Simeon Rice, the legendary edge rusher who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2001 to 2008, recently claimed that the team’s defense in 2002 was second-greatest in NFL history. The ’85 Bears defense remains his top choice, but he believes the ’02 Bucs were right behind them.
Rice led the Buccaneers’ swarming unit with 15.5 sacks and added four more in the playoffs, including two in their dominant win over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. The team’s defense set still-standing Super Bowl records with five interceptions and three pick-sixes.
“I think it’s the ’85 Bears and then us,” Rice said when asked to rank his own team among all-time great defenses. “We were a game-wrecker, a force that disrupted the timing of the passing game. I knew we had something special before I even took the field.”
Rice was brought in by defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin to complete an elite defense already featuring future Hall of Famers Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks. The team’s lack of an elite edge rusher was addressed, and Rice immediately elevated their defense to new heights.
From 1998 through 2005, Rice led the NFL with 101.5 sacks, more than contemporaries Michael Strahan and Jason Taylor had in that span. In his first five seasons as a Buccaneer, he recorded 67.5 sacks.
Rice attributes the team’s success to their alignment and mindset, which allowed them to crystallize their careers and be the best versions of themselves. “We were all aligned together,” Rice said. “We all needed each other. We all played at the highest level.”
Source: https://www.buccaneers.com/news/simeon-rice-bucs-were-bunch-piranhas