Warren Sapp has announced that he is retiring. There may be a debate on if he is the most important player in franchise history, but he is definitely in the top five. I always thought he, Brooks, and Lynch would walk off into the sunset together, but the NFL business kept that from happening. I love the story of Sapp and Brook sitting in a hotel room during either training camp or a road trip and hearing a TV analyst call them the Tampa Bay Yucks. Sapp and Brooks decided they were tired of it and the turn around began. Sapp was part of one of the greatest drafts ever for a team. Imagine getting him and Brooks in the same draft. Maybe the most important day in Buc history.

No disagreement here. I think however that this retirement is forced out of him by the Raiders. I saw this quote by him and if it is true, I think he thinks he still can play:

“You get a little older, you can see your weaknesses a little bit more and go about 45-50 plays now,” Sapp said. “But there’s still some good gas in the tank and I’m still able to make the plays.”

Does that sound like someone who wants to hang it up? He is a huge competitor, that is for sure. His last three years his performance fell off.  Two sacks, 10 sacks, 2.5 sacks. How he managed to get 10 sacks last season is amazing enough, as he had not done that in a number of years. Just shows how fantastic of a career the guy had.

Time is short for Brooks and Lynch. Just a year or two left before they ride off into the sunset in all likelihood.

Will be interesting in early summer to see if Bucs might make a run at signing him as a FA to add to the defensive line rotation.

Don’t see that happening. The only signing will be so he can retire as a Bucs player, nothing else. His career is done. Great player whose day is over.

You don’t think he would have at least as much value as a Kevin Carter?  Maybe a millon bucks and he plays 30 some snaps a game.

This D-line needs more depth and certainly needs someone with some pass rushing smarts.

Lack of significatn pass rush is probably their biggest defensive weakness.

Not saying Sapp is the only answer...just a possible portion.

Steve, we usually agree but on this we do not.  Kevin Carter was questionable at best this year. Warren Sapp in two of the last three years has two sacks despite playing a full season - same output as less costly Greg Spires. Sapp is having a harder time staying healthy now.

I think for the cost and risk there are better options. Just my two cents. Love the guy, has been a great player, but his time has passed. The raiders got only one good year (two years ago, 10 sacks) out of his last few years. The odds of much more output are pretty low.

My honest opinion, as far as Warren Sapp, and Lynch together again on the Bucs along with Brooks would be a dynamite trio facing all odds with every bit of great football playing team can muster. Just the thought sends chills up my spine. I can’t but help think it would be a boost the team ambition and morale up a good 100%. There is no doubt in my mind that they would give their best effort, and could be used for many defensive plays that could effect the direction of the game. Yes, these men are old timers but they bring to the field a wealth of experience and skill that can still be utilized. What better fairwell could you give these three great bucs as to let them retire from the team that made them the great super-stars that they had become. They were also responsible for setting new defensive records and plays that made the defensive side of the Bucs a team to be reconed with.  Money is not everything, and my opinion is that these three Giant Buccaneer Stars would rather play for Tampa Bay and end their careers with the team that made them the stars that they are, made the team one of the best in the NFL, then any other franchise for a decent amount of money. I feel confident whatever they would recieve as a salary they would give 110% effort to show they are not has-beens, and their tanks are from empty. What a dynamite trio that would be, rest assure the fans would love to see them together again.

Butchrgt - 10 January 2008 03:22 PM

What a dynamite trio that would be, rest assure the fans would love to see them together again.

This would be a perfect way to kill the budget while getting less performance from old players.  Give it up - this is never happening, the team is on a major youth kick after this past season except for a few exceptions.  Lynch is still playing fairly well, but I think the Bucs are better off without him at this point as he is expensive and you may get one, maybe two more years out of him.

I would like to see a poll if current fans really favor getting Lynch and Sapp back on the team with Brooks and Barber - it would set this team so far back in my opinon it is not even worth discussing further.

Sapp is the player they can’t replace from that D.  You can find the rest of the guys somewhere, but a DT that got that kind of pressure.... Sapp is the man.

Acura, you may be right about the budget if you brought Sapp, Lynch back to the line-up, but can you actually believe the budget is the most important thing when it comes to the Bucs? Isn’t it important to bring the team back mentally to play their hardest so that games can be won? Sapp and Lynch both have at least one good season left in them. Why should they play for any other team? Sure they are aging, but don’t you believe that the younger players will play and practice harder to keep their jobs? Seeing Sapp and Lynch coming back will make someone think their postions are not so solid afterall and surely they will feel their positionis being threatened. Some time you have to do what you can to motivate team players to get their butts going or the bench is going to have more company. They may just work, play and train harder and be more effective just to keep their position and not take it for granted. Even the Glaciers will be happy to pay for their return if in fact they win the division, and go to play and win another Super Bowl. Sometimes you just have to gamble, and hope you made the right decision. Nobody is always right all of the time, so take a chance and pray the results are paid off with great decisions. Sure we have a younger, stronger, and fast moving team, but if they take it easy when they should be playing for all the marbles that is wrong, and you don’t win games with that type of attitude. I don’t care what anybody says you have to have the right attitude, and attitude is everything. You must think right in addition to playing your best to win games.
I still believe bringing Sapp and Lynch back for their final season would be worth the risk. That’s my opinion and I will stick with it.  Even the fans would go crazy again about that.

I guess I just feel strongly about this.  This past year many big plays were coming from Gaines Adams, T. Jackson, and Rudd.  These are all young players who have come out of the draft.  The bucs are much better suited continuing to pick up young players than trying to live off the past and really messing up the salary cap.  This team has been through too much with giving up draft picks (gruden - four total) and having salary cap problems to go back to that.

The team is far better suited drafting young with good reasearch, taking their chances in the draft, and continunig to buiild the team.  Strategic few older players in free agency are fine, but to target old buc players and bring them back just to make the fans happy - overall a bad idea for the franchise. I would be surprised if Allen and Gruden fall into that trap.

I love when talk of Sapp turns to his sack production. Let’s see, of true defensive tackles he’s tops overall with, I think, 96.5. A half sack behind our franchise’s ALL TIME leading Defensive End (with the sacks he got as a Raider, he would have blown by him), Lee Roy Selmon. But his strength was in his versatility. He could stop the run AND rush the passer. He was, and IS, an anomaly. He was all over the field and he was fast. My opinion....he still has gas in the tank and if the guy wants to come back for a mil a year, I’d be all about it. Remember, the strength of Oakland’s defense last year was in stopping the run and that was in large part due to Sapp. This year, they had huge problems with missed tackles, which had very little to do with Sapp.

Besides, if all of the criticisms of Sapp are true....that he followed up a stellar year with a sub par year and so on.....then he’s due for a big year this year.

Let him come back, go over the century mark in sacks, pass Selmon and retire where he belongs.....wearing pewter pants.....

Giles your opinion and mine are on the same page. I can’t help but believe that Sapp his still a man to be reckoned with in that defensive line. He has and will be the first to admit his tank is far from being empty. He said he has at least one good year, you can take that to the bank. I believe him, and to retire as a Great Buc would be one of his final dreams, and he would be out to prove himself to Gruden and Kippen both, that they did not make a mistake by bringing him back. He would not fail unless he was seriously injured. Then not pull the team down he would be the first to tell you that he has had it. Sapp is not only a great defensive player he is a honorable person who would never represent himself to do what he can’t. If you depend on Sapp for his last and final year, and he comitts to his performance you will get what you pay for. Sapp will not want to depart from the bucs in disgrace. He has more personal pride than that,and it would be in his own best interest to end his career giving the greatest performance possible. As far as Lynch goes I really don’t know if he would be available to be picked uo for the Bucs, but again here is a player that always gave his maximum effort. His return would be an assest to the Bucs, and providing he sustained few injuries if any.
Most of the senior comments are troubled about the price tag an not going over the budget to get as they put it aging players. To set the stage with the best of the best is worth the price. A couple of games into the season will tell the story and set a margin for recovery if that is what it takes. I have yet to see any player on the Bucs who could stir up the Buc Fans like Sapp, Lynch and Brooks.
Isn’t the name of the game is to put the best front line defensive team on the field one of the top priorities? Also to put the best offensive line out to score and win games? Well with the young players they have now with Kiffen coaching the defensive team and with Gruden masterminding the offensive team, add the Sapp, Brooks, Lynch and keeping Pittman you have the mnakings of a great team. Garcia should be able to lead the team as a good quarterback provided he isn’t sacked too many times and properly protected as he should be.

I’d be all for bringing Sapp back for another season. I think our young d-line could learn quite a bit from him. I loved Lynch but I think the young safetys that we have now are better than what he is now at this point in his career. I’m sure I’ll get my ass chewed out for saying that but bringing him back just for old times sake isn’t the best way for this team to move on, he’s probably under contract with the Bronco’s anyway.

Yeah, I tend to agree on Lynch. I was approaching the Sapp subject from a need perspective. Our safeties are getting better AND younger. I can’t wait to get Piscatelli back and see what he can do. If he hits the way they say he can, that would be a hell of a tandem in him and Tanard. That hit Tanard laid on Dallas Clark in the Indy game was painful to watch.

But Sapp would likely not ask for too much money and, IMHO, still has another year or two of relatively solid football left in him. Maybe not an every down player, but platooning him with Jovan could net some benefits and give Jovan a player to learn from and improve even more. Or you could line Jovan up at the Nose....Given my wish list, imagine this:

RE Jared Allen
NT Jovan Haye
UT Warren Sapp
LE Gaines Adams

Ouch. Here’s the stat line on Allen (yeah, I know, off subject in this thread, but I’m thinking about it right now):

65 tackles
15.5 sacks
3 forced fumbles
1 blocked kick
10 passes defensed

The guy does it all. He’s like a run-stopping Simeon when Simeon was in his prime. That line could be just the juice this defense needs to get ALL THE WAY back to old form.

Yeah, I’ll take a dose of Sapp. Thanks.

Fortunately, I don’t think Gruden or Allen agree with any of this - so I will be absolutely stunned if Sapp returns.  Since he is “forced” into retirement by the Raiders, he is out there and available right now.  So far, nothing from the Bucs.  I am going to assume that this discussion is nearly moot since the Bucs will not pick him up in all liklihood, saving their cap money for another young player instead.

Sorry to diffuse your dreams - I don’t think discussion is based in reality.  Just my personal, humble opiinon.