Choosing your NFL/EFLI team - Optimists

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Colours: Red, pewter and black

Mascot: Captain Fear

Stadium: Raymond James Stadium

Home City: Tampa, Florida

Super Bowl wins: 1 (1 appearance)

Records over last 5 years: 28 wins, 52 losses, 0 playoff appearances

Best Players: Darrelle Revis, LaVonte David, Gerald McCoy

Bio: If records were the only indicator for which category I place a team in this series, the Buccaneers would be tragedists. In the 1980s and 1990s, Tampa Bay became known as the “Yucks”. They had 14 straight losing seasons, 13 of them with double digit losses, and became nothing short of a laughing stock in the league.

Then they drafted Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch. Things changed with the three hall of fame calibre defensive players, and in 2002 the Bucs won a Super Bowl.

Now, however, the Bucs are threatening to return to the Yuck days of old. They haven’t been to the playoffs in 6 years, and they haven’t won a playoff game since their Super Bowl victory.

However, record is not the only indicator. Potential and talent on the roster factor in too, and the Bucs have plenty of that. They have a number of players who could be considered in the top five or ten in the league at their respective positions; Doug Martin, Vincent Jackson, Darrelle Revis, LaVonte David, Gerald McCoy, Donald Penn, Mark Barron and Dashon Goldson. If potential can be realised, this team should be a playoff contender next year, and in the years to come.

The Bucs have garnered a bad reputation in recent years because of the bullish nature of their head coach Greg Schiano. Schiano was fired this off-season and replaced with the more likeable figure of Lovie Smith, who spent a number of successful years with the Chicago Bears. Under his guidance, this team may well become relevant again.

Beyond everything else, the primary reason that you should support the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is because they have an actual pirate ship in the stadium, and the cannons fire when the Bucs score a touchdown. How could you not love that?

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