Buccaneers uniforms rated among the ugliest in NFL history

There’s no single reason why the Buccaneers haven’t been to the playoffs in more than a decade.

Bad general managers. Bad coaches. Bad free agent signings. Bad draft picks. Bad kickers.

But maybe, just maybe, the bad uniforms have something to do with the drought, too.

As Deion Sanders once said, “You look good, you feel good. You feel good, you play good. You play good, they pay good.”

Since Tampa Bay redesigned its uniforms ahead of the 2014 season, the Bucs have gone 27-53. That’s the fourth-worst record in the NFL.

Times Sports editorial: Save us from the Bucs’ hideous uniforms

Even the players are eager for the team to move on, or perhaps back. Left tackle Donovan Smith has asked for the Bucs to return to the creamsicle uniforms they wore from 1976 through 1996. Tight end O.J. Howard wants to bring back the uniforms the team wore during its Super Bowl run in 2002.

It has been five years since Tampa Bay introduced its current set, and time hasn’t made the uniforms any easier on the eyes. They’re regularly ranked among the worst in the NFL. And now USA Today has rated them among the worst ever.

In the website’s countdown of the 15 ugliest uniforms in NFL history, the Bucs rank sixth.

“The Buccaneers went to their current eyesores in 2014, and — like most uniform changes — it was an unmitigated disappointment,” USA Today said.

The Dolphins’ current uniforms rank fifth …

… and the Broncos’ current uniforms rank fourth.

The Jaguars’ mustard-colored Color Rush uniforms, accompanied by a two-toned gradient helmet, escape the “worst ever” distinction and place third.

One surprising twist: The Panthers’ Carolina blue uniforms, which aren’t nearly as garish as the Bucs’, rank second.

The ugliest of all time? The 1934 sky blue-and-yellow throwbacks the Eagles wore in 2007.

According to NFL rules, teams must wait five seasons before they can change their uniforms, which means Tampa Bay is eligible. A redesign isn’t coming this season, however. Here’s the Bucs’ uniform schedule:

• They will wear their red jersey/pewter pants combination in the opener against the 49ers and again in Week 3 vs. the Giants, Week 4 vs. the Rams, Week 6 vs. the Panthers, Week 16 vs. the Texans and Week 17 vs. the Falcons.

• They will wear their much-maligned all-white set in Week 2 vs. the Panthers, Week 5 vs. the Saints, Week 8 vs. the Titans, Week 9 vs. the Seahawks, Week 10 vs. the Cardinals, Week 12 vs. the Falcons, Week 13 vs. the Jaguars and Week 15 vs. the Lions.

• They will wear their red Color Rush uniforms in Week 11 vs. the Saints and Week 14 vs. the Colts.

Contact Thomas Bassinger at tbassinger@tampabay.com. Follow @tometrics.