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 Saturday’s installment, PewterReport.com introduces the All-Time Greatest Bucs ranked 25-27. Sunday’s installment will feature the Bucs ranked 22-24. PewterReport.com’s series concludes on Sunday, July, 11 with the Top 3 All-Time Greatest Bucs.

• All-Time Greatest Bucs: No. 28-30

27. Bucs NT David Logan – 1979-86

Logan was a 12th-round draft pick in 1979 and played in five games as a rookie, helping the team win the NFC Central division and reach the NFC Championship Game. He became a full-time starter the next year and scored a touchdown on a 60-yard fumble recovery. That would be the first of four touchdowns that Logan would score for Tampa Bay, as he also had a 27-yard interception return for a score in 1984.

Logan played on three Bucs playoff teams alongside Hall of Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon. He finished his career second behind Selmon (78.5) in franchise history with 39 sacks. Logan now ranks fifth in Tampa Bay annals behind Gerald McCoy (54.5), Simeon Rice (69.5), Warren Sapp (77) and Selmon.

Former Bucs NT David Logan – Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers

Although undersized as a nose tackle at 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, Logan was strong, fast and athletic. He recorded a career-high 9.5 sacks in 1983 when he was an All-Pro, and then held that distinction again in 1984 with 5.5 sacks. Given his production and the fact that he helped the Bucs make it to the playoffs three times, it’s fair to say that Logan is still the third-best defensive tackle in Tampa Bay history.

Reynolds’ Take: “While I didn’t get the chance to see him play, I did get to know Logan from his days on the Bucs Radio Broadcast, as well as his career as a sports anchor for Bay News 9 before his untimely death at the age of 42 from blood clots. Logan was highly productive and was a great leader during his playing days. He still ranks 11th in Bucs history in tackles with 624. The expansion of this list from 25 to 30 gives Bucs stars like Logan the recognition they’re due.”

26. Bucs G Ali Marpet – 2015-current

Marpet is entering his seventh season and he’s been getting the Paul Gruber treatment from the NFL. What is the Paul Gruber treatment? It’s being ignored for All-Pro teams and shunned from the Pro Bowl despite years of high-level play. Injuries have cut into Marpet’s candidacy a few years. He missed three starts in 2015 as a rookie, five starts in 2017, and three starts last season – due to a concussion in 2020.

Bucs LG Ali Marpet – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Still, Marpet has started 85 games since his rookie year, and just signed a five-year contract extension in 2018. With a few more seasons of stellar play and a few Pro Bowl berths he’ll replace Davin Joseph as the best guard in team history. He’s already on his way, being named a team captain for the past couple of seasons.

Marpet has been a Pro Football Focus favorite, earning a career-high 86.7 grade last season. That was up from a career-low 72.3 grade in 2019. Marpet also earned high grades from PFF in 2017 (81.5) and 2016 (82.7) following a rookie campaign in which he earned a 75.8 PFF grade.

Reynolds’ Take: “Want to know how important Marpet is to the Bucs? Look no further than the team’s 1-2 record when he was out of action in 2020. Tampa Bay suffered its biggest defeat of the year, a 38-3 loss at home to New Orleans. Quarterback Tom Brady was under siege that game and threw a season-high three interceptions. After a season at center in 2017, Marpet moved back to guard, but this time on the left side where he has helped improve the consistency of left tackle Donovan Smith. Marpet is overdue for Pro Bowl consideration, and should be honored for his play this season.”

25. Bucs PR-WR Karl Williams – 1996-2003
Previous No. 25: PR-WR Karl Williams

PewterReport.com’s list of the 25 All-Time Greatest Buccaneers begins with Williams, a player that held the No. 25 spot in 2014 when we last formed this list. Williams entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M-Kingsville and finished his career with 6,904 all-purpose yards. That total is comprised of 5,205 return yards, including 2,279 punt return yards and 1,227 kick return yards, along with 1,700 receiving yards on offense. That ranks fifth in (non-quarterback) all-purpose yardage in Tampa Bay history behind Mike Evans, James Wilder, Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn, which is elite company to be in.

Bucs PR-WR Karl Williams – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

What made Williams, who was nicknamed “The Truth,” elite was the fact that he was the best return specialist in Bucs history. Williams is still Tampa Bay’s all-time leading punt returner by nearly 800 yards and his 10.7 avg. remains the highest in Bucs history among players with at least 50 punt returns. He is also the only punt returner to score more than one touchdown in his career and he leads the franchise with five punt return touchdowns. During his rookie season, Williams averaged 21.1 yards on 14 punt returns, taking a punt back 88 yards for a touchdown in a rout against Chicago in the 1996 season finale.

Williams had seven touchdown catches as a wide receiver, including four in 1997 during Tampa Bay’s wild card playoff season. He caught a career-high 33 catches for 386 yards as the team’s third-down receiver and Trent Dilfer’s go-to receiver. Those four touchdowns were the most by a Bucs receiver that season, proving that he was more than just a gifted special teams player during his Tampa Bay career.

Reynolds’ Take: “Williams’ inclusion into the Top 25 All-Time Greatest Bucs comes with some controversy because he’s so underrated. Many younger Bucs fans may not remember him. But take a close look at Williams’ production over his eight years in Tampa Bay and it’s clear his place on this list is justified. I’ll always have a soft spot for Williams, whose punt returns shifted momentum and provided a spark in so many games over so many seasons in Tampa Bay. This slight, 5-foot-11, 177-pound receiver played bigger than his size and his tremendous production on all four downs, which totaled nearly 7,000 yards, can’t be ignored. Williams was an integral part of five playoff teams, including the Super Bowl team in 2002, and for now, he deserves to make the cut in the Top 25.”