The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started out badly as an NFL team. In the early years of their existence, they were a consistent loser , not just in some years, but every year. Yes, they were everyones favorite opponent , a soft spot on the tough NFL schedule.

Over time, however, the Buccaneers, through solid drafts and positive Head Coaching changes, began to step up in class. They got better , and better , and better. Draft picks like Warren Sapp, and others, gave the Buccaneers something they hadnt had in the past, really good players.

And good players help their teams win games. Tampa Bay, with its infusion of talent, gradually went from an easy-to-beat-patsy to a tough game for every weekly opponent. Transformations like that happen all the time in the NFL and it certainly happened to Tampa Bay.

The former guaranteed soft touch became the predator instead of the prey. Tampa Bay, after countless years of futility, was good. In fact, in some recent seasons they have been very good. But, they have never been good enough to wear the crown of NFL Champion. That title has been reserved for AFC powerhouses like the Patriots and the Steelers.

However, everything in the NFL is cyclical. While the AFC has been dominant for most of the new century, winning most of the Super Bowls, chances are change will be in the air during the 2009-2010 Season. The NFCs New York Giants won the big game two years ago. Last season, the Arizona Cardinals came within about two minutes of providing the NFC with another league champion.

It didnt happen because Ben Roethlisberger led the very resilient Steelers on a last minute game-winning drive that gave his team a Super Bowl victory. But NFC teams now knew that a power shift was possible, maybe even probable. Can Tampa Bay be the NFL team that wears the crown at the end of the 2009-2010 Season?