2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jon Gruden had been in Oakland for four years and the Raiders would be highly compensated for the loss of their head coach. Oakland would receive the Bucs first and second round draft picks in this year's draft, their first in 2003 and second in 2004. At age 38, Gruden was the youngest head coach in the league and was known for his sneers on the sidelines. His facial contortions reminded people of the doll from the "Child's Play" series of horror movies, so Gruden was nicknamed "Chucky."
On February 20, 38 year old Jon Gruden was introduced as the Buccaneers seventh
head coach. He had ties to the area. His father Jim was an assistant coach
for the Bucs in the 1980s, his brother Jay was once the quarterback for the
Tampa Bay Storm and his parents still lived in Tampa. "I want to be with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a lot of reasons and I'm really eager to get started,"
Gruden stated. The new head coach was asked if he thought there was pressure
on him to win. "You either feel pressure, or you apply pressure. Our
philosophy is to do whatever we have to do to win."
The losses to free agency seemed staggering. Players signing with other teams included Warrick Dunn, who was in second place on the Bucs career rushing list. Donnie Abraham left as the franchise career leader in interceptions. Starting middle linebacker Jamie Duncan and popular tight end Dave Moore went elsewhere. Reidel Anthony and Jacquez Green signed with Washington, while Randall McDaniel decided to retire. A preseason injury to Marcus Jones lead to his release. Jon Gruden explained the defections. "We've lost some players here for a reason. Not because I don't want them here or we don't want them here, it's because we have some salary-cap issues."
Not that the Bucs did not sign some free agents. Quarterback Rob Johnson had spent the last four years with Buffalo. Out of the University of Southern California, Johnson also played three seasons with Jacksonville. Former Fresno State running back Michael Pittman spent the last four years with Arizona. The offensive line was bolstered with the addition of Kerry Jenkins, who attended Troy State and spent five seasons with the New York Jets, Roman Oben, a six year vet with Giants and Cleveland, and Lomas Brown, a 17 year veteran out of the University of Florida. They picked up tight end Ken Dilger, a seven year veteran with Indianapolis. Added to the receiving corps were Joe Jurevicius, who spent four years with the Giants, and Keenan McCardell, an eleven year veteran who played the last six years with Jacksonville. Defensive signings included end Greg Spires, who went to Florida State before playing with Cleveland. The Bucs also picked up punter Tom Tupa, an Ohio State product, who was playing for his sixth different team in a fourteen year NFL career.
| It might have been the most hyped preseason game in Bucs history. Not only was
Jon Gruden the new Tampa Bay coach, but Steve Spurrier was the new head coach
of the Washington Redskins. Spurrier was the first Bucs quarterback, the head
coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits and always mentioned as a candidate for the Bucs
head coaching position.
Jon Gruden talked of the buzz surrounding the game. "You know, this is not
Super Bowl XXXVIII or whatever. The guy is coming back, Spurrier did not have the same success in the NFL that he had at Florida and after two seasons in Washington, and a 12-20 record, he resigned. He returned to college coaching at South Carolina. |
The Buccaneers also moved the preseason training camp out of Tampa for the first time. After training at One Buc Place, and more recently the University of Tampa, training camp was held outside Orlando at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. Renovations at UT forced the change and the team announced plans to build its own facilities in northern Hillsborough County.
Another change for the 2002 season was the NFL's division realignment. After twenty-five years as a member of the NFC Central, and three division championships, the Bucs were now in the new NFC South. Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay and Minnesota were replaced with new divisional rivals Atlanta, Carolina and New Orleans. With expansion and franchise relocations, the shuffling of the divisions made sense and the realignment provides a more balanced schedule.
On September 8, in the first ever NFC South game, New Orleans visited Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers had a poor first half and the score easily could have been worst than 13-3 Saints. Deuce McAllister, 109 yards rushing, and Joe Horn, 108 yards receiving, lead a balanced attack for the Saints. The Bucs scored on the first drive of the second half with Keenan McCardell catching his first touchdown pass with Tampa Bay. The Saints came right back with Aaron Brooks (24 of 42 for 260 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT) tossing his second TD pass of the afternoon and the score was 20-10 after three quarters. Brad Johnson (28 of 52 for 278 yards with 2 TDs) was under continual pressure, and sacked three times, but the team started moving using the hurry up offense late in the game. With 2:41 left, Joe Jurevicius scored his first Buccaneers touchdown and the Bucs got the ball back with 2:01 left. They marched 51 yards and Martin Gramatica kicked a 40 yard field goal as time ran out. Each team had trouble moving the ball in overtime and the winning score came with 2:50 left. Tom Tupa had to punt out of the Bucs end zone and the New Orleans rush forced him to throw a pass to avoid a safety. That pass never left the end zone, as linebacker James Allen intercepted it for the decisive score. Jon Gruden said of the 26-20 defeat in his Buccaneers debut, "I'm disappointed, but I'm not going to be the one to let this fester very long. We have a good football team and we're going to come back from this."
The Buccaneers fared better in their first visit to Ravens Stadium in Baltimore. While Brad Johnson (24 of 31 for 211 yards) was steady, the offense did have to settle for three Martin Gramatica field goals. Karl Williams added a 56 yard punt return for a special teams score. Ravens quarterback Chris Redman (16 of 38 for 141 yards) had a rough afternoon. Redman was sacked three times and fumbled out of bounds for a safety. Late in game, with Baltimore driving, Derrick Brooks returned an interception 97 yards for a touchdown to preserve the shutout. One negative was ten Bucs penalties for 74 yards. Jon Gruden talked about the 25-0 victory. "It's the first win, but there's not a lot of time in the NFL to be sentimental. You've got the St. Louis Rams waiting on you." John Lynch awarded a game ball to the head coach. "He's going to win a lot of games around here. We gave up a lot of draft picks for him and a lot of money. And he's worth every penny. Besides, I saw that Forbes magazine piece. The Glazers are doing okay."
The Bucs returned home to play the St. Louis Rams on Monday Night Football. They were able to move the ball early, but had to settle for a pair of field goals. Brad Johnson (23 of 32 for 199 yards) found Rickey Dudley open in the end zone for the tight end's first Buccaneers touchdown and a 13-7 half time advantage. Dudley, who had played under Jon Gruden at Oakland, was signed the Wednesday before the game. The Bucs defense harassed Rams QB Kurt Warner all night. While Warner (30 of 45) did throw for 301 yards, he was intercepted four times, sacked five times and was held without a touchdown pass. The Rams also fumbled once for a total of five turnovers. Torry Holt with a dozen receptions for 139 yards made some key grabs for the visitors. In the fourth quarter, Mike Alstott pushed his way into end zone from 2 yards out and the lead stretched to 19-7. A Rams TD made it close, before Derrick Brooks returned an interception 39 yards for score with 59 seconds left. For Brooks, it was his third pick in as many games and the second week in a row he returned one for a touchdown. Gruden talked about the 26-14 victory. "Our defense was just dominating in the second half. I think that became obvious to America."
In the first quarter at Cincinnati, Brad Johnson saw his team record for pass
attempts without an interception come to an end at 187. Linebacker Brian
Simmons returned the pick 51 yards for a score and the Bengals lead 7-0 after
one period. Johnson (19 of 30 for 277 yards with 2 INTs) went on to throw
three touchdown passes, as the Bucs routed Cincinnati. Ken Dilger scored his
first TD with Bucs and Keenan McCardell hauled in four catches for 108 yards,
including a 65 yard touchdown play. Shelton Quarles returned an interception
of Bengals quarterback Akili Smith (12 of 33 for 117 yards) 25 yards for a
score and Warren Sapp recorded two sacks. Sapp talked about the 35-7 victory.
"If we come out and play our game, they can't play with us. Even if we give
them seven, they still can't play with us." Brad Johnson added, "We came up
with some big plays, but we can see that we can play better."
The game at the Georgia Dome was tied 3-3 at the half. Jay Feely, who played one game with the Tampa Bay Storm in 2000, kicked a second field goal and Atlanta lead 6-3 in third quarter. The tide turned a few plays later, as Brad Johnson (17 of 31 for 261 yards with 1 INT) hit Keyshawn Johnson (six receptions for 131 yards) on a 76 yard sideline strike and the Buccaneers lead 10-6 after three quarters. Martin Gramatica added a field goal and the defense scored a touchdown. Warren Sapp intercepted a pass, lateraled to Derrick Brooks, who ran 15 yards for the score. The defense came up huge against the Falcons. Quarterback Michael Vick (4 of 12 for 37 yards with 1 INT) completed just four passes, and rushed for 1 yard, before being knocked out of game early in second half. Vick was sacked three times and Simeon Rice's second sack of the game caused the Atlanta QB to leave the game with a strained right shoulder. His backup did not fare much better. Doug Johnson (13 of 25 for 150 yards) was intercepted three times, twice by cornerback Dwight Smith, and sacked once. Former teammate Warrick Dunn was held to 14 yards on nine carries. The Bucs posted their first NFC South victory 20-6. Sapp said of a game that saw the defense record four sacks and force four interceptions, "This is a lot of fun."
Mike Alstott ground it out against Cleveland at RJS. The fullback leaped in the end zone from 1 yard out to give the team a 7-0 first quarter lead and his fourth quarter touchdown run put the Bucs up 17-0. Alstott rushed for 126 yards with all but 5 yards coming in the second half. While the passing game struggled, Brad Johnson (15 of 32 for 194 yards with 1 INT) and Michael Pittman hooked up on a 64 yard play to set up the first touchdown. The kicking game also struggled with three missed field goals, including one blocked by former USF Bull Anthony Henry. The defense did not struggle and Warren Sapp recorded two sacks of Browns quarterback Tim Couch (20 of 40 for 151 yards with 1 INT). The 17-3 victory gave the Buccaneers their first win over Cleveland. Jon Gruden joked after the game, "Alstott for president. We may move him to quarterback." The head coach did add, "That is as good and physical as I've ever seen a back run." Alstott remarked, "Let's do it every week."
Derrick Brooks picked up a fumble, ran eleven yards for a touchdown, and Brooks
had his fourth TD of the year and the Bucs lead 7-3 after one quarter at
Philadelphia. The defenses pretty much controlled the game. Brad Johnson (19
of 31 for 124 yards with 1 INT) was sacked five times and had to leave the game
with a rib injury. Rob Johnson (4 of 7 for 31 yards) came on in relief in the
fourth quarter. The Bucs contained Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (12 of 25 for 127
yards with 1 TD and 1 INT) and held him to 4 yards rushing, however, his 1 yard
TD run in the fourth quarter put the game away. The Bucs could not contain
Duce Staley, as the running back gained 152 yards on 24 carries. Long snapper
Ryan Benjamin, signed during week, became the first former USF Bull to play for
the Buccaneers in the 20-10 defeat. Jon Gruden talked about the end of the
team's five game winning streak. "What can I say? We've got to score. But,
I'm going to stick to my theory that we're going to be a damn good football
team before it's all said and done."
While Rob Johnson made his first start at quarterback for the Buccaneers at Carolina, the Panthers gave rookie QB Randy Fasani his first ever NFL start. On his first play, Warren Sapp sacked Fasani at the goal line and the Bucs defense dominated the first half. Tampa Bay team records were set for fewest passing yards (-4) and total yards (15) allowed in a half, yet the game was tied 3-3 at the intermission. Fasani (5 of 18 for 46 yards) would finished the day with 20 yards net passing on five completions. The rookie from Stanford was intercepted three times, twice by John Lynch, and sacked three times, twice by Simeon Rice. Carolina finished with 120 total yards and converted on only one of twelve third downs. Despite the impressive numbers on defensive, the Bucs offense was as inept as the Panthers. Rob Johnson (22 of 33 for 179 yards with an 1 INT) was sacked six times and Carolina lead 9-3 after three quarters. Martin Gramatica narrowed the gap with a 52 yard field goal early in the fourth and he tied the game on a 53 yard kick with 1:06 left in the game. With five seconds left, he gave the Bucs a 12-9 victory with a 47 yard field goal. In a game of field goals, Gramatica's three long kicks in the fourth quarter gave the Bucs a 6-2 record and moved them into a tie for first place. Derrick Brooks commented, "Some of the ugliest wins are the prettiest." Rob Johnson said after his first start, "We're finding ways to win and that's what important."
Brad Johnson returned to the starting lineup against Minnesota in a big way. He completed 24 of 31 passes for 313 yards and threw a team record tying five touchdown passes. Keyshawn Johnson caught nine balls for 133 yards and had a pair of touchdown grabs. The Buccaneers scored on their first four possessions and jumped to 24-0 second quarter lead. They finished with no turnovers that afternoon in Tampa. Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper (19 of 30 for 231 yards) was intercepted twice and Minnesota turned the ball over three times. Simeon Rice recorded two of the Bucs three quarterback sacks. Minnesota was also penalized eleven times for 83 yards. The Vikings were able to move the ball on the ground with two 1 yard scoring runs by Mo Williams and Michael Bennett ran for 114 yards, including an 85 yard TD run. Bennett's run was longest ever by a Minnesota running back and equaled the longest given up by the Bucs. Tampa Bay went into the bye week with 38-24 victory. Reporters asked Jon Gruden about his first place team equaling the best start in franchise history with a 7-2 record. "I'm glad somebody pointed that out," the head coach said. "We don't take that lightly. Winning games is hard. This is a very competitive football league." John Lynch added, "We've put ourselves in a real nice position. It's nice to be on top." Warren Sapp commented, "OK, lets take a deep breath and see where we are in seven weeks."
Cashing in a Buccaneers fumble, Carolina took a 7-0 lead after the first
quarter at Raymond James Stadium. The Bucs marched 86 yards and the equalizer
came on a 1 yard, fourth down touchdown pass to Keyshawn Johnson. The game was
tied 10-10 at the half, then Brad Johnson (22 of 40 for 253 yards) found a wide
open Keenan McCardell for the winning touchdown. Martin Gramatica added a
couple of fourth quarter field goals and the final score was 23-10. The
Buccaneers defense had another outstanding afternoon. Panthers QB Rodney Peete
(22 of 38 for 205 yards with 1 TD) was intercepted three times and sacked four
times. Simeon Rice recorded two of the sacks and also forced a fumble. Now 8-
2, there was plenty of talk in the Bucs locker-room. Simeon Rice spoke of the
defense, "I think we're playing classic right now. The players we've got, they
bring glamour to the defense. If you are a fan, you've got to say 'Wow!'"
Ronde Barber, also speaking of the defense, said, "We're a confident group of
men. We're good and we know we're good." Keyshawn Johnson said of the
offensive side, "I'm slow. I'm no good. Brad is over the hill. His arm isn't
strong enough. Warren Sapp talks too much. Keenan is too old. We don't have
a running game. I'll continue to live with that at 8-2 and move to 9-2." John
Lynch added a historical footnote, "We've had 5-dash-2, but never 8-dash-2."
| It was Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli who first used the phrase "Pound
the Rock" in training camp. He told his lineman that if they keep pounding
away, even the biggest boulder would crumble. It was Jon Gruden who made it
the mantra for the 2002 season.
Before a key conference game against The players bought into the motivational technique. Aaron Stecker commented, "It's a team effort. One guy can't break the rock." Jeff Christy remarked, "The 'pound the rock' thing has taken off." |
Simeon Rice got the Buccaneers off to a good start in New Orleans. He recorded three quarterback sacks in the first quarter and became the first player in NFL history to record at least two sacks in five consecutive games. Rice also forced a fumble that went out of end zone and gave the Bucs a 2-0 lead after the first period. A 44 yard Mike Alstott pass reception gave Tampa Bay a 9-6 advantage at the half. The Bucs had four sacks and pretty much contained Saints QB Aaron Brooks (9 of 25 for 155 yards), but he did hit two quick third quarter touchdown passes. A TD grab by Joe Horn (5 catches for 106 yards) put New Orleans up 20-9. The Bucs offense had its problems allowing four sacks and the team lost two of four fumbles. After an exchange of field goals, the Bucs went 84 yards on seventeen plays. On fourth down, Brad Johnson (28 of 44 for 276 yards with an INT) found Keenan McCardell (11 receptions for 107 yards) in the end zone. It was the Bucs third fourth down conversion of the drive and, after a successful two point conversion, Tampa Bay was within 23-20. There was still 2:49 left to play, however, New Orleans was able to run out the clock. Brad Johnson said afterwards, "Tonight we had a flurry of mistakes and that was the game."
The Buccaneers and Atlanta played a scoreless first quarter in Tampa, then the
Bucs pretty much put the game away in the second. Joe Jurevicius caught two
touchdown passes and Tampa Bay lead 21-3 at the intermission. Jurevicius
caught eight passes for 100 yards and Brad Johnson would also connect with
Keenan McCardell twice. With four TD passes, Johnson (23 of 31 for 276 yards)
set a new team record for touchdown passes in a season (22). Most of the talk
before the game centered around Michael Vick. Behind the running and passing
of the young QB the Falcons had not lost in eight games, but the Bucs defense
rendered Vick (12 of 25 for 125 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT) ineffective in a 34-
10 trouncing. Warren Sapp, speaking on the play of the two quarterbacks, said
"Nothing against the young fellow, but I'll take my throwback guy."
The Buccaneers clinched a playoff spot in the team's first visit to Ford Field in Detroit. A Mike Alstott touchdown run gave the Bucs a 10-0 second quarter lead, however, the Lions came back to tie the game 10-10. Another Martin Gramatica field goal put the Bucs up 13-10 at half time, then Detroit tied the game again. Michael Pittman ran for his first touchdown with Tampa Bay, then Lions quarterback Mike McMahon (10 of 21 for 158 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT) ran one in to even the score again. A 38 yard Gramatica field goal with 3:08 left provided the winning margin. Brad Johnson (24 of 41 for 253 yards) was not sacked or intercepted in the 23-20 win. The Bucs were 11-3, which equaled the team record for victories, and gave them a two game lead in the division. Jon Gruden said afterwards, "We're fortunate to get this win." Warren Sapp added, "We almost beat ourselves today."
On Sunday, the Buccaneers clinched the first ever NFC South Division championship. They played on Monday night with home field advantage and playoffs byes up for grabs. Brad Johnson could not play because of a sore back, so Shaun King got his first start of the year. Pittsburgh quarterback Tommy Maddox (17 of 23 for 236 yards) lead the Steelers to a quick 7-0 lead and a shaky King (9 of 26 for 73 yards) had his second pass attempt returned for touchdown. It was 14-0 with less than four minutes gone and the visitors lead 17-0 after the first quarter. The Bucs hurt themselves with two fumbles deep in Pittsburgh territory and six Steelers sacks did not help matters. In the third quarter, Rob Johnson (12 of 18 for 159 yards) came on at quarterback and eventually got the Bucs on the board. With 1:14 left in the game, Keyshawn Johnson (8 receptions for 132 yards) caught a TD pass and the final score was 17-7. John Lynch admitted, "We certainly aren't pleased with how we played."
A first round bye in the playoffs was on the line in the regular season finale in Champaign. With Soldier Field being reconstructed, the Chicago Bears played their home games on the campus of the University of Illinois. It was 38 degrees for the kickoff at Memorial Stadium and the Buccaneers were 0-21 in games played in temperatures below 40 degrees. Brad Johnson was still nursing a sore back, so Rob Johnson got the start for the Bucs. Henry Burris made his first NFL start for Chicago. The first score did not come until there was 3:22 left in the first half, as Martin Gramatica put Tampa Bay on the board. Rob Johnson (16 of 25 for 134 yards) was sacked five times and the offense would continue to come from Gramatica, who would go on to kick a team record five field goals. The Bucs intercepted Burris (7 of 19 for 78 yards) four times with Brian Kelly getting two picks. The Bucs broke the cold weather jinx and earned a first round bye with a 15-0 victory.
Brad Johnson made his return, as the Buccaneers hosted the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Playoff. A 2 yard Mike Alstott touchdown run was the game's first score and the Bucs lead 7-3 after the first quarter. Joe Jurevicius caught a touchdown pass, San Francisco kicked a field goal to make it 14-6, then the Bucs put the game away. Brad Johnson (15 of 31 for 196 yards with 1 INT) threw another TD pass, this time to Rickey Dudley, and Mike Alstott ran for another 2 yard score. Tampa Bay was up 28-6 at the half. The defense picked off San Francisco quarterback Jeff Garcia (22 of 41 for 193 yards) three times, sacked him four times and forced a total of five turnovers. With the outcome pretty much decided, a Martin Gramatica field was the only second half scoring. The Bucs set team postseason records for points and total yards (329), however, they were penalized ten times for 100 yards in the 31-6 victory. Talk quickly turned to the NFC Conference Championship Game the next week in Philadelphia. "We realize we have our hands full," Jon Gruden said. "We're going to get on the plane and we're going to play any place. Whether it's in the Vet or on the Walt Whitman bridge. We're going to be there." Rhode Barber added, "I can't imagine us being denied again."
Just 52 seconds into the last game played at Veterans Stadium, the NFC Championship Game, the Eagles had a 7-0 lead. Brian Mitchell returned the opening kickoff 70 yards and Duce Staley ran it in from 20 yards out. The Buccaneers answered with a 48 yard Martin Gramatica field goal. Late in the first quarter, the Bucs faced a third and twelve from deep in their own territory. Brad Johnson found Joe Jurevicius, who broke free along the sideline for 71 yards, and the Bucs were at the Philadelphia 5 yard line. A Mike Alstott touchdown run capped a 96 yard drive and the Bucs lead 10-7 after the first quarter. The Eagles tied it on a field goal and then the Bucs marched 80 yards with Brad Johnson (20 of 33 for 259 yards with 1 INT) hitting Keyshawn Johnson on a 9 yard scoring pass for a 17-10 Tampa Bay lead at the half. A Gramatica field goal made it 20-10 going into the final quarter. While the Bucs did not allow a sack, they sacked Eagles QB Donavan McNabb (26 of 49 for 243 yards) twice and forced him into two fumbles. Late in the game, Philadelphia had the ball with a first down at the Bucs 10 yard line. Ronde Barber intercepted McNabb and returned the ball 92 yards in a hushed stadium. There may have been 3:12 on the clock, but the clinching touchdown sent the Tampa Bay area into a frenzy. The Bucs won the first road playoff game in team history 27-10 and they did it on a day when it was in the twenties in Philadelphia.
In the locker room, team owner Malcolm Glazer was presented the George S. Halas trophy for the first NFC Championship in the history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Glazer stated, "They said we've had a good year, but we weren't going to win today. They didn't know there's a place called Tampa and a team called the Buccaneers." Head coach Jon Gruden talked about the team's first trip to the Super Bowl. "I would like to say that this is probably the greatest day in my life. I grew up in Tampa. I am honestly aware of how far this franchise has come. To be in the Super Bowl is something that hopefully the city of Tampa is jacked up about. We're the NFC champions."
Despite near freezing temperatures, and the fact it was almost two o'clock in
the morning, tens of thousands of fans greeted the team when it returned to
Raymond James Stadium. Jon Gruden jumped up on the stage with the trophy and
yelled, "How 'bout those Tampa Bay Buccaneers!" The head coach added, "I can't
tell you how proud we are of our players and how much we love our fans. And,
you ain't seen nothing yet." Derrick Brooks told the crowd, "Watch out Oakland
Raiders, here we come."
Super Bowl XXXVII would match the number one defense against the number one
offense. While the Bucs came to San Diego with a league best 14-4 record, and
Oakland was 13-5, the Raiders were 3 1/2 point favorites. Much of the hype
leading up to the big game surrounded Jon Gruden. Since he was facing his old
team, some dubbed the game the "Gruden Bowl" or the "Chucky Bowl." Gruden
talked about it on media day. "They obviously don't miss me very much. This
game is all about the players. All I hope to be is a side-bar in the lower
right corner of page nineteen." The players had fun with the horde of press.
As Warren Sapp said, "Media day is crazy. It's like a feeding frenzy, but you
have to love it." Sapp talked about the Bucs history. "We were the
laughingstock of the league for a long time and we had to turn it around.
Years and years of bad football take a whole make-over and that means a lot of
Mary Kay. I think we were the biggest Mary Kay project you could ever find.
It's great to share this with anyone who ever wore that icicle orange." Simeon
Rice said of the game, "I think we're just facing the Bizarro World Buccaneers.
It's like they're the antithesis of what we are. They're number-one in
offense, we're number-one in defense." Rice also talked about his improvement
over the last couple of seasons. "In Arizona, I was marinating. Now, I'm
sauteed. I'm cooked and ready to go."
Brad Johnson was intercepted on the Buccaneers first possession and the Raiders scored the first points of Super Bowl XXXVII on a field goal. Martin Gramatica answered and the game was tied 3-3 after the first quarter. Dexter Jackson intercepted league MVP Rich Gannon twice in the first half with one of the picks setting up a second Gramatica field goal and the Bucs first lead. A 2 yard Mike Alstott run was the game's first touchdown and Keenan McCardell caught a 5 yard scoring pass to put Tampa Bay up 20-3 at the half. The Bucs were not done. McCardell caught his second TD pass, this time from 8 yards out, and Dwight Smith returned an interception 44 yards for a defensive score. The Bucs had scored 34 unanswered points and were up 34-3 with 4:44 left in the third quarter.
Rich Gannon hooked up with Jerry Porter on a 39 yard pass play and the score
was 34-9 after three quarters. Tom Tupa had a punt blocked and the Raiders got
a score on special teams to pull within 34-15 with 14:16 left in the game.
Gannon then found Jerry Rice on a 48 TD pass with 6:06 on the clock. Oakland
had scored 18 straight points, they failed to convert on three two-point
conversions, and the score was 34-21. Derrick Brooks sealed the victory with a
44 yard interception return with 1:18 remaining. With 2 seconds left,
Dwight Smith returned a pick for a 50 yard score and Tampa Bay had a 48-21
victory. While Brad Johnson (18 of 34 for 215 yards with 1 INT) was not sacked
and threw for two touchdowns, and Michael Pittman had his first 100-yard
rushing effort of the season (124 yards), it was the Bucs defense that took the
headlines. Gannon (24 of 44 for 272 yards) was sacked five times, twice by
Simeon Rice, and the Bucs recorded a Super Bowl record five interceptions.
Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson had two interception, Smith returned two picks
for touchdowns and Brooks also returned an INT for a score. The Bucs held the
Raiders to 19 yards rushing, had an 365 to 269 advantage in total yards and had
24 first down to Oakland's 11. The Bucs also had a record 172 interception
return yards and the 48 points equaled the franchise record for points scored
in a game.
With confetti flying at Qualcomm Stadium, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue presented the Vince Lombardi trophy to Malcolm Glazer. The team owner declared, "Tampa Bay, we love you!" Jon Gruden, who became the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl, said "We're going to get a lot better, I promise you that. This is Tampa Bay's night and we're world champions." John Lynch commented, "When you consider where we've come from as an organization, I can't imagine anyone feeling better than I do now."
The team returned to Tampa Monday night and a welcome home ceremony took place at Raymond James Stadium. As the team buses approached the stadium, at just about every major intersection, they were greeted with screaming fans and honking horns. An overflow crowd was on hand to greet the world champions and some people actually had to be turned away. Malcolm Glazer lead the players into the stadium with the Vince Lomabrdi Trophy held high. Some of the players addressed the crowd and afterward paraded the trophy around the stadium. The next day over 100,000 people came out for a victory parade in Tampa. The parade went down Bayshore Boulevard and ended with a rally in downtown Tampa.
The players certainly enjoyed the celebrations. Derrick Brooks was smoking a
cigar along the parade route and Warren Sapp was eating corn-dogs he got from a
street vendor. At the rally, Brad Johnson announced "I'm getting ready to show
you how to dance and rock the house." He was one of several players who danced
with the Lombardi trophy. Sapp summed up the players feelings. "I thought we
had seen it all last night when rode over to that stadium. We've been talking
the last four or five years about what it would look like when we brought this
championship home and I couldn't imagine anything better. I want to thank you
from the bottom of my heart."
The Buccaneers finished the championship season with a franchise best 12-4 regular season record and went a team record 6-2 on the road. They lead the league, and set the team record, by allowing 196 points (12.25 points per game). The Bucs had the number one defense in the league and for the first time recorded two shutouts in a season. The Bucs also had three postseason victories, which equaled the total in the team's previous twenty-six seasons.
Even though he missed three games due to injury, Brad Johnson was the top rated passer in the NFC. He set team records for touchdown passes (22), fewest interceptions by the starting QB (6), interception percentage (1.3%), completion percentage (62.3%) and QB rating (92.9). Martin Gramatica kicked for a Buccaneers record 128 points and was the fourth highest scorer in the conference. He also set team records for field goals (32) and field goal attempts (39). Simeon Rice lead the NFC and was second in the league with 15.5 sacks. Brian Kelly lead NFC and was tied for the league lead with eight interceptions. Derrick Brooks was tied for fourth in NFC with five interceptions and Aaron Stecker had the fifth best kickoff return average in the NFC (25.2 yards).
The Buccaneers post season honors were headed by Derrick Brooks being named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Brooks, Mike Alstott and Warren Sapp tied the Buccaneers record by making their sixth consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl. John Lynch went to his fifth consecutive and Simeon Rice made his first trip with the Bucs, his second overall. Brad Johnson and Shelton Quarles were also named to the Pro Bowl team due injuries to other players. Brooks, Rice and Sapp were also All-Pro selections. Brad Johnson was named the team MVP by the local media.
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and he's a legend as
far as I'm concerned. I expect everybody in Tampa, certainly Gator fans, to be
excited to see him. They darn should be." After the Bucs lost four fumbles
and Washington prevailed 41-10, Spurrier commented, "It was not that big of a
deal. It's still just a preseason game."
Green Bay, Gruden had a 200-plus-pound
slab of granite secretly put in the locker room. The head coach said, "That's
a special rock. We found the right rock to represent our theme around here."