| For many years, Tampa Bay Buccaneers tickets | | | | Style |
| were at best an afterthought in Tampa. The team | | | | Gruden has always been a big believer in veterans, |
| was terrible every season, and no one wanted to go | | | | especially at the quarterback position. He led the |
| watch the dregs of the NFL lose week in and week | | | | Raiders back to prominence with Rich Gannon pulling |
| out. That all began to change in the 1990's, however, | | | | the trigger on his complicated offense and won the |
| with the arrival of Tony Dungy, who helped turn the | | | | Super Bowl in Tampa with Brad Johnson at the |
| entire culture of this historically-bad franchise around. | | | | controls. This belief in veterans extends beyond |
| Management ultimately grew impatient with Dungy, | | | | quarterbacks, however, and that belief is shown |
| though, and dismissed him after the 2001 season. | | | | throughout the Buccaneers' current roster. |
| In came wunderkind Jon Gruden, who had built the | | | | The benefit of playing a veteran team is that these |
| Raiders into a Super Bowl contender. Gruden was | | | | teams are always prepared and make fewer |
| seen as the coach who could take the Buccaneers to | | | | mistakes in general. However, a roster filled with |
| the next level, and that's exactly what he did. Gruden | | | | veterans also shortens the championship window, as |
| led the Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl | | | | older players tend to lose their physical edge at |
| championship in his first year with the club, and he was | | | | unpredictable times, and with the salary cap in place, it's |
| instantly hailed as a hero in Tampa. | | | | not easy to have the proper depth in place. |
| The only point that was made in regards to the Super | | | | That appears to be what's happening with the Tampa |
| Bowl title, though was that Gruden had won with | | | | Bay defense. The Buccaneers' defense had a run of |
| "Dungy's players." This appeared to not sit well with | | | | legendary play, and that unit was as responsible as |
| Gruden, so he teamed with his former Raiders | | | | any not only for the team's rise under Dungy, but also |
| colleague Bruce Allen and began to mold the franchise | | | | for their Super Bowl win. That defense is starting to |
| the way he saw fit. | | | | get old, and there aren't many talented players waiting |
| Normally, when a coach wins a Super Bowl, he's given | | | | to replace their core. |
| almost a limitless amount of latitude, especially since | | | | The same could be said for their offense, as Gruden |
| Gruden did not come cheaply to the Buccaneers. The | | | | has never really put together a dominant, |
| Bucs' ownership gave the Raiders a bevy of draft | | | | precision-oriented attack for which he's known. Their |
| picks and millions of dollars in cash to bring him to | | | | starting quarterback going into the season, Chris |
| Florida, and their investment appeared to pay off | | | | Simms, was badly injured, and now Gruden is left with |
| immediately both in terms of glory and in the sales | | | | a rookie in Bruce Gradkowski. Gradkowski is playing |
| volume of Tampa Bay Buccaneers tickets. | | | | well, but he's no Rich Gannon or Brad Johnson, at least |
| However, after a few seasons without any serious | | | | not yet. |
| runs towards another Super Bowl, questions about | | | | Overall, the team is aging, and they may have to do |
| Gruden are beginning to surface. Most basically, the | | | | some rebuilding before long as their core players |
| question that's beginning to arise is, "Are the | | | | continue to age. Tampa Bay Buccaneers tickets will |
| Buccaneers headed in the right direction?" We'll | | | | remain in demand for the foreseeable future, but for |
| attempt to answer that below. | | | | how long remains to be seen. |