Any member of the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers team knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl, having done so convicingly over the Oakland Raiders with one of the best defenses of all time. A few members of that defense ended up becoming prominent sports figures, including former defensive tackles Booger McFarland and Hall of Famer Warren Sapp.
McFarland is currently a broadcaster on ESPN after a nine-year career in the NFL, and Sapp is currently coaching with the Colorado Buffaloes under Deion Sanders after a Hall of Fame career with the Buccaneers where he established himself as one of the best to ever play the game.
Both played together on the Buccaneers’ defensive line, but it seems as if they have some different opinions on this year’s Buccaneers team if social media is anything to go by.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played a tight game against the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday, emerging victorious 38-35 after a shootout between Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold.
There was a poor defensive showing, as one could note by the score, but Buccaneers’ special teams continues to be a problem week in and week out. It showed itself particularly on returns, where wideout Dareke Young averaged 30.8 yards per return with a long of 50 yards. The defense was poor, but a lapse in special teams coverage allowed Darnold and the Seahawks to often start near plus territory.
McFarland pointed this out on Twitter, criticizing the entire Bucs special teams unit as a whole.
“The Bucs special teams are hot garbage. All of them,” McFarland wrote on X.
Sapp, his former teammate, seemed to take offense to the notion, replying after and focusing on how successful the Buccaneers have been despite that.
“And have Won 4 in the last minute of the Game!! Take our Buc Helmet Down!! Put the Horseshoe UP!! #WeGood,” Sapp wrote.
It’s hard to tell if Sapp is joking or is entirely serious, but his reference to the “horseshoe” is likely in reference to the fact that McFarland played for the Indianapolis Colts after playing for the Buccaneers. The insinuation appears to be that Sapp believes McFarland’s criticism for Tampa Bay means he should stick to repping the Colts as opposed to talking about the Bucs.
Sapp’s enthusiasm for his former team is admirable, and he’s correct that the Bucs are finding ways to win in gritty ways — the mark of a great team. However, it’s hard to argue with McFarland that Tampa Bay’s special teams is lacking, as two blocked punts and a blocked field goal this season have often put them behind the eight-ball to begin with.
The Bucs are 4-1, but despite that, they’ll still try and sort out their special teams play. They’ll face off against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at 4:25, the first team that Sapp and McFarland defeated in the 2002 playoffs on the road to the franchise’s first Super Bowl.
