The last time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made it to the playoffs was 2007 -- also the last time they won the division. The last time they even had a winning season was 2010. Perhaps worst of all, the last time the Bucs won a playoff game -- any playoff game -- was 2003. In the Super Bowl.
That is one depressing run. Only four teams have been without a playoff appearance for longer, and only five teams have been without a playoff win for longer. The fact that the New Orleans Saints won a Super Bowl in 2010, the Atlanta Falcons made it to the NFC Championship in 2012 and the Carolina Panthers are now in the Super Bowl makes this even worse. Year after year Bucs fans see their competitors head to the playoffs and do well, while they sit at home and wonder whether whoever the head coach is now is going to be fired.
Maybe that changes this year. The Bucs have a franchise quarterback, an offensive-minded head coach (as they did the last time they went to the playoffs), and an experienced coaching staff. They have an offseason to turn around their defense, and they have talent on both sides of the ball. There's potential -- but this isn't the first year we've said that, and it wouldn't be the first season we're let down.