SAN DIEGO – This was simple, according to Simeon Rice.
“They got schemes,” he said of the Raiders offense, “but we got scheme-breakers.”
What the Buccaneers defenders did last night should be illegal. They headed into Super Bowl XXXVII determined to not only beat the Raiders, but along the way to stamp their unit as one of the best of all-time. To do that, the Bucs knew they had to win. They did that, convincingly, bashing the Raiders 48-21, and then crowed about their achievement.
“We didn’t just get this victory,” Rice exclaimed. “We dominated.”
History will judge whether this is one of the great defenses ever assembled, but there is no denying the Bucs were far too fast, too smart, too explosive for the Raiders. Tampa’s ball-hawkers intercepted Rich Gannon five times, returning three for touchdowns. The feared running game of Charlie Garner (seven carries, 10 yards) was bludgeoned, as Oakland managed just 19 yards on the ground. Gannon was sacked five times, with Rice getting two.
The gameplan put in place by defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin was a thing of beauty. Tampa rushed four linemen and mostly used only two linebackers. That meant five defensive backs roamed the secondary. The Raiders, as usual, used three receivers and Gannon never had a chance.
“If you’re going to throw the ball on our defense, good luck,” head coach Jon Gruden said.
“We dominate these type of games,” said cornerback Ronde Barber, who claimed the championship that his twin brother Tiki could not get two years ago with the Giants. “They put three receivers on the field and played right into our hands. You force us to put five DBs on the field and you open up a lot of cans of worms.”
The tone was set early, as the Bucs took a 20-3 lead at halftime and Oakland felt the full wrath of the league’s top defense. The Raiders at the half had 62 total yards and three first downs. Gannon was already sacked three times and intercepted twice.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a better first half than that against the No. 1 offense in the NFL,” Kiffin said.
Rice delighted in berating Frank Middleton, the Oakland guard who mouthed off during the week that if you hit Rice long and hard, he tends to disappear.
“For some reason they called me out, that I’m a weak link or something,” Rice said. “The more he talks, the better I get. It was two great teams at their best. Two No. 1’s at their best. Now we found out who’s truly the best.”