most low-key acquisitions at the time turned out to be one of the most critical to flipping the defense around and winning its second Super Bowl.
Barrett caught on as an undrafted free agent with the Broncos and produced modestly as a rotational edge defender for four seasons (14.5 sacks) before Tampa brought him in on a 1-year deal worth $4 million in 2019. Tampa improved at the position the previous season but still needed more juice, and oh boy did Barrett provide an extra squeeze of that…or, you know, nearly 20 squeezes.
Barrett broke the team’s single-season record for sacks in a season (19.5, which also led the league), in addition to compiling 6 forced fumbles and 58 combined tackles (19 for loss), and earned second-team All-Pro, a Pro Bowl nod, and a top-five finish for Defensive Player of the Year.
In the Super Bowl year, he wasn’t quite as prolific but still a high-quality threat – he finished with 8 sacks, 57 tackles (11 for loss), and two forced fumbles. He came in clutch during the playoff run, sacking Aaron Rodgers thrice in the
NFC Championship Game and Patrick Mahomes once in Super Bowl 55.
Barrett completed his Bucs tenure with 45 sacks in 71 games, as well as 15 forced fumbles and 3 interceptions (1returned for a touchdown). An Achilles tear sadly robbed him of what could’ve been more productive golden years, but he’ll always be praised in Tampa for the work he did revitalizing the team’s defense.
Honorable mention: Jason Pierre-Paul
Barrett’s partner in crime, Jason Pierre-Paul represented Jason Licht’s first major addition to the pass rush in 2018. Having already spent eight seasons with the
New York Giants, they looked to get younger and shed salary, so off they sent Pierre-Paul to Tampa for a third-rounder and a swap of fourth-rounders.
New York’s loss was Tampa’s gain, as a reinvigorated JPP dominated all season for the Bucs en route to 58 tackles (16 for loss) and 12.5 sacks – the first double-digit mark for a Buccaneer since Rice in 2005. His presence helped lay the foundation for that defensive revitalization, and Pierre-Paul actually led the team in sacks again (9.5) during the championship season and got a Pro Bowl invite.
He finished his Bucs tenure with 52 starts and 33 sacks to go along with 8 forced fumbles and 35 tackles for loss. He would also tie Simeon Rice for most consecutive games with a sack (6). His role in ending the team’s pass-rushing woes will always be a vital element of the team’s first 25 years of the 21st century.
Defensive End
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First team: Greg Spires
Being a defensive end isn’t always about flash, which is why we have this section for guys who may have more of a reputation as salt-of-the-earth type players.
Greg Spires certainly meets that criterion. The Bucs needed more oomph opposite Rice in 2002, so they signed Spires in free agency. A sturdy player known more for his run defense than pass-rushing chops, Spires had started only 7 games for New England and Cleveland prior to his arrival.
However, Monte Kiffin’s scheme fit Spires far better than either of his previous stops, and the results spoke for themselves. Spires proceeded to start all but one game over the next five seasons for Tampa. He supplied the thunder to Rice’s lightning, as the two formed a well-suited tandem on Kiffin’s dangerous defensive line.
He peaked with his career-high of 8 sacks in 2004, and Spires managed to collect a respectable 26 total in six seasons (87 starts). Again, the results were hardly ostentatious, but you don’t start several years on a perennially elite defense if you’re not good at the role you’re asked to fill.
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Second team: William Gholston
One of two Bucs’ iron men of the modern age, Will Gholston has seen everything since he joined as a fourth-round pick in 2013.
His entire rookie deal saw him as a square peg in a round hole on some very bad teams, but once the team switched to a 3-4, he found a more natural fit and started generating more success between 2019 and 2022 when he started a majority of games he appeared in (39 out of 66).
Overall, he played 12 seasons and 186 games for the Bucs (assuming the team doesn’t re-sign him for 2024), the latter of which ranks fifth all-time behind only Dave Moore (190), Lavonte David (198 and counting), Derrick Brooks (224), and Ronde Barber (241). Gholston started 91 of those contests, compiling 20.5 sacks and 432 tackles (59 tackles for loss).
No one will ever mistake Gholston for a game-wrecker, but his steady presence through good times and bad times made him a Buc to remember.
Honorable mention: Stylez G. White
The list of quality defensive ends starts to disintegrate a bit here but we’ll give style points for Stylez G. White (formerly just Greg White).
Originally a 7th round pick in 2002, White actually spent time with the Bucs’ championship 2002 squad as a practice squad member but didn’t stick around past November of that year. His story is one of perseverance, as he bounced around several practice squads, NFL Europe, and the Arena Football League before the Bucs finally gave the 28-year-old his first true chance.
Replacing Rice was an impossible ask, but White actually led the team in sacks in 2007 with 8 despite starting only 2 games and even forced 7 fumbles. He proceeded to play 63 games total (23 starts) in four seasons, collecting 24 total sacks, 111 tackles, and 10 forced fumbles. He, along with Michael Bennett, would be the only glimpses of decent edge rush the Bucs would see through most of the period between Rice and JPP, so that’s worth something I suppose.
Any good sack memories, Bucs Nation? We’ll do defensive tackles next.
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