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Former Buccaneers' defensive lineman from Super Bowl team thinks he can still play

Former Buccaneers' defensive lineman from Super Bowl team thinks he can still play
Posted at 3:40 PM, Oct 25, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-25 15:41:27-04

After being out of the league for ten years, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defensive end and Super Bowl XXXVII champion Simeon Rice wants to make a comeback with the Bucs.

He is 43 years old, but told ESPN he is completely serious about it if the Bucs will have him.

"If they want a pass-rusher, they should bring in a pass-rusher extraordinaire who was one of the dominant pass-rushers of any era," Rice told ESPN. "What is it going to cost? You don't have one."

Tampa Bay is last in the league with just seven sacks through six games.

 

 

"My only request is you bring me in and let me play my brand of defense, which is real pressure football -- sack fumbles and disruption," said Rice, emphasizing that this has nothing to do with the Pro Football Hall of Fame and his frustration about not getting votes.

Rice told ESPN the Bucs' loss to Arizona a few weeks ago was tough and that "it was very hard watching what I could fix."

He spent time working with young defensive ends at training camp earlier this year.

Rice sounded confident when talking to the network, saying "With nine games left, [there is] plenty of time to finish with double-digit sacks and a playoff bid," Rice said. "I bet on myself before, and it paid off. It's really not a stretch at all. It's facts."