The Bucs won Super Bowl LV one year ago today on February 7, 2021. Tampa Bay dethroned defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City, 31-9, at Raymond James Stadium in a historic game for the Bucs franchise.

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds looks back at that game with 10 memories from Tampa Bay’s second Super Bowl championship in franchise history – and how that game affects the Bucs heading into the 2022 season.

The Surreal-ness Of The Bucs Playing In The Super Bowl – At Home

After covering every Bucs game at Raymond James Stadium since it opened in 1998, it was truly surreal seeing Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl in their home stadium. On one hand it felt like the Super Bowl with the enhanced security, signage and pomp that went with the NFL’s championship game. On the other hand, it felt like another Bucs home game sitting in the same old, familiar press box.

Seeing the confetti fall as the Bucs became the first team to host – and win – a Super Bowl in their home stadium was just wild. As incredible as Tampa Bay’s first Super Bowl win in 2002 was, this one was just as remarkable, especially due to the location.

Bucs Newcomers Score Every Point

Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski and QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

Tampa Bay had a Pro Bowl nucleus of stars in its first Super Bowl championship in 2002, including the likes of future Hall of Famers Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch and Super Bowl stars like Dexter Jackson and Dwight Smith. But it was free agent signings like Brad Johnson (two TD passes), Keenan McCardell (two TD catches), Michael Pittman (124 yards rushing), Simeon Rice (two sacks, forced fumble) and Greg Spires (sack) that helped the Bucs get to – and win – Super Bowl XXXVII.

Every single point the Bucs scored in Super Bowl LV came from a newcomer. Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes – two to tight end Rob Gronkowski and one to Antonio Brown. Leonard Fournette rushed for a touchdown and kicker Ryan Succop added a field goal and the extra points. Just one year later, Brady and Brown are gone. Gronkowski and Fournette are free agents and could be leaving Tampa Bay, too.

Evans And Godwin’s Light Box Score Impact

It’s remarkable to think that the Bucs could put up 31 points of offense without significant statistical contributions from star wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. But that’s exactly what happened in Super Bowl LV. Evans had just one catch for 31 yards and Godwin had two receptions for just nine yards. Godwin was targeted four times and Evans just once. But Evans was targeted a few other times that didn’t end up on the stat sheet. That’s because each play ended with a penalty on the defense – four flags for 52 yards. The Bucs may not win, at least not as convincingly, without those plays.

Gronkowski led the way with six catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns for the Bucs. Brown had five catches, but for only 22 yards and a touchdown. Backup tight end Cameron Brate nearly out-produced the combination of Evans and Godwin with three catches for 26 yards.

Barrett Proved He Was Bucs’ Franchise Player

Bucs OLB Shaquil Barrett and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs had used their 2020 franchise tag on outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett after his 19.5-sack season in his first year in Tampa Bay. Barrett had a somewhat disappointing follow-up with just eight sacks in the 2020 regular season. But he turned up the pass rush production in the postseason, recording three sacks in the NFC Championship Game and another sack in Super Bowl LV.

Barrett also had 10 pressures on Mahomes and could have easily been the Super Bowl MVP with another sack. He used that exclamation point to his 2020 season to get a four-year contract extension worth an average of $17 million per season. Barrett would reward the Bucs for their loyalty with another Pro Bowl season, leading Tampa Bay with 10 sacks and three forced fumbles in 2021.

White Appeared To Be On The Cusp Of Greatness

The Super Bowl seemed to be a launching point for Tampa Bay inside linebacker Devin White in 2021. The second-year defender capped off a fantastic postseason full of splash plays with an amazing performance in Super Bowl LV. He led the team with 12 tackles, two tackles for loss and an end zone interception of Patrick Mahomes.

White didn’t have the consistency and the splash plays in 2021 that he did in 2020. Yet he made the Pro Bowl as an alternate this year. Perhaps that recognition will be motivation for White to become more a consistent linebacker in 2022.

Bowles’ Masterful Game Plan

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield, Jr. and Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill – Photo by: USA Today

Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Todd Bowles resisted his own nature as a blitzer to play more Cover 2 in Super Bowl LV than in any other Bucs game in 2020. Bowles only blitzed five times and yet the Bucs still pressured Mahomes on nearly every dropback and recorded three sacks. The constant pressure by Tampa Bay’s front four and front five also led to two interceptions by the Grave Diggers defense. And a memorable two-finger taunt from safety Antoine Winfield, Jr.

Bowles was rewarded with a pay raise after the game, as the Bucs made him the league’s highest-paid defensive coordinator. As brilliant as that game plan was, Bowles was criticized for an ill-timed blitz against Matthew Stafford in a home playoff loss to the Rams just weeks ago. He’ll learn from that mistake going forward. Bowles is still one of the league’s best defensive coordinators, and Super Bowl LV is proof of that.

Tampa Bay’s Coaching Staff Is Still Intact

It seemed like the Bucs were destined to lose at least one coordinator to a head coaching job after the Super Bowl. But there was very little interest in either Bowles or offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich until after the 2021 regular season. Bowles received more interviews for head coaching jobs, including Jacksonville, Minnesota, Chicago and Las Vegas. Leftwich interviewed with Jacksonville and nearly got the job before insisting on bringing his own general manager with him, which turned off the Jaguars.

Amazingly, the Bucs’ coaching staff is still intact, as it appears Bowles and Leftwich will stay on through the 2022 season. That’s a huge win for Tampa Bay. Only New Orleans and Houston currently have head coach vacancies. Consistency rules in the NFL, and the Bucs will have that on both sides of the ball yet again this season.

Brady’s Brilliance Wouldn’t Last Long

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

Brady’s two-year run in Tampa Bay was over in a flash. One year ago he led the Bucs to the team’s second Super Bowl championship in just his first season in red and pewter. Little did we realize that he would be gone less than a year later – opting for retirement after the 2021 campaign at the age of 44.

Brady went out on top, making his NFL-record 15th Pro Bowl right after winning his third Super Bowl MVP. He became the league’s all-time leading passer with 84,520 yards, which is one of the dozens of NFL records he holds. His 5,316 yards and 43 touchdown passes were the most in the NFL in 2021 and set new Tampa Bay single-season franchise records.

Brady Finally Has A Super Bowl Blowout

Not only did Brady win his NFL-record seventh Super Bowl ring in his first season in Tampa Bay, he also had his first and only Super Bowl blowout. All nine Super Bowls that Brady was in as the Patriots quarterback came down to the wire. He won six with New England with the largest margin of victory coming in a 13-3 win over Los Angeles in 2018.

The Bucs opened up a 21-6 halftime lead over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV thanks to Brady’s three first half touchdowns. His TD strike to Brown with just six seconds left in the second quarter gave Tampa Bay a big cushion and some momentum at halftime. The Bucs would never look back, outscoring the Chiefs 10-3 in the second half and winning in blowout fashion, 31-9.

Cook’s Final Bucs Game

Mark Cook’s final Bucs game – Super Bowl LV

Pewter Report was given four credentials to cover Super Bowl LV. One was a photo credential for Pewter Report’s chief of photography Cliff Welch. The other credentials were two in the press box and one in the stands in the auxiliary media area. I would be in the press box, but as someone who worked for a decade at Pewter Report, I let our long-time beat writer and former editor-in-chief Mark Cook decide where he wanted to watch the game.

Cook, who grew up a lifelong Bucs fan as a Tampa-area native, chose wisely. He sat in the stands while Jon Ledyard joined me in the press box. Cook soaked in all of the pageantry and ambiance of the home team’s victory. He was in the stands when the fireworks went off and the confetti fell. None of us knew that this would be Cook’s final Bucs game. The legendary Pewter Reporter passed away too soon on August 12, 2021 at the age of 50. Cook’s final Bucs game was perhaps the best in franchise history. Rest in peace, Cookie.