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BY IRA KAUFMAN

And the race is on.

Three former Buccaneers cracked Tuesday’s list of 25 modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and it should come as no surprise that all hail from the defensive side of the ball.

John Lynch, Rondé Barber and Simeon Rice are knocking on Canton’s door, but entrance to this club is extraordinarily difficult — as it should be. They have each taken a major step forward, but a bigger step is dead ahead.

Of that trio, only Lynch has advanced to the group of 15 modern-era finalists, the guys who are discussed in front of the 48-member panel of voters on the day before the Super Bowl.

As Tampa Bay’s Hall of Fame selector since 2005, it’s been my privilege to present the case for Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Tony Dungy and Lynch, who has been a finalist for six consecutive years.

Although fellow safety Troy Polamalu is a semifinalist in his first year of eligibility, Lynch has a powerful resume that needs to be recognized. He was an intimidating presence for a dominating defense, whether No. 47 was in the box or patrolling the middle of the field.

“When you prepared to play Tampa, you had to prepare to take care of John Lynch,” says current Bucs offensive consultant/QB guru Tom Moore, who began his NFL coaching career with the 1977 Steelers.

“John Lynch could turn a game around. You always had to be conscious of where he was, whether he was coming after you or dropping into coverage. He was a dominant force as a football player.”

Lynch’s startling success as GM of the 49ers isn’t supposed to impact his Hall of Fame chances, but let’s not kid ourselves … it doesn’t hurt. He has built San Francisco from the defensive line out, knowing from experience the value of a dynamic 4-man pass rush.

With 26 interceptions during a 15-year career, Lynch isn’t relying on statistics to make his case for a gold jacket. He played a critical role in a historic Tampa defense, then stood out in Denver, playing in a different scheme.

He’s in the Ring of Honor for both organizations, a testament to his leadership and impact.

Will John Lynch’s GM success creep into the heads of 2020 Hall voters?

“Statistics are often misleading,” Moore says. “I judge a player on how much trouble he gives a defense or an offense and how much you have to orchestrate your preparation to take care of him. That’s a sign of greatness. To me, the Hall of Fame is about people who were dominant at their position — and John Lynch was.”

Historic Stats

Simeon Rice had eight seasons with double-digit sacks.

Like Lynch, Barber has a compelling case to join Sapp, Brooks and Lee Roy Selmon as Buc players in the Hall. He is one of the most unique defensive backs in the NFL’s 100-year history and he supplied the signature play in franchise history, returning that Donovan McNabb interception 92 yards for a TD to assure the 2002 Bucs would represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Even before that clinching return, Barber had made a huge imprint on the outcome with a sack, a forced fumble and four passes defended, prompting analyst Cris Collinsworth to exclaim: “I’ve seen some great defensive efforts in championship-type football games before, but I haven’t seen anybody play better than Rondé Barber has today.”

Barber boasts historic durability at cornerback and he remains the only player in NFL history with at least 25 sacks (28) and 40 or more interceptions (47) in his career.

It was good to see Rice return as a semifinalist after he was snubbed a year ago.

Rice stands 20th on the all-time sack list with 122 takedowns and his 28 forced fumbles reflect his knack for the sack-and-strip. Rice was a very good player in Arizona before joining the Bucs in 2001. A year later, he was the driving force up front for a suffocating defense that carried the Bucs to the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Rice registered seven sacks in seven career playoff games, including two takedowns of league MVP Rich Gannon in the Super Bowl, where he easily could have been named the game’s MVP.

In early January, we’ll learn how this Buc trio fares in the cutdown from 25 to the final 15. While Barber and Rice have never been in the room for discussion, Lynch’s candidacy has been debated every year since 2014.

If the 1969 Chiefs can boast six defensive players with gold jackets, the 2002 Bucs shouldn’t be satisfied with only two. By any measure, Lynch, Barber and Rice are strong candidates.

If only the strong survive, I like their chances.

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Ira Kaufman launched his professional NFL coverage in 1979, back when Earl Campbell was the toast of the league and Lee Roy Selmon was defensive player of the year. After a lifetime at The Tampa Tribune, “The Sage of Tampa Bay Sports” joined JoeBucsFan.com in July of 2016. His twice-weekly podcast and three columns per week appear here year-round and are presented by Bill Currie Ford. Tampa Bay’s only Hall of Fame voter is a regular on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio and a part of the FOX-13 Tailgate Sunday show, in addition to his other appearances. You can hang out with Ira during every Bucs road games at Buffalo Wild Wings. His schedule is linked here.