Will Adrian Clayborn become Bucs new rookie Sack record holder? 3 sacks in 2 games will do it.
Lost in the middle of an Eight game losing streak where everyone is obsessed with blaming head coach Raheem Morris and wanting him fired at season’s end, is a potentially extraordinary season for a defensive end, one of the best in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history. Yes, that includes Lee Roy Selmon’s 1976 rookie year too!
The first ever Buccaneer, Lee Roy Selmon took down 5 guys in 1976 on his way to a 9 year hall of fame and ring of honor career and 78.5 sacks, tops in Bucs history. Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice are behind him by a handful, but Rice was a free agent, and Sapp was a defensive tackle, and had only three QB takedowns his rookie year.
Speaking of defensive tackles, thats where the Bucs rookie record lies- with the man Sapp replaced; Santana Dotson. Dotson when on to Super Bowl status after leaving the Bucs via free agency to the Green Bay Packers. Dotson finished his rookie 1992 season with 10 Sacks, and Adrian Clayborn would need 2.5 more in the last two games to tie, or 3 sacks in the last two to become the new rookie QB takedown leader.
But Dotson is a DT, Clayborn is a defensive end, like Selmon, like Greg White. WHO? Stylez G White that is, last years sack leader with 4.5 that Clayborn passed a while ago. Clayborn has had a streak now of at least .5 sacks each game since Green Bay, five straight weeks. That should get him White’s record, which is 2007’s 8 sacks by the Bucs DE playing in his first season in Pewter and Red. But White was not a rookie draft pick, he was a walk on former Arena League player, which is quite impressive.
The difference with all of these players, at least we hope its a difference, is that only Lee Roy Selmon continuted to improve upon his sack totals. White followed his 8 sacks with 5, 6.5, and then finally 4.5 last year, the team lead. Santana Dotson followed 10 sacks with 5, 3, and 5 before being shipped out to Wisconsin. Lee Roy took down 13 QBs in 1977, 11 each in both 78 and 79, 9 in 1980, 6.5 in ’81 and only 4 in strike year 1982. Looked like he was fading right? 11 QB Takedowns in 1983, a 2-14 season! Before forced retirement in 1985, Selmon parted the Bucs with an 8 sack season.
So Adrian Clayborn has a long way to go before he is compared to greatness around here, but an 8 or 8.5 sack performance in this dismal 2011 season would be a great start, and a nice thing for Bucs fans to hand their hat on for the future!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
