G Randall McDaniel played in just two seasons as a Buccaneer but started 32 games and made the Pro Bowl
An offensive guard's glory is often best reflected in the stats of his running back. As a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, you probably know that James Wilder had the two best rushing seasons in franchise history in 1984 and 1985, going for 1,544 and 1,300 yards in those two seasons, respectively. Do you know which two guards helped clear out the middle for him? (FYI – Mostly Steve Courson and Sean Farrell.) A host of guards can take some satisfaction in Mike Alstott's 4,600 rushing yards and 47 rushing touchdowns, from Beckles to Jim Pyne to Jorge Diaz to Frank Middleton to Kerry Jenkins and several others.
Who cleared the way for Ricky Bell and kept the grass stains off Doug Williams' back in the breakthrough season of 1979? (The Gregs, Roberts and Horton.) Who were Reggie Cobb's inside escorts, in addition to C Tony Mayberry, when Cobb banged for 1,171 yards in 1992? (Ian Beckles and Bruce Reimers, of course.)
The guard position has not necessarily enjoyed the stability in Buccaneer franchise annals that some other positions have, such as safety, inside linebacker and center. Few Buc guards can boast more than three or four starting seasons; still, the periodic success of Tampa Bay's running game indicates the team has had some strong play inside. Our goal this week is to determine who supplied the best of that good work.
It's not an easy task, but the selection of the All-Time Team has been filled with tough decisions. Once again, it's your job to sift through the candidates and determine who should take their places on the crew of Greatest Bucs. You've just finished choosing among a strong list of inside linebackers; now, please turn your attention to the other side of the ball and help us fill in the front five.
Below you will find brief accounts of 10 players whom we have nominated for the two guard spots on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Time Team. Please review their qualifications and vote for two players in the poll to the right. Your vote will determine who makes the team at the position, although the results will not be announced until the entire team is revealed near the beginning of the 2004 season.
This is 12th installment of our ongoing effort to determine the Greatest Buccaneers at every position. Already you've selected two cornerbacks, two defensive ends, two outside linebackers, two inside linebackers, two safeties, two offensive tackles, two running backs, one center, one tight end, one punter and one special teams ace. Still to come in June and July: defensive tackle, wide receiver, kicker and quarterback. To review the positions discussed so far, visit the All-Time Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team home page.
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All-Time Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team: Offensive Guards
The nominations are presented in alphabetical order. Only a player's accomplishments with the Buccaneers are considered.
