The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have thrived in the last four years, against odds and expectations and will be looking for another playoff run.
They have won the NFC South conference for three successive years and with their four from four playoff appearances they snapped a streak of 12 seasons without a post season.
GM Jason Licht believes the current crop of players know only winning seasons and have no hangover for the dozen seasons spent in the quagmire.
“We have an interesting dynamic here, where a lot of these young players that are still young, they came in 2020, let’s say, Tristen (Wirfs) and Antoine (Winfield Jr.), two of our leaders on our football team,” Licht said. “Their first year was the year that we won the Super Bowl … when we first signed Tom. They really know no other way to do things than to try to compete for winning the division and winning playoff games.”
The Buccaneers famously won the Superbowl when Tom Brady spent a memorable season in Tampa, but their target is winning the division for now.
“Then you have guys like Lavonte (David), who has seen tough times. Mike Evans and Chris (Godwin), who have seen tough times, but then saw the difference in what came with adding Tom. And then Tom leaving and then us transitioning with Baker (Mayfield), who is a fiery, competitive leader in his own right, because of the way he plays.”
“I think it’s been a good recipe here. Especially with all of the doubters that we had thinking that when Tom left, we were going to sink to the bottom. I think that has been part of the DNA of this football team — trying to prove everybody wrong. It’s been a great recipe here, and I hope it continues.”
The Bucs have maintained the core from last season’s successful roster and will be looking to once again top the Saints, Falcons and Panthers.
