The Fine Line Between Local Legends and the Hall of Fame is put to the test by two of the Greatest Ever in Tampa Bay Granted, the Buccaneers turn 32 years old this season. I understand Players like Lee Roy Selmon lead “Buccaneer Great” conversations. However, I’m 20 years old. I never had the luxury(If that’s what you want to call it) to watch the Buccaneers before the 1995 season.
I feel kinda privileged to have joined the Buccaneer family as a 7 year old beaming to the likes of the greatest coach in Buccaneer history in Tony Dungy. I feel as if I watched the “Glory Years” of the Buccaneers pass and on most days that I think about it, I wish I could relive them all over again.
The “Glory Years” as I have called them were of coarse the years of trash talking Trent Dilfer and calling for Eric Zier. Yes, I did that. These were the years of Hardy Nickerson in’96, the Playoffs at Houlihan Stadium in ‘97, and Shaun King and Bert Emanuel’s CATCH in ‘99 and the ‘00 Playoffs. These were the years of Mike Shula, Les Steckel and Clyde Christensen. The Tony Dungy Era, the Tampa 2, Rich McKay and Martin Gramatica. It’s hard to believe that was 10 years ago.
So when I think of Buccaneer greats it is obvious that I first note guys like Warrick Dunn and John Lynch. Paul Gruber and Derrick Brooks. Mike Alstott and Warren Sapp.
Mike Alstott and Warren Sapp….
Which leads me to the point of this entire Article.
The two couldn’t be any more different than Apples and Oranges. In fact, it’s more like Candy Corn and Green Beans. 1 was a soft talking ground and pound runner. The other was a trash talking loud mouth with a tendency to haunt Quarterbacks in their sleep the night before a game. Agreed that they both hit harder than I would ever want to be hit, but there is only 1 common interest between these two. At least it better be.
That is the Hall of Fame.
In a class that, regardless of his latest fiasco with the media, will be led by one of the games greatest signal callers in Brett Favre… It would be a downright shame to think that these 2 Buccaneers aren’t shoe In’s to the an eternity of Respect and Remembrance. They’ve earned this.
Here is my argument…
Jim Brown and Reggie White aside, name a Fullback who has been more productive statistically or Position Re-Defining than that of Mike Alstott. Name a player who has dominated the Defensive Tackle position in the past 12 seasons than that of Warren Sapp. You can’t.
In 11 seasons, Mike Alstott has ran for 5,088 yards and 71 Touchdowns as a Fullback. As a Fullback! He joined the league as a 2nd round pick from Purdue University and immediately became a threat with 65 receptions and 557 yards receiving. 2 Seasons later he runs for 846 and 949 yards consecutively for a total of 16 Rushing Touchdowns. All of this, at Fullback. No other player in the history of the game has ran for those numbers as a true and honest Fullback.
In 12 years, Warren Sapp has tallied 96.5 sacks. It wasn’t his obvious relentless pass rush at a position that did not make it easy to lead statistical categories like his 16.5 sacks in 1999.
Both players redefined roles and led a Buccaneers team to an eventual Superbowl Championship.
Mike Alstott: 6 Pro Bowls in a row and 4 times All Pro.
Warren Sapp: 8 Pro Bowls in a row, 6 times All Pro, NFL’s 1990’s All Decade Team and the 1999 Defensive MVP.
Answer me this? What team has centered their focus late in a game around a Fullback? When the game counted, Mike Alstott got the ball. He wasn’t the best running Fullback, nor the best receiving Fullback(Larry Centers of coarse). He wasn’t a dominant blocker. Yet, nobody could do all 3 as well as Mike Alstott. Enough said.
Warren Sapp paved the way for the Defensive Tackle position to become revamped with players like John Henderson, Marcus Stroud, Albert Haynesworth and many more. He helped lead a Legendary Defense to a Superbowl Title, helping score a record 9 Defensive Touchdowns on defense in 2002.
The legends of Tampa Bay Buccaneer greats Mike Alstott and Warren Sapp are remembered today by many….
The legends of Tampa Bay Buccaneer greats Mike Alstott and Warren Sapp should be remembered forever by all…
Hall of Fame Worthy. Check.
