Tom Brady, Warren Sapp and Mike Evans are just a few of the outstanding players who have played for the Buccaneers and led the team to two Super Bowl victories. But there are even more players you need to know. And on all of them you can bet using the new 22Bet login.
John Lynch
Fourth on the list of the best players in Bucs history is the legendary strong safety, John Lynch. John Lynch was a big, strong and smart defender who was willing to come into the box and make tackles against running backs or drop back in coverage to make plays on the ball while in the air.
‘A hard-hitting safety, Lynch was a cornerstone of the Buccaneers‘ defence and was known for his toughness and leadership on the field,’ NFL Draft Diamonds explains.
Lynch was the leader of the secondary and arguably the smartest player on the field at any given time – both offensively and defensively. After retiring, John Lynch became general manager of the San Francisco 49ers and is arguably one of the best roster builders of all time. However, none of this would have been possible without an outstanding career as a member of the Bucs defence.
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‘The nine-time Pro Bowl safety led the secondary in the team’s best years. Lynch represented the Buccaneers in five Pro Bowls and earned two First-Team All-Pro honours. After 11 seasons with the Bucs, he ranked fifth in team history in games played (164), sixth in starts (132), fifth in tackles (973) and sixth in interceptions (23). Lynch also had a reputation as a ‘closer,’ someone who regularly made plays late in the game to ensure victory,’ notes the Tampa Bay Times.
Lynch led the secondary for the legendary Tampa Two defensive scheme of the late 1990s and early 21st century. When it counted, John Lynch was at his best. Lynch was born in Hinsdale, Illinois, a small suburb of Chicago, before growing up in California. That led to Lynch playing his college football at Stanford University before he was eventually selected by the Bucs in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. Lynch was known for his instincts as well as his toughness and ball-recognition skills, making him the ultimate strong safety.
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‘Lynch was selected to nine Pro Bowls and was a two-time All-Pro choice. To say Lynch was a hard-hitting safety would be a huge understatement. But he wasn’t just a head kicker, he was smart and almost always in position to make the play,’ adds The Grueling Truth.
Mike Alstott
Closing out the list of the best players in Bucs franchise history is one of the most popular offensive players to ever suit up in Tampa – Mike Alstott. He was a fullback who could easily play running back, and he was one of the last of his kind. ‘Alstott was a big part of that Super Bowl-winning team twenty years ago. He caught 5 passes for 43 yards and scored a touchdown. The 6-foot-1, 250-pound battering ram picked up six Pro Bowls and three First-Team All-Pro awards as a Buc. He was a loaded load coming right at opponents. The A-Train finished his career in 2006 after 11 years with Tampa Bay,’ writes BVM Sports.
‘It will be hard to find a fullback like Alstott on the field in the modern NFL game, but Alstott was more than just a powerful blocker at his position. Alstott could catch, run, provide pass protection and do anything else the offence asked of him. Late in his career, when one of Tampa’s running backs was out for the season, Alstott stepped in and took over that role the rest of the way, transforming from a blocking fullback to a thundering running back without missing a beat.
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‘Mike Alstott is widely regarded as one of the greatest fullbacks of all time during his 11-year career in Tampa Bay. Alstott was selected in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Buccaneers and immediately became a factor in the Buccaneers’ offence because of his versatility and elite blocking. Alstott was named Second-Team All-Pro in his rookie season of 1996. In his rookie season, he tallied 949 rushing yards and 65 receptions… Alstott currently holds the record for most rushing touchdowns scored in Tampa Bay history with 58,’ explains The Game Haus.
The Bucs are one of the few NFL teams where a fullback is the franchise record holder for rushing touchdowns scored, but that was the power of Mike Alstott. He was a wrecking ball in goal-line situations, and NFL defences wanted no part of tackling Alstott late in the game. ‘Way, way back when fullbacks ran amok, few were better than the man known as ‘A-Train. Alstott was part of a great backfield with Warrick Dunn (an honourable mention for this list and one of the great humanitarians in the history of football), and he scored a touchdown in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl XXXVII win over the Oakland Raiders,’ adds The Twinspires Edge.
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