MORE BANG FOR THE BUCS.(Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

The defense alone was enough to make Tampa Bay a contender. Now with the help of an upgraded offense, the Bucs are bound to have a super--make that Super--season.

We have become quite accustomed to Cinderellas crashing the NFL ball.

They hop the fence, deftly negotiating the strings of barbed wire at the top. They enter through the kitchen, where the produce trucks drop off the heads of lettuce. Once in, they act like they belong.

In recent years, we've seen this story repeatedly. It was the Ravens and Giants last year. The Rams the year before. In the 1998 season, it was the Falcons.

But Cinderella isn't dancing this year. The NFL in 2001 has so many powerhouse teams that it's difficult to envision a dark horse doing much of anything except eating hay. Who is going to sneak past the Titans, Ravens, Broncos, Raiders, Dolphins and Colts in the AFC? Nobody. Is there a team that can rise up in the NFC and slip past the Buccaneers, Eagles, Giants, Saints and Rams? We think not.

Hence, our choice to win the Super Bowl is the Bucs, a team that looks better on paper than glitter pens.

There is a lot to like about Tampa Bay, from the cool leadership of Tony Dungy to the clutch kicking of Martin Gramatica, and all that goes between. Their aggressive offseason has converted some skeptics, but a couple of acquisitions aren't the only reason to buy the Bucs.