PewterReport.com has periodically published its’ Top 25 All-Time Greatest Bucs list, updating the rankings due to recent inductions into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Buccaneers Ring of Honor, in addition to the emergence of star players on Tampa Bay’s current roster. The last time we published this list was the summer of 2014. Now, it’s time the PewterReport.com staff re-examined the careers of the most elite Tampa Bay players once again. We’ve re-ranked the list and expanded it to the Top 30 All-Time Greatest Bucs.

In this 10-part series, PewterReport.com’s Scott Reynolds analyzes each Bucs legend and offers up commentary on some of the best players in Tampa Bay history. Some of the rankings – and omissions – will likely cause some controversy among the Bucs fan base.

Let us know what you think. Bucs fans and PewterReport.com readers are encouraged to leave their opinions in the article comments section, on the Pewter Report message boards and on Pewter Report’s Twitter page, or Pewter Report’s Facebook page.

In Wednesday’s installment, PewterReport.com introduces the All-Time Greatest Bucs ranked 13-15. Thursday’s installment will feature the Bucs ranked 10-12. PewterReport.com’s series concludes on Sunday, July, 11 with the Top 3 All-Time Greatest Bucs.

• All-Time Greatest Bucs: No. 28-30
• All-Time Greatest Bucs: No. 25-27
• All-Time Greatest Bucs: No. 22-24
• All-Time Greatest Bucs: No. 19-21
• All-Time Greatest Bucs: No. 16-18

15. Bucs DT Gerald McCoy – 2010-2018
Previous No. 15: WR Mike Evans

McCoy was one of the best defensive tackles in Tampa Bay history. The team’s first-round pick in 2010, McCoy overcame arm injuries that limited him to just 19 games in his first two years to record 54.5 sacks in his nine seasons with the Bucs. That ranks fourth in team history.

The outspoken McCoy was often the best player – along with linebacker Lavonte David – on many bad Bucs teams. Despite his quality play year in and year out, McCoy, who grew up a Bucs fan, only had two winning seasons and never made the playoffs in Tampa Bay.

Former Bucs DT Gerald McCoy – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

McCoy, who slides from No. 12 in our previous rankings four years ago, had four straight seasons with at least seven sacks from 2013-2016, including a career-high 9.5-sack season. The ability to get to the quarterback made him a six-time Pro Bowler from 2012-17 and he ended his Bucs career as one of the most decorated players in team history. McCoy’s six Pro Bowls are tied for the third-most in Bucs annals along with Ring of Honor members Mike Alstott and Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon.

Reynolds’ Take: “McCoy was an interesting guy to cover. He was very in tune with the media, reading everything written about him and sometimes showing some thin skin. While he was a very popular player, there were some in the Bucs fan base that wanted him to be another Warren Sapp – a gritty, nasty pass-rushing defensive tackle. That just wasn’t McCoy’s style. He was a classy player and a great teammate. Time will tell if his six Pro Bowls were enough to get him into the Bucs Ring of Honor despite never helping Tampa Bay make the playoffs.”

14. Bucs TE Jimmie Giles – 1978-86
Previous No. 14: C Tony Mayberry

Tampa Bay traded for Giles, a third-round pick by Houston in 1977, during the 1978 season. He became the first major offensive weapon in Bucs history, finishing his nine-year Bucs career with 279 catches for 4,300 yards and 34 touchdowns. Giles had seven 100-yard games. He was second in most Tampa Bay receiving records at the time of his departure in 1986 behind Kevin House (286-4,928-31) except for touchdown receptions.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Giles led the Bucs in receiving touchdowns until Mike Evans broke that record in 2018. Evans now has 61 touchdowns and Giles is in second place in team annals. That production made Giles a four-time Pro Bowler (1980-82, 85) and the most decorated offensive player in Tampa Bay history until Mike Alstott (six Pro Bowls) came along in the 1990s.

Former Bucs TE Jimmie Giles – Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers

One of Giles’ records that still stands today is his 4-touchdown performance against Miami in 1985. At the time that tied Houston running back Earl Campbell for the most TDs by an individual player in a single game in NFL history. Despite the record, the Bucs would lose to the Dolphins, 41-38. Giles was the third Tampa Bay player elected into the Bucs Ring of Honor in 2011.

Reynolds’ Take: “Giles was a dominant tight end that played on several bad Buccaneers teams. As a result, he didn’t get the notoriety and national acclaim he deserved outside of those four Pro Bowl berths. Giles could have posted monster numbers if he was featured in the Bucs’ run-first offense more. He only had three seasons in which he eclipsed 40 catches or more. Still, he was instrumental in helping the Bucs get to the playoffs in 1978 and again in ’81-82. Giles is still considered the best tight end in Tampa Bay history, averaging 15.4 yards per catch in his career.”

13. Bucs LT Paul Gruber – 1988-99
Previous No. 13: CB Donnie Abraham

Every year during the NFL Draft some expert will next about the supposed next great NFL offensive lineman. “He’s the kind of player you draft and put him at left tackle for the next 10 years!”. That’s exactly what happened when Tampa Bay drafted Gruber with the fourth overall pick in the 1988 NFL Draft.

Gruber went on to start every game as a rookie and wound up as 12-year starter for the Buccaneers. He was a reliable iron man, starting every game of the season in 10 of his 12 years in Tampa Bay. At the age of 34, Gruber suffered a broken leg in the 1999 season finale and missed the postseason.

Gruber would retire the next season, ending his career with the most starts in team history with 183. He would later be passed by linebacker Derrick Brooks (221) and ultimately cornerback Ronde Barber (232). Gruber now has the third-most starts in franchise history. The big tackle received induction into the Bucs Ring of Honor in 2012 as the fourth inductee after Lee Roy Selmon, John McKay and Jimmie Giles.

Reynolds’ Take: “It’s a travesty that Gruber never received a Pro Bowl berth despite at least a decade’s worth of stellar play at left tackle. Gruber was an absolute rock along the offensive line and was finally rewarded with a long-awaited playoff berth in 1997. It’s a shame that Gruber couldn’t play in Tampa Bay’s postseason in 1999 after suffering his broken leg. He might have made a difference in St. Louis in the NFC Championship Game. Gruber was quiet and reserved in the locker room, but his play spoke volumes on the field.”