The last time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the Seattle Seahawks, the Seahawks had not won a Super Bowl. And the last time they played the Seahawks at Raymond James Stadium, Pete Carroll was finishing his first season as the head coach of the Seahawks.
Comparing the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the 2013 Seattle Seahawks
Since then, the Seahawks have become the premiere franchise in the NFL by winning a Super Bowl and two NFC Championships. The Buccaneers can somewhat relate to what the Seahawks are going through right now. Seattle is experiencing the best era of their franchise.
The Buccaneers’ best era in their history has long since passed them by and they just now might be entering a new one. But the Buccaneers of the late 90s weren’t so different from the current Seahawks. The Seahawks have had the best defense in the league for the past five years. It’s been the defense that has propelled the Seahawks into a perennial championship contender, just as the defense used to win games for the Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers’ success ended rather abruptly after they won the Super Bowl in 2002, while the Seahawks appeared in the Super Bowl again in 2014. Seattle has an opportunity to last longer on top of the league, however. The only thing that could hold the Seahawks back is that Carroll is the oldest coach in the NFL. If he decides to walk away, he would be difficult to replace.
One distinct advantage that has made the Seahawks’ run better is that Russell Wilson is a much better quarterback than the Buccaneers ever had. The Buccaneers’ signal callers were Trent Dilfer, Shaun King, Brad Johnson, Brian Griese, Chris Simms, Bruce Gradkowski and Jeff Garcia.
The only question is whether the Seahawks defense is better than the Buccaneers defense. Last week, former Bucs safety John Lynch qualified as a semi-finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Buccaneers and the Seahawks play each other this week after impressive Week 11 wins. It is a great opportunity to compare two great defenses in NFL history.
Historical Context
The Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in ’02 and the Seahawks won the Super Bowl in 2013. Both defenses led their teams to blowout wins over prolific offenses. The Buccaneers blew out the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII. Rich Gannon was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at the time and he was throwing to two of the best wide receivers in NFL history in Jerry Rice and Tim Brown.
The Seahawks blew out the Denver Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII. They humiliated 2013 MVP Peyton Manning. Manning set single-season records with 55 touchdowns and 5,477 passing yards, both of which still stand.
Defensive Line
Anthony McFarland vs Brandon Mebane
Edge: Buccaneers
The Buccaneers have the clear advantage with Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp and an underrated defensive end in Simeon Rice. Sapp led the Buccaneers in approximate value twice, Rice did so once, and both were All-Pros. The defensive line for the Seahawks has been the most interchangeable part of their defense. Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril are the two best lineman they’ve had so far.
Linebackers
Alshermond Singleton vs Bruce Irvin
Shelton Quarles vs Bobby Wagner
Edge: Seahawks
Derricks Brooks could be the best defensive player to ever play the game. If not for Ray Lewis, Brooks would have been the best linebacker of his era. He led the Buccaneers in approximate value five times. He was almost good enough to swing the edge to the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers also had the great Hardy Nickerson, who was a key player in developing the Buccaneers’ defense, but he went to the Jacksonville Jaguars before the Buccaneers would win the Super Bowl. The two most underrated players on the Seahawks are Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright. They defend the pass as well as the run. It also helps that the MVP of their Super Bowl was a linebacker named Malcolm Smith who had a 69-yard interception returned for a touchdown.
Secondary
Brian Kelly vs Richard Sherman
Ronde Barber vs Brandon Browner
Edge: Seahawks
Lynch played strong safety and may have been the best along with Brian Dawkins. He was an instinctive, physical hitter and an elite tackler. Kam Chancellor plays with a similar physicality, although he is not the same skilled tackler. Chancellor is bigger and more physically gifted than Lynch, so he doesn’t need to be a great tackler. Ronde Barber was one of the most underrated cornerbacks of his time and he was even overshadowed on his own team by Sapp, Brooks and Lynch.
Richard Sherman strives to have a similar career if he can stay durable. He’s led the Seahawks in approximate value twice. Dexter Jackson earned the Super Bowl MVP, however Earl Thomas has the edge because he is not a one-hit wonder. The Seahawks secondary has also been deeper with the likes of Jeremy Lane, Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond.
Seahawks Defense Wins With Depth
The Buccaneers have two players in the Hall of Fame from that defense in Sapp and Brooks and may have two more with Lynch and Barber. It’s still too early to determine if that will be the case for the Seahawks. Sherman, Chancellor and Thomas are still young, but they are creating a historic legacy by winning one Super Bowl and being a goal-line possession away from winning another. They should have another chance to win a Super Bowl this year in a weak NFC. The key for their legacy is to stay together on the Seahawks.
The Buccaneers had better individual players in their brief window, but they weren’t able to keep players like Sapp, Lynch, Nickerson or cornerback Donnie Abraham, who also departed before the 2002 season to build a cohesive unit. The Buccaneers also changed head coaches. Tony Dungy built the defense and they made playoffs four out of the six seasons he was the coach. They kept the defense and went to the offensive-minded Jon Gruden and it made the difference for one year. But since then, the Buccaneers have made the post-season just two times.
They may finally break that drought this year as they are 5-5, and one game behind the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South. They have a challenge at home against the Seahawks, who are 7-2-1 and in first place in the NFC West.
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