The Best Decade (So Far)

September 3rd, 2025

What a start to a decade!

The Bucs last night held a ceremony at the historic Tampa Theater for a preview of a roughly 10-hour-long documentary the Bucs bankrolled to honor the first 50 years of Bucs football.

Who knew this would have coincided with (so far) the best decade of Bucs football?

Perhaps it was all worth it. Joe, like so many Bucs fans, suffered through the Lost Decade, apainful 10-year stretch where the Bucs lost more home games than any other NFC team.

And they lost plenty of road games, too.

From Sabby the Goat and Sean Mayhem through Austin Seferian-Jackwagon, Mike Jenkins, Kellen Winslow, Hey Jude and the Calgary Stampeder Donteea Dye, it was a nightmarish parade of stiffs, slugs, malcontents, con artists, never-beens and some of the most horrid coaching one will ever witness.

All rolled up into a Lost Decade. Man.

But this decade has been the complete opposite. The Bucs’ media relations staff pumped out this fun tidbit just hours before the celebration of team history in team history:

The past five seasons have been the best five-year stretch in franchise history. Five straight playoff appearances and four straight division titles had never happened before. Throw in 54 total wins, 51 regular-season wins and a Super Bowl title in the Bucs’ home crib, The Licht House, and what a start to a decade!

It almost made the Lost Decade tolerable — so long as you kept your liquor cabinet fully stocked during those dark days.

29 Responses to “The Best Decade (So Far)”

  1. dls5492 Says:

    A salute to JL!

  2. #99 the Big Fella Says:

    We will still have the same guys on here complaining, saying Bowles and light suck. It’s actually comical.

  3. Ds Says:

    Lost decade was so bad I still have PTSD lol @Joe don’t forget about Tanard Jackson, Freddy martino, Albert Haynesworth, sackless Kyle Moore, Gun toting bowers to name a few

  4. KABucs Says:

    #99

    Yep!
    Bowles sucks… Bucs defense sucks… Todd hates man coverage… cares little about edge rushing, instead loves to drop his OLBs into coverage… yada yada yada

  5. infomeplease Says:

    So far so good! Wouldn’t adding another Lombardi to the trophy case this season be sweet? It starts this Sunday!! LFG!!

  6. SB~LV Says:

    Maybe James Wilder will finally get his name on the Ring of Honor!

  7. WillieBeamin8 Says:

    Correction
    57 Total wins
    51 Reg
    6 Post (+4 2020 SB year + Phi 2021 (LAR) + Phi 2023(DET))

  8. Bucnjim Says:

    I have to laugh every time you reference the lost decade. It was a sad time, but NOTHING compared to the 13 years of misery from 1983 (first year as season ticket holder) to 1996. Average win per season: 4.5! On any given Sunday, there were 50,000 Bears or Packers fans, win 15,000 Bucs fans.

  9. johnnythemoon Says:

    Nothing was worse than 1983-96, if you lived it as a fan you would understand it lol.

  10. Aqualung Says:

    After Bwoels is launched after another putrud pass defense loses more games than it wins and Jason finds a real HC and fulltime, modern DC, we can really celebrate.

  11. geno711 Says:

    Those Culverhouse years were much worse. Maybe the guy’s writing weren’t paying attention.

    I consider the Bucs have two histories.

    The Culverhouse years and the Glazier years.

    The Culverhouse years were the worst run sports franchise in history.

    The Glazier years are certainly above average. More hits than missteps and two Super Bowls. I give the ownership some credit.

  12. bill Says:

    i agree, the OG years (1983-96) were far worse than the ‘lost decade’. I still run into friends i had back in elementary school that say the I am the only Buc fan they ever knew growing up. (living in PA here)

    The only upside I guess was usually by the 2nd or 3rd week you realized that there was no hope for the season and the stress level was zero after that.

  13. Jmarkbuc Says:

    So when/ where does the documentary get released?
    Undeclared at this time. –Joe

  14. PSL Bob Says:

    And consider that JL has managed to keep us relevant, if not improving, after the 2020 SB despite the huge weight of the salary cap. Pretty damn sweet.

  15. mj Says:

    all the credit to jason licht

  16. Smarter than Joe Says:

    Lost Decade and Todd Blows pass defense still give me PTSD and make me believe no lead is safe

    My Wife who has sat through many Bucs games with me wouldn’t even let me get excited during the Bucs/Chiefs Super Bowl as she had PTSD of the Bucs blowing many leads.

    I’d love to see the Pass D be fixed but until I see it I will NEVER believe Todd Blows can scheme up a competent pass d

  17. BucsfaninOregon Says:

    Hugh Culverhouse and PBA airlines and Mason Dixon and Bo Jackson and Mrs. Culverhouse wanting to dig up body of husband and shoot him because of David Brinkly’s wife and HC McCay’s blunders and (fill in the gross actions). Great start to this franchise.

  18. Anyhony Says:

    The lost decade was way worse because we had a taste of success and had to go back to the dungeon. The Original Sin didn’t know any better.

  19. It’s Exciting!!!! Says:

    DREAM DECADE!!!
    LFG!!!

  20. BucsFan81 Says:

    I didn’t become a fan until 1997. After Gruden got fired it all went down hill and pretty much sucked from 2009 until Arians got here.

  21. orlbucfan Says:

    1983-96: Talk about Lost Era, how about Dark Ages? You had to be pretty da@@ed tough with a sprinkle of insanity to be a loyal Bucs fan back then. Joes’ Lost Decade is a walk in the park in contrast.

  22. Buc1987 Says:

    I became a big fan in 1987…Testaverde and Perkins.

    I didn’t know what I was getting into…

    I wouldn’t want to ever be a fan of another team though.

    Go Bucs!

  23. SlyPirate Says:

    The next three seasons should be the best in franchise history. NFCS x8!

  24. Rod Munch Says:

    I’d say the best 10-year period would be 1992-2002 – because you really need that build up, which goes back well before 1992, to truly appreciate that first SB.

    BTW, if the Bucs keep Vinny instead of going with Dilfer … do they win a SB at the end of the 90s? If Dilfer stayed healthy in 99, does he get the job done? If so, then the 90s would be the decade I’d pick, because, again, you need that long build-up.

    But that didn’t happen, so if you’re talking decades, then 2020s is by far the leader there. And the 2000s goes quickly downhill as Gruden destroyed the best defense in NFL history because he couldn’t handle people saying he won with Dungy’s team – so he rebuilt it in his image, and saw it go into the toilet.

  25. WillieG Says:

    “ From Sabby the Goat and Sean Mayhem through Austin Seferian-Jackwagon, Mike Jenkins, Kellen Winslow, Hey Jude ,the Calgary Stampeder Donteea Dye, and the most athletic worst corner back in NFL history, Vernon Haergraves.”

    Fixed it for you

  26. #1bucsfan Says:

    I still get PTSD from the lost decade unfortunately but hey this has bin a great run since bring Bucco Bruce and co on board. Between Arians and Brady they really turned this culture around. I thought it was just fluff talk when they said the Brady affect would be long lasting but it really has bin.

  27. BucYou Says:

    Lmao. Don’t forget about the Benn’d around, the blocking icon, a #1 CB saying they don’t pay him enough to cover the other teams #1 WR, Talib/Blount/Bennett/Revis for nothing, freakin MRSA and other teams having disinfect their locker rooms after the Bucs left, the down by 30 dancing on the sidelines boys, Mankins and his grill, Swaggy, ice cream parties, “I’m sorry Ben!!”, 30/30 I’m ballin and eating W’s, kneel down shoves, thermostat requirements, and Conte getting quite literally stiff-armed out of the league on primetime… just to name a few.

    But hey, who’s counting?

  28. BucYou Says:

    Oh yeah, and the OC that lied about his experience and was fired after just PRESEASON.

    Those were the days 😂

  29. Hunter's Crack Pipe Says:

    BucYou Says:
    Those were the days 😂
    .
    .

    😁 Nice finale. LOL

 

Leave a Reply