SAN DIEGO – Those were, indeed, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers appearing on your television set outclassing and utterly dismantling the Oakland Raiders 48-21 to capture Super Bowl XXXVII last night.
Honest.
These are not your father’s Buccaneers. These Buccaneers are champions of the football world.
The 26-game losing streak to start their expansion existence, the repetitive years of losing and insults and ridicule and the bright orange Creamsicle uniforms are all gone.
After last night’s virtuoso performance at Qualcomm Stadium, the Buccaneers will never be frowned upon or ridiculed again.
Who’s laughing now?
“I’m in shock right now; it’s all coming at me at once and it’s overwhelming,” said Bucs fullback Mike Alstott, who rushed for a TD.
“Coming from where we came from as an organization, with the ridicule and the heartbreak of not having success, and then to evolve into a playoff team that supposedly couldn’t take that next step . . . to take that next step is so sweet,” Bucs strong safety John Lynch said. “No one can ever take that away from us. We had the will and resolve and believed that we could be champions.”
There was an unforgettable moment long before the confetti rained down on the field that told you the Bucs were going to be crowned Super Bowl champions for the first time in franchise history.
The Bucs had just scored a touchdown, and the manner in which their players were celebrating so loosely and wildly up and down their sideline – hamming it up for the cameras and each other – told you that the party was on, because those were end-of-game-type celebrations.
What was so stunning about that moment of euphoric celebration by the Bucs was when it took place – at the end of the first half as they took a 20-3 lead on the first of two Brad Johnson (18-of-34, 215 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) TD passes to Keenan McCardell.
That’s how convincingly the Buccaneers overwhelmed Raiders on this postcard California night, making the Oakland look lifeless and aged, picking off Rich Gannon five times and returning three of the INTs for scores.
“This is the toughest loss I’ve ever been a part of,” Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson said. “To come this far, to have the Super Bowl right there at your fingertips and you just can’t get it done, can’t do all the things we did all year to get us here . . . we just didn’t have it.”
Gannon called it “a nightmarish performance,” adding, “We were absolutely terrible.”
Added Tim Brown, who was seeking his first Super Bowl title: “We stunk the place up.”
If last night’s game had been a heavyweight bout, it’d have been stopped at halftime so that no one from the Raiders would get hurt.
For the Buccaneers, whose No. 1-ranked defense choked the life out of the Raiders’ No. 1-ranked offense, stamps them as the NFL’s “now” team and validates the legacy of their great defense.
Two of those INTs came in the first half from little-known Bucs cornerback Dexter Jackson, who was named the game’s MVP for setting the tone on the rattled Gannon.
“My and my friends were watching TV before the game and everyone was picking their MVP and I was like, ‘We haven’t even played the game yet. I can be the difference in this game. I can be the MVP.’ I think I have good hands, as you can see.”
So do Bucs cornerback Dwight Smith, who added a pair of second-half INTs returned for TDs, and LB Derrick Brooks, who also took an interception back to the house.
“We have a great defense in Tampa,” said Bucs head coach Jon Gruden, who defeated his former team and Oakland protege, Bill Callahan. “Not good. Great.”
The post-game celebration featured a lot of the Bucs standing their defense up as one of the greatest along with the Steel Curtain, the Purple People Eaters, the 1985 Bears and that of the 2000 Ravens.
“When we dig a hole, we’re really good at putting you in it and putting the dirt on top of you,” Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. “Today, we proved we’re one of best ever.”
For the Raiders, the profound loss was Step One in what will surely be the dismantling of an aging group with massive salary-cap constraints in 2003. That window the Raiders spoke about has almost certainly been slammed shut on this group.
The Raiders’ day began ominously, with news that their starting Pro Bowl center Barrett Robbins, who has a history of erratic behavior, was AWOL and out of the game. Essentially, their day – and season – ended when Smith picked off Gannon and returned it 44 yards for a TD and a 34-3 lead with 4:47 remaining in the third quarter.
From there, the Raiders had no chance against the swarming Bucs’ defense.
“We always knew to leave the legacy we want to leave we had to win a championship,” Lynch said. “I’ve got to believe now that we’re one of the great defenses of all time.”
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FOR THE RECORD
A look at some of the all-time numbers posted yesterday.
Most times intercepted, game
Player/Number/Opponent/ Super Bowl
1. Rich Gannon, Raiders/5/ Buccaneers/XXXVII
2. Craig Morton, Broncos/4/Cowboys/XII
2. Jim Kelly, Bills/4/Redskins/XXVI
2. Kerry Collins, Giants/4/Ravens/XXXV
Fewest rushing attempts, team
Team/Attempts/Opponent/Super Bowl
1. Dolphins/9/49ers/XIX
2. Patriots/11/Bears/XX
3. Raiders/11/Buccaneers/XXXVII
4. Patriots/13/Packers/XXXI
4. Rams/13/Titans/XXXV
Fewest rushing yards, team
Team/Yards/Opponent/Super Bowl
1. Patriots/7/Bears/XX
2. Vikings/17/Steelers/IX
3. Raiders/19/Buccaneers/XXXVII
4. Dolphins/25/49ers/XIX
Most INTs returned for touchdown, player
Player/INTs/Opponent/Super Bowl
1. Dwight Smith, Bucs/2/Raiders/XXXVII
2. Herb Adderley, Packers/1/Raiders/II
2. Willie Brown, Raiders/1/Vikings/XI
2. Jack Squirek, Raiders/1/Redskins/XVIII
2. Reggie Phillips, Bears/1/Patriots/XX
2. Duane Starks, Ravens/1/Giants/XXXV
2. Ty Law, Patriots/1/ Rams/XXXVI