The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have only made the playoffs twice since 2005, but also have a 10-6 (2010) and 9-7 (2007) record in seasons in which they went home early.

Mark Dominik replaced Bruce Allen as general manager of the Buccaneers in 2009 and has more talent on the roster than commonly thought.

RealGM has been using a statistic called the Trench Counter to rank NFL teams since the 2007 season.

The Trench Counter accounts for average yards per pass, yards per carry, penalty yards, first downs and turnovers to determine how well teams control the game in the most meaningful ways. 

The Buccaneers rank 18th in Trench Counter from the 2007 season through 2011.

Below are Tampa Bay’s season-by-season rankings, Trench Counter totals and actual record in parentheses.

2007: 3rd, +6.5 (9-7)
2008: 16th, +1.2 (9-7)
2009: 28th, -7.2 (3-13)
2010: 14th, +0.6 (10-6)
2011: 32nd, -12.1 (4-12)