No.10 Gruden gets revenge in Super Bowl 37

Hey, all with the Super Bowl coming up in a few days I thought I would do a top ten of the Super Bowl's that I've seen which is from Super Bowl 37 to last year's match. Let me explain the reason for doing a top 10 it's just I thought that I'd try something a little different, a countdown except the way I'm doing it is not only in terms of the result. But it will be done by the performances of the teams and how close the game was. This one at number ten isn't but because it was my first Super Bowl I had to include it.

John Gruden lifting the Lombardi Trophy

This Super Bowl was Oakland Raiders vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A California team vs a Florida team in a California stadium, advantage California right, well not exactly. You see the match preview was that the current head coach of the Buccaneers John Gruden had coached the Raiders in the previous 3 years taking them to an AFC Championship in 2000. Their 2001 season ended when they lost to the New England Patriots in the Tuck Rule game (Patriots went on to win their first-ever Super Bowl after this). However, Gruden wanted an extension to his contract, and the Raiders weren't prepared to pay him the money. Their 2002 season ended up with them clinching the number one seed in the AFC with an 11-5 record and defeated the 4th seed New York Jets 40-10 and then defeating the 2nd seed Tennessee Titans 42-21 taking them to their 5th Super Bowl appearance. 

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers themselves were looking for a new head coach as they fired their last one (Tony Dungy) after failing to take a talented team to the Super Bowl. They had progressed from one of the laughing stocks to a contender thanks to a revolutionary defence. While the defence was top of the league their offence, however, couldn't match them in production. It became a case of if your defence is good then your offence needs to be really good to compliment them which they didn't. One example was the 1999 NFC championship when they lost in a defensive struggle against eventual winners St Louis Rams 10-6. They also had come unstuck against the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2000 and 2001 playoffs. They ended up acquiring John Gruden in a trade worth of 2 first round and 2 second-round draft picks. The Buccaneers ended 2002 with the second seed in the NFC with a 12-4 record. Their first match was a home visit from the San Francisco 49ers who pulled off one of the most famous playoff comebacks against the Giants the week before and made them look like they never got on the plane crushing them 31-6. They then had to go to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in the final game at their old stadium and got their revenge with a 27-10 win.

Hall of Fame Receiver Jerry Rice

The Raiders came in with the number 1 offence with Rich Gannon as the MVP, completing 418 passes for 4689 passing yards, 26 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He even ran 50 times for 156 yards and 3 touchdowns himself along with two Hall of Fame players in Tim Brown, who had 81 catches for 930 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Jerry Rice, who had 92 catches 1,211 yards and 7 touchdowns. They also had a talented but lowly ranked (25th) defence in Bill Romanowski trying to tie former teammate Charles Haley for 5 Super Bowl rings, Rod Woodson back for his third Super Bowl and Charles Woodson (not related).

The Buccaneers came in with the number 1 defence in every department with 4 members Simeon Rice, Warren Sapp, John Lynch and Derrick Brooks all making the Pro Bowl for 2002. Brooks led the team in tackles with 87 and also 5 interceptions returning them for 218 yards and scoring 4 total touchdowns the best for a linebacker that year. The two men upfront Rice and Sapp had 23 combined sacks and 2 interceptions (both for Sapp). Another weapon was cornerback Brian Kelly as he had 8 interceptions in the season and Ronde Barber. Meanwhile, their offence was still struggling as they ended up 25th in total yards gained which was 5,222 yards and their QB Brad Johnson made the Pro Bowl completing 281 passes for 3,049 yards 22 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions. Both their running backs had combined for either near or over 1000 yards either rushing or receiving and scored a combined 7 touchdowns. Their primary receivers were Keyshawn Johnson with 76 catches of 1,008 yards and 5 touchdowns while Keenan McCardell had 61 catches for 670 yards and 6 touchdowns.

League MVP Rich Gannon had a nightmare.

The game started off well for the Raiders as Charles Woodson intercepted B.Johnson and returned it 16 yards on the third play of the game. However, the Raiders couldn't take advantage as 6 splays later Simeon Rice sacked Gannon which forced Oakland's kicker Sebastian Janikowski to kick a 40-yard field goal to make it 3-0 Raiders.  On the next drive, Johnson started off well with an 11-yard pass to Joe Jurevicius and then after another two incomplete plays he again threw it to Jurevicius this time for 23 yards taking them to the Oakland 40-yard line. Michael Pittman then ran another 23 yards to take them to Oaklands 13-yard line but was held out and was forced to bring out their kicker Martin Gramatica, and he scored a 31-yard attempt to end the first quarter 3-3.

The start of the second quarter was not as entertaining as the first quarter as both sides exchanged 3 and outs. However, after one of the punts, the Raiders started on their 45-yard line. However 3 plays later Dexter Jackson intercepted Gannon on the Tampa 40 yard line. 9 plays later the Buccaneers were rewarded with a field goal to make it 6-3. On the next Raiders drive, it was going well for the Raiders until Jackson intercepted Gannon again. This time the Raiders defence held out. Then on the next Bucs drive they drove down and scored their first touchdown courtesy of a Mike Alstott 2-yard rush after Pittman had gains of 6 and 19 yards to push them down the field to make it 13-3. Then with less than 4 minutes to go in the first half, the Bucs then went 77 yards with Alstott having two 28 yard catch and runs, capped off with Keenan McCardell catching a 5-yard touchdown pass to make it 20-3 at halftime.

Dwight Smith returning an interception

After a halftime show that had Sting, No Doubt (Gwen Stefani's band) and Shania Twain, the Bucs forced the Raiders into another 3 and out. They then went down 89 yards on a 14 play drive which took nearly 8 minutes of the clock and finished it off with another touchdown pass to McCardell. The time on the sidelines gave the Bucs defence time to recover, and it showed when Dwight Smith intercepted Gannon and ran 44 yards for a pick-six to make it 34-3. The Raiders offence then finally woke and orchestrated a drive of 82 yards for a 39-yard touchdown pass that was initially ruled out but overturned after the Raiders coach challenged the decision, they attempted a 2 point conversion which failed but made it 34-9.

Buccaneers sideline celebrating a touchdown

During the 4th quarter, the Raiders were starting to make headways into the game, and it even looked like they were going to make the game more interesting. On the next Bucs drive the defence held them to a punt, and on the punt linebacker, Tim Johnson then blocked the punt and teammate Eric Johnson ran it in 13 yards for a touchdown to make it a 34-15. The Bucs offence then went down the field to ice the game and despite a drive including a 24 yard run by Pittman they came up empty as on the field goal the holder fumbled the ball. The Raiders then said thank you very much with a 48-yard pass to Jerry Rice with 6 minutes left on the clock and leaving it as a 13 point game at 34-21. However, if there was to be a comeback, then it ended when Derrick Brooks ran an interception back with only 78 seconds left to make it 41-21. Then to cap it off Dwight Smith intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 50 yards for the last touchdown with 2 seconds left on the clock, and it ended 48-21. Dexter Jackson ended up being the MVP with 2 interceptions.

Brad Johnson won the QB battle as he completed 18 of his 34 passes for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception. Johnson was the leading receiver for the Bucs with 6 catches for 69 yards. Pittman was the leading rusher with 29 carries for 124 yards. On defence, Dwight Smith himself had 2 interceptions for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Gannon, however, ended up with 24 completions from 44 passes for 272 yards 2 touchdowns but the 5 interceptions with a combined 172 yards were the headlines. Charlie Garner (their running back) got more passing yards than rushing yards, 51 passing yards of 7 catches for 10 yards rushing off seven carries. Jerry Rice ended up having 5 catches for 77 yards with the 48-yard touchdown play being his most significant play.

I'll be back with more on the countdown in a few days.

 KRO Mark