Warren Sapp: He Raised the Bar

[yuccaneers]

Warren Sapp. Sit there for a minute, say those two words aloud, "Warren Sapp." Now reflect.

What words come to mind? For me, loud. Proud. Obnoxious. Intense. Focused. Dedicated. Mean. Nice. Professional. Honorable. Reliable. Assertive. Accountable. Winner. Champion. Buccaneer!

What images come to mind? The first image that came to my mind, was his look of intense displeasure that he had just been drafted by the "Yucs." That's how he referred to the organization that he would come to love and cherish. Then images flooded my mind of his first TD against Chicago. His intense and comical interviews. His on field competitive feud with Brett Favre that escalated in the 1997 Divisional Playoff game, and provided us with years of intense Buccs/Packer games. His airplane celebration after a sack. His congratulatory praises to other players when they made the play. His intense and fiery inquisitions when someone didn't make the play. His gleeful skip through opponents calisthenics. His first offensive TD as a Tight End. Followed by his Beyonce TD celebration. Finally he and Derrick Brooks, arms around each other, on the sideline during the Super Bowl.

What thoughts come to mind? I thought, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. I wish he was still in Tampa. Can he ever be replaced? How long will it be until he's replaced if he ever is? Will he retire a Buccaneer?

Warren Sapp revolutionized the position of Defensive Tackle. Every year when the flowers start to bloom, and the trees begin to bud, it's draft time and we are guaranteed to hear comparisons of this year's college DT's to Warren Sapp. "This kid is the next Sapp. That kid reminds me of Sapp. He has Sapp's explosive first step."

LINK

[leeroybuc93]

Badass is the first word that popped into my head.

[Uncle Stan]

Badass or not, there has never been a player like him before he arrrived on the scene and none since.

Don't like his personality, but as a player he was fantastic.! Also, he got the fans into the game and tore into anyone he didn't do his job.

Maybe there might never be another one.

I miss him and what he brought to our games.

[NativeOfTheBay]

Never knew him personally, so i cant judge his character. As a player, there is none other like him, and most likely never will be. I actually miss him on the Bucs.

[leeroybuc93]

Badass or not, there has never been a player like him before he arrrived on the scene and none since.

Don't like his personality, but as a player he was fantastic.! Also, he got the fans into the game and tore into anyone he didn't do his job.

Maybe there might never be another one.

I miss him and what he brought to our games.

Badass is a good thing.

[coolhandluke]

First thing that comes to mind is pushing his friend under the bus to take the rap on the POT found in his car.

But then again maybe he needed to make money to put food on the table for the kids he has had out of wedlock!

Badass or not, there has never been a player like him before he arrrived on the scene and none since.

Don't like his personality, but as a player he was fantastic.! Also, he got the fans into the game and tore into anyone he didn't do his job.

Maybe there might never be another one.

I miss him and what he brought to our games.

One word that pops into mind when i think of him is "accountability"!!

[BTownBucFan]

Badass or not, there has never been a player like him before he arrrived on the scene and none since.

Don't like his personality, but as a player he was fantastic.! Also, he got the fans into the game and tore into anyone he didn't do his job.

Maybe there might never be another one.

I miss him and what he brought to our games.

One word that pops into mind when i think of him is "accountability"!!

Same here Hate .... we miss it a lot!  Not that O'Ronde and Derrick aren't great leaders, but he made people accountable.  Nice jobe Yucc --well said.

when i hear his :-name i think of when he was on tampa. And how much i loved watchin him play and how i didnt appreciate his half as much as i do now that he is gone

no doubt.... i think a lot of us can say that now!!!

[InlandTaipan]

As a UM fan I was over joyed when the Bucs drafterd Sapp....I knew that our defense was going to be something special with Sapp, Brooks and Nickerson (at that time)...I have watched Sapps entire Football career and I have enjoyed every minute of it....I hope he comes back to the Bucs so that he can go into the HOF a Buccaneer!

[BucsGuru]

Simply Awesome!

[Itchalot]

I read that article and I thought "Holy cow did Sapp die?  Was he killed by one of those crackhead Raider fans when he couldn't get an autograph?" I expected the last paragraph to say "In lieu of flowers please send your donation to the Foundation to get Raider Fans Off Crack."  But I looked on the internet and Sapp is not dead, nor has he retired.  The only thing he has done this offseason is lost 50 pounds.

So I would like to eulogize that 50 pounds of gut fat.  We will sure miss that gut fat.  When Sapp came running out of the tunnel, we didn't need to see the number 99.  We could see who it was by that bowl of orange jello that led the way.   When Sapp squashed a quarterback,it was that extra gut fat that really made the guy notice that it wasn't just another player on top of him.  He didn't need to have his eyes open to know who it was.  And when Sapp celebrated the sack, we would have thought "What a ridiculous celebration.  Some guy running around pointing his finger," but the gut fat bouncing around is what made that celebration fun to watch.

Warren Sapp gut fat, you will be missed.  You raised the limbo bar to new heights.

very insightful^^^

[Ladyfan]

I loved to watch him sack Brett Favre.  And then the two would get up and Favre would hug him?  You don't see that kind of mutual respect very often in the league.

[ABuccs Fan]

Itchalot.....you know the bozo who always claims to be smarter than the other memebrs here......strikes again. Griese still on our roster?