Clifton Smith is on his way to becoming the most prolific return man in team history

Joe just had a rare 2009 moment of Bucs pride that didn’t involve gawking at the orange-clad cheerleaders.

Reading a Bucs-Dolphins preview in the Sun-Sentinel, Joe learned the Bucs kickoff return and coverage teams are each ranked No. 1 in the NFL.

That’s damn good.

As Joe has written previously, Bucs fans are downright spoiled to have Clifton Smith and Sammie Stroughter behind him on the depth chart. Special teams guru Rich Bisaccia gets major kudos for taking his various units up to a near championship-caliber level in recent weeks. 

Now if the Bucs could only land a top-flight kicker …

Of note from the Sun Sentinel, the Dolphins’ Ted Ginn, Jr. is the top-ranked kickoff returner in the NFL (Smith is third).

Joe suspects the Bucs coverage team will win out against Ginn and company. Joe’s just hoping they get plenty of opportunities.