The Bucs are very average. They don't have a single playmaker on offense. That has to be on Jon Gruden, who has assembled some pretty mediocre Buccaneers teams since Dungy left. The defense is good, but it isn't near as dominant as the old Buccaneers defense.
That defense could carry a weak offense. This one can't. The Bucs are a 9-7, 8-8 team. The Saints are about to get Shockey and Colston back, and the Panthers are in another class.
Why are you comparing this team to the 2002 Bucs? That defense was historically good, and Brad Johnson had a pretty good year.