Think about it: since winning the Super Bowl, the Buccaneers have won the division only twice, the last time coming in 2007 when they were promptly eliminated from the playoffs by eventual Super Bowl champions and Patriot perfection spoilers, the New York Giants. Since that playoff appearance, they’re on their fifth head coach and had just two winning seasons, their last of course coming in 2010 when Josh Freeman appeared to be the franchise quarterback Bucs fans had been dreaming of.
The pressure and responsibility to restore this team, this fan base, to prominence rests on the shoulders of rookie head coach Dirk Koetter and his good friend Mike Smith who has taken over the defense.