Buccaneers new helmet, logo: Will this jump start a new era?
Buccaneers new helmet: The NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers have changed their team logo and helmet, and will show it off Thursday night. Warren Sapp says to check out the grill work.
Buccaneers new helmet: A Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmet and football are seen on the sideline in the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2013.
Bill Feig/AP
When you're coming off a 4-12 season in the National Football League, you'll try to turn the page as quickly as possible.
The NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers have decided to change their look, and maybe their record, for next season. NFL Hall of Famer and former All-Pro defensive lineman Warren Sapp announced on Twitter Tuesday that the team will unveil an enhanced logo and helmet Thursday night.
The unveiling will take place on the league's NFL Network at 8 p.m. Eastern time, with Sapp and other NFL personalities along for the ride.
Sapp even tweeted about a special detail on the new helmet, according to the website of WPEC-TV: A chrome grill.
The Buccaneers have featured a red pirate flag affixed to a sword on pewter-colored helmets since 1997. Prior to that, the team logo consisted of a winking pirate, or buccaneer, in orange and red on a white helmet.
The team's record in pewter (1997-2013): 133 wins and 139 losses, with a win in Super Bowl XXXVII at the end of the 2002 season. The team's record in their 'creamsicle' days (1976-1996): 100 wins, 223 losses, and a tie, with an appearance in the NFC championship game at the end of the 1979 season.