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 Friday’s installment, PewterReport.com introduces the All-Time Greatest Bucs ranked 7-9. Saturday’s installment will feature the Bucs ranked 4-6. 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
• All-Time Greatest Bucs: No. 13-15
• All-Time Greatest Bucs: No. 10-12

9. Buccaneers DE Simeon Rice – 2001-06
Previous No. 9: LT Paul Gruber

The Bucs have had some great pass rushers over the decades, and Rice is one of the absolute best. Tampa Bay put the full-court press on recruiting Rice in free agency in 2001 and it worked. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound edge rusher had 11 sacks in his first season with the Bucs before a breakout in 2002 in which he helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowl XXXVII.

Playing next to Pro Bowl defensive tackle Warren Sapp, Rice led the team with 15.5 sacks and six forced fumbles, along with 11 passes defensed and an interception. Rice made the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career and was named first-team All-Pro for the first time. He followed that up with 15 sacks, six forced fumbles, eight pass breakups and two interceptions in another Pro Bowl season in 2003.

Former Bucs DE Simeon Rice – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Rice had five straight years with double-digit sacks from 2001-05, which no other Bucs player has ever accomplished. He notched 69.5 sacks in his Tampa Bay career before a shoulder injury in 2006 put a quick end to his career. That ranks third in Bucs history behind Hall of Famers Sapp (76.5) and Lee Roy Selmon (78). Rice was a two-time Pro Bowler in Tampa Bay and deserves to be in the Bucs Ring of Honor. With 122 career sacks, including his five years in Arizona, Rice also deserves Hall of Fame consideration.

Reynolds’ Take: “In my 26 years on the Bucs beat, Rice was by far the best athlete I’ve ever covered. He would roll through a two and half hour practice in the Florida heat and humidity and then run wind sprints like a gazelle afterwards. Then he would help out the younger Bucs defensive linemen with their pass rush moves after practice.

Rice had so much energy and never seemed to get tired. He struck fear in left tackles around the league, and Sapp and Rice formed one of the best inside-outside D-line duos from 2001-03. It’s a shame it didn’t last longer. Rice was a joy to report on. He had his own language from Planet Simeon when talking to reporters, he had an intergalactic personality – and he was an out-of-this-world pass rusher.”

8. Buccaneers SS John Lynch – 1993-2003
Previous No. 8: DE Simeon Rice

Lynch played football in the right era because his style of play no longer exists in the NFL today. In the 1990s and in the early 2000s when safeties were allowed to roam the middle and target receivers and tight ends with punishing hits, few did it better than Lynch. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Lynch often drew comparisons to Ronnie Lott and Steve Atwater – and rightly so.

Lynch spent 11 seasons in Tampa Bay patrolling the middle of the field in Monte Kiffin’s Tampa 2 defense as an intimidating strong safety before targeting calls against defenseless receivers changed the NFL forever. Lynch racked up 973 bone-jarring tackles as a Buccaneer, which ranks sixth all-time. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, a two-time first-team All-Pro and a team captain in Tampa Bay as he recorded 23 interceptions, seven forced fumbles and six sacks with the Bucs.

Former Bucs SS John Lynch – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Lynch will finally be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, and was just inducted into the Bucs Ring of Honor a couple of years ago. Whether it was his leadership, his momentum-changing hits or his timely turnovers, Lynch played a key role in the Bucs making the playoffs five times and winning Super Bowl XXXVII.

Reynolds’ Take: “Lynch was a gentleman off the field and a ruthless hit man on the field. It was such a shame that a neck injury caused the Bucs to cut him at the age of 32 when he still had some gas left in the tank – although his large salary cap figure also played a role.

To his credit, Lynch went on to play four more years in Denver where he made the Pro Bowl four more times. Lynch is one of the few NFL players to be inducted into the Ring of Honor for two different teams. Lynch, Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks spearheaded one of the best defenses in the NFL for several years and it’s fitting that all three are now in the Hall of Fame.”

7. Buccaneers FB Mike Alstott – 1996-2007
Previous No. 7: SS John Lynch

As a six-time Pro Bowler, Alstott is the most decorated offensive player in Tampa Bay history. He made six straight Pro Bowls from 1997-2002 and was also a three-time first-team All-Pro from 1997-99. Alstott wound up rushing for 5,088 yards in 11 years in Tampa Bay and finished as the franchise’ second all-time leading rusher behind James Wilder (5,957).

The Bucs’ second-round pick in 1996, Alstott’s extra effort on runs and receptions and tackle-breaking style made the 6-foot-1, 248-pounder a fan favorite. Nicknamed “The A-Train,” Alstott became a major offensive weapon under Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden. Whether he was blocking for Warrick Dunn or Michael Pittman, or carrying the ball himself, Alstott played with 100 percent effort and intensity.

Former Bucs FB Mike Alstott – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Alstott set a career franchise record with 58 rushing touchdowns, 71 total career scores, and added seven more TDs in the postseason. His 78 career TDs, including the postseason, is still tops in franchise history – although wide receiver Mike Evans (61 regular season, 62 total) is gaining fast. Alstott, a key player from the Super Bowl XXXVII championship team, was inducted into the Bucs Ring of Honor in 2015 as the seventh member to receive that distinction.

Reynolds’ Take: “When the game was on the line, the ball was usually in Alstott’s hands. Whether it was scoring the first touchdown in Philadelphia in the 2002 NFC Championship Game, scoring the first TD in Super Bowl XXXVII or the game-winning two-point conversion against Washington in 2005, the Bucs turned to Alstott in key moments.

While he averaged less the four yards per carry, Alstott closed out so many Bucs wins by grinding out yards and picking up key first downs. His tackle-breaking running style brought fans to their feet and keyed many momentum swings to Tampa Bay’s favor over his 11 years as a Buccaneer.”