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BY IRA KAUFMAN

As much as Buc fans wish it were so, Tom Brady won’t be around forever.

Brady is locked in for two more seasons and it’s unlikely he’ll still be under center when he turns 46 by the summer of 2023.

As the defending Super Bowl champs report to training camp tomorrow, their long-range hopes rest with an ascending defense that battered three elite quarterbacks in succession during a championship march.

Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles holds the key, writes Sage Ira.

Even if Brady decides to end a career like no other in the league’s 100-year history, the Bucs can remain a vibrant power. The key is retaining Todd Bowles and some young defenders who have just begun to establish themselves as stars.

Some franchises have a distinct personality — and this is one of them.

Tampa appreciates defensive excellence, whether it be the stunning rise of the 1979 Bucs led by Lee Roy Selmon or the golden years under Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden.

Don’t look now, but it can happen again.

“It starts with players, always,” says John Lynch, “and we’re starting to get a nice representation in Canton. It started with a guy up front. Warren Sapp kind of made it go. He’s one of the best players in my mind to ever play the game. He had to be accounted for on every play or he would ruin your game plan. Derrick Brooks was so good and so impactful. He did so many things for us.”

Impact Drafts

Vita Vea isn’t Sapp, and he never will be. That’s alright because a healthy Vea is a game-wrecker in his own way.

Cornerstone Vita

When Vea returned in the postseason, Tampa Bay’s pass rush took it to another level. Brooks is a mentor to Devin White, who wants to be considered the NFL’s premier linebacker.

Retired Pro Bowl QB Boomer Esiason believes White’s already there.

While Vea, White and Shaq Barrett are cornerstones in the front 7, a young secondary has emerged as a team strength. What’s missing is the old Tampa 2 mindset that this defense will prevail against any opponent.

“We played with an attitude and our scheme was incredibly sound,” says Lynch, who joins Sapp, Brooks and Selmon in Canton Aug. 8. “We didn’t try to do too much, but what that created was we knew our jobs inside and out and we could play full speed. We were built on speed, we were smaller than most, but we did things with tremendous conviction.”

While Lynch, Sapp, Brooks and Rondé Barber were creating havoc for offensive coordinators, a worthy adversary emerged in St. Louis.

Kurt Warner came out of nowhere to win two league MVP awards for The Greatest Show on Turf and he had plenty of help from Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.

“It was speed vs. speed and the Rams came after your weak spot,” Lynch says. “We tried to do the same. As a result, we had great matchups. I think of the (2000) championship game … you talk about the one that got away. There were low-scoring games against them, but there were also shootouts. They had Hall of Fame players, we had Hall of Fame players. We were built on defense, they were built on offense, and we had great respect for each other.”

No Challenger?

From 1999 to 2002, the Bucs won three of the four matchups against the Rams, who averaged only 19 points per game facing Monte Kiffin’s crew.

These Bucs also need a worthy rival.

Not a chance, writes Ira.

Looking around the rest of the NFC South, it’s hard to find one. The Panthers are at least a few years away from contention and the Falcons can’t protect Matt Ryan. As for the Saints, do we really expect Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill to be as efficient as Drew Brees?

Not a chance.

This Buc team is all-in because Brady is in the house, but he’s not a long-term resident. And when Brady moves out, the Bucs will need their defense to carry the load.

Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul and Lavonte David may not be around once Brady calls it a day, so keep your eyes fixed on Bowles and his aggressive group.

Yes, those familiar chants of “Defense, defense,” are returning to Raymond James Stadium this fall — and they’re not going away.