The Bucs First Championship: A Dozen Days in January

Sunday January 19, 2003

A taste of same old, same old came quickly. Brian Mitchell returned the opening kickoff to the Bucs 25 yard line and a couple plays later Duce Staley was barely touched on a 21 yard touchdown run. 52 seconds gone, Eagles up 7-0 and the crowd at the Vet was signing. The hype, the hope and now this. Ouch!

The Bucs did answer. They had a decent drive, mixing up short passes with the run, and Martin Gramatica booted a 48 yard field goal to make it 7-3. That was the problem with the recent playoff loses: field goals instead of touchdowns.

Special teams hurt the Bucs again when Mitchell ran the kickoff back to the Eagles 45 yard line. After the embarrassment of the first series, the Bucs defense stiffened and forced a three and out. Then, Brad Johnson was intercepted and the Eagles were at the Bucs 45 yard line again. Many fans had to be thinking, "Come on guys, you can't keep giving Donovan McNabb and the Eagles this kind of field position."

The defense held again and Philadelphia was forced to punt. The punt rolled dead at the Bucs 4 yard line. Tampa Bay was definitely losing the field position battle.

The Bucs faced a third and two at their own 24, when Brad Johnson hit Joe Jurevicius on a short pass for first down yardage. Jurevicius crossed the field and ran along the sideline for a 71 yard pass and run. The Bucs had a first and goal at the Eagles 5 yard line. Because his new born son was battling for his life, a fight the boy would lose a couple months later, Jurevicius was unable to practice with the team all week. Few fans will forget the call of Buccaneers radio play-by-play announcer Gene Decherhoff, as Jurevicius ran along the sidelines on that key play, "You go Joe!"

The Bucs failed to punch the ball into the end zone on first down and Warren Sapp was brought in for additional blocking. Mile Alstott followed Sapp into the end zone and the Bucs had scored a touchdown in Philly! It took 3:15 to run seven plays, go 96 yards and take a 10-7 lead after the first quarter.

Field position continued to hurt the Bucs and a 30 yard David Akers field goal tied the game midway through the second quarter. The Bucs started the next drive at their own twenty and marched to a first goal at eight. On third and goal, Brad Johnson hit Keyshawn Johnson on a 9 yard scoring pass and the Bucs were in front again. They had marched 80 yards on 12 plays to score a second TD at Philly. There was 2:28 until the half and things were looking up. Two TDs in a playoff game at the dreaded Vet made it easier to believe this was going to be special Sunday.

Starting the next drive at their own 40, Philadelphia again had good field position. The Eagles moved the ball and had a third and ten at the Bucs 24 yard line. It seemed like the home team would at least get three points before the half, however, Simeon Rice had other ideas. Rice knocked the ball out of Donovan McNabb's hand and recovered the loose football. Two knell downs later, the Bucs headed to the locker room with a 17-10 advantage.

In the third quarter, Rhode Barber knocked the ball from McNabb's hand, Ellis Wyms recovered and the Bucs were in Eagles territory. The defense was starting to feel it. The dog was hunting. The defenses controlled the third quarter with a Martin Gramatica field goal the only score. Gramatica's 27 yard kick made it 20-10 with 1:02 left in quarter number three.

As the fourth quarter began, FOX television displayed a graphic showing that the Bucs had been out-scored 39-0 in road playoff games. They had a ten point lead with fifteen minutes to play, but the game was far from over. The Bucs defense continued to play tough and the offense ran some clock when it could. The Eagles took over at their own 18 with 6:31 remaining and it was getting to be now-or-never time for the home team.

Philadelphia went to the no-huddle offense and four first downs later had a first and goal at the Bucs 10 yard line. The clocked showed 3:26 as Donovan McNabb brought the Eagles to the line of scrimmage. Rhonde Barber stepped in front of the intended receiver, picked off the pass and took off down the field. In a hushed stadium, Barber went untouched for 92 yards and the clinching touchdown. Living rooms and bar rooms all over Tampa Bay erupted. At that point, this had to be the most exciting moment in the history of Tampa Bay area sports. Some joked that Veterans Stadium was empty before Barber hit the end zone, but for Bucs fans it was time for high fives and hugs. There may have been 3:12 on the clock, but the Bucs were up 27-10. There was no way, no way, Philadelphia was going to score three times against the Bucs defense. Tampa Bay was going to the Super Bowl!

Philadelphia played it out and got a couple of first downs. With 1:55 left, we got the first shots of Buccaneers wearing the NFC Championship hats. With 1:52 left, Brad Johnson took to the field with a championship hat tucked into his uniform pants. 1:50 left, Jon Gruden gets the Gatorade shower by Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp. The Bucs and Eagles trade kneel downs and time outs, as the Philly fans make for the exits and the Buc fans make for the seats behind the team bench. The Eagles got the ball back, but it didn't matter. The Bucs were already celebrating with the fans. Since he was one the few announcers that gave the Bucs a chance, Keyshawn Johnson donned a Terry Bradshaw jersey. Players were giving high fives to the crowd and players and fans alike were waving Buccaneers flags. It looked like anything but a twenty degree day.

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. It did not matter that Green Bay hall of fame defensive end Willie Davis called him "Marcus." 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." Glazer gave Jon Gruden a big hug before the head coach 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. I'm so happy for the fans back in Tampa. We'll be back tonight. We're going to the Super Bowl, man!"

Every television station in the Tampa Bay area had post game coverage. TV would alternate between locker room interviews and fans partying in Tampa Bay. There was Jon Gruden leading the "Tampa, Bay" cheer in the locker room. There were shots of bars filled with screaming fans. Team vice-president Bryan Glazer proclaimed, "We took out the Vet in style." The streets around Raymond James Stadium were becoming jammed with traffic, honking honks and people lining the roadways. Team general manager Rich McKay said, "The fans hung in there through thin and thinner. Having a chance to win a championship is really special."

The spontaneous celebrations may have caught team and city official off-guard, so it was announced that a rally would be held at Raymond James Stadium at 8 pm. The fans were not the only ones doing the partying, the team celebrations in Philadelphia caused the time of the rally to be pushed back to 11:30. Despite near freezing temperatures, tens of thousands of fans congregated at the stadium. The Martin Luther King Holiday was on Monday, so fans could hang out in the cold and chant Super Bowl all night. Some fans brought the old orange jackets and shirts out of mothballs to show long time support. The team cheerleaders were performing and helicopters continued to broadcast shots of the growing crowd.

The Bucs flight did not land until 12:39 am and it was going on two o'clock in the morning before the team finally arrived at RJS. Some of the crowd had left, but those who remained lined the streets. Some fans chased after the busses as the team approached the stadium. Most of the players went to their cars, but several addressed the crowd.

A roar greeted Jon Gruden as he 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." Malcolm Glazer, Rich McKay, Bryan Glazer and Joel Glazer made brief remarks before a few of the players spoke. John Lynch said, "We went to Philly and we took it to 'em, but we're not done yet." Derrick Brooks told the crowd, "Watch out Oakland Raiders, here we come." Mike Alstott said of the trophy, "Tampa, this is for you." Joe Jurevicius stated, "You guys are the best damn fans in the land. We've come an awfully long way. Next Sunday, nothing to do but kick ass."

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