Can the Bucs turn it around? Lets look at the two times they did; 1979 & 1997

Of course we know about the “dark ages” of Buccaneer football, those years from 1983-1996.5 where double digit losses were the norm, and an 8-8 record would have been SuperBowl Like in nature. We also know the Bucs were very famous for their 0-26 start to their existence, and how they got out of that funk. Now of course, we are rebuilding as our team got old like so many others in the NFL have. What similarities do the 2010 Bucs have in common with the other two comebacks? Lets take a look…. Quarterback-  The First generation Bucs had nothing but scrubs playing for the first two years, but then the Bucs went out and addressed the position with the no. 17 pick in the 1978 draft, getting Doug Williams from Grambling. He became the face of the franchise.  The Bucs drafted a franchise QB in 1994 from Fresno State, but Trent Dilfer never really panned out. Last year, the Bucs drafted Josh Freeman with another 17th round pick, and he will go into his sophomore season as the out and out starter in 2010. Trent Dilfer, You are the weakest link! Best QB to turn around a franchise with? Doug Williams. Running Backs- The ’79 Bucs had some backs going into the season, but Ricky Bell’s potential had not been realized because an O Line had  not yet been assembled. A fast tailback that could score from anywhere on the field was added in 1979 from Arkansas named Jerry Eckwood. In 1997, Warrick Dunn of Florida State was added and he really became another dimension added to the Bucs arsenal of weapons. The Bucs will go with Cadillac and Ward. Its unsure if another lighning type back like Clifton Smith will fit that bill. Best Back to turn a franchise around with? Warrick Dunn made a huge difference in 1997. Wide Receivers- Even today, before one second of camp underway, the wide receivers are better than ever before when building a Bucs team. The Early team had servicable receivers, then added the gifted Kevin House from the 80 draft. Tight End Jimmy Giles is the best TE to ever wear a Bucs uniform, Orange or Pewter.  The 1996 team had its share of attemps to upgrade the receiving corp; Alvin Harper has a Cowboy #2 guy who couldnt make the jump to #1, and Bert Emmanuel was a Falcon catcher who is more famous in Tampa for the catch rule named after him  in the 1999 NFC Championship game. The 2010 team has drafted two gifted receivers, and they will both be given a chance to shine. TE Kellen Winslow JR is a fantastic TE, more than the Bucs had during their Superbowl run. They  were pretty much a Dave Moore TE phenom until Jon Gruden came and brought with him Ricky Dudley after acquiring Ken Dilger via Free Agency (yes Bucs fans, the Glazers know how to spend money on free agents). Best set of WR Talent for a turn around? The Current Group has the potential. Funny how this team went from Zero WRs to possibly the best three at least from a perspective of potential. Offensive Line: The ’76-78 Bucs were a complete joke on the O line. Only by 78 had the Bucs put a decent center (Steve Wilson) and left tackle (Dave Reavis) on the line.  They added via trade Left Guard Greg Horton. But in 1979, the Bucs drafted Greg Roberts out of Oklahoma, and moved Charlie Hannah from DE to Tackle, and the move was brilliant. The Bucs had one of the biggest O lines of the day, and they dominated. Ricky Bell had 1200+ yards, and Doug Williams was sacked less than 9 times! The 1997 team had to deal with the loss of perennial guard Ian Beckles, but Gorge Diaz did just fine. Paul Gruber and Tony Mayberry were solid too, and the Bucs were a good running team in ’97 with Alsott pounding and Dunn flashing. The line gave Dilfer time to throw too. Today, the line is considered a strong point on the team, even though it did underpreform last season. However, I believe that had more to do with the instructions to lose weight and learn a zone blocking scheme, then the abandonment of that a month or so later. The loss of Aaron Sears is a tragic one, Jeremy Zuttah will have to excel, as will some of the young players that have shown potential. Best line to go into war with when you have to turn it all around? That 1979 line was dominant for its time. Of course High School Lines are about the same size these days. Defensive Line- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have ALWAYS been about DEFENSE. The first pick ever in the first draft ever was Lee Roy Selmon. The Bucs traded in ’78 for Bears DE Wally Chambers, who was supposedly washed up. Well, he was, but he had one more good year in him, and he saved it for ’79. Randy Crowder was a perfect Nose Tackle for the 3-4 of that Tom Bass defense. The ’97 team however had Brad Culpepper and Warren Sapp, with 96 draft picks Jones and Chidi Ahanato. This year, two rookie sensations will be starting a new chapter in the defensive legacy that is the Bucs Defense. Without a doubt, if you want to turn things around, you want that 1997 D line with Sapp and Pep doing the deeds inside. Linebackers- Some NFL teams have just had all the Good QBs. Some have the Running Backs. Tampa Bay has had more dominant linebackers than they could ever know what to do with. The ’79 linebackers had been the same ones as in ’78 and ’77, so they were good together. Cecil Johnson, David Lewis, Dewey Selmon and Richard Wood comprised the 4 man unit. The modern era Bucs have 3 linebackers, and 1997 featured Hardy Nickerson, and Derrick Brooks. Rufus Porter was the Sam Backer that year. The 2010 Bunch features returning youthful players Quincy Black and Geno Hayes, with Barrett Ruud coming back as the starters. Those ’79 linebackers were awesome, but Hardy Nickerson and Derrick  Brooks? are you kidding me? Thats how I’m building a new team. Secondary- Aqib Talib is the current star with Ronde Barber the only player in this list to be on two seperate lists! Myron Lewis will replace him one day but for now expects to be the nickle back. Tanard Jackson is a great safety and new Buc Sean Jones should replace Sabby Piscitelli. This is the worst of the group though, because the 97 team had John Lynch and Charles Mincy, with Anthony Parker and Ronde Barber. The class of the Bucs secondary belongs to the group that helped turn 0-26 into Worst to First: Mark Cotney was like Lynch in the way he could hit you, and Cedric Brown cleaned up balls that flew off course! Mike Washington and Jerris White were unstoppable at corner. Its these four that take tops in this list. Special Teams- Neil O’Donoghue was inconsistent at PK, and Michael Husted was only a hair or so better. Current kicker Connor Barth seems to be tbe best one of the group were speaking of. Sean Landeta was a solid punter in ’97, and Bowden has a lot of promise going into next year, but Tom Blanchard was brought in for the injured Dave Green from the Saints, and kicked the best for the Bucs going into a turn around season. So whats the point of grading the three different eras? This isnt Madden, you can’t mix and match players. What you can do though, is take a look at the teams and its players, and look at how similar they were put together just before what would become major turn around seasons for the franchise.