Last season, the Buccaneers knocked the rust of cynicism off the lot of us when they compiled a roster of aging or discarded former stars and high draft picks and romped their way to the Super Bowl.
For a time, it seemed like empty showmanship. Here was an assembly of recognizable names packaged together like a Las Vegas variety show to sell tickets. The next thing you know, Leonard Fournette was bulling over teams in the playoffs, a slender Rob Gronkowski was picking up chunk yardage on classic Tom Brady brain-meld connection throws, and Antonio Brown looked a lot like the promising receiver who abandoned the Steelers in an effort to choose his own destination.