Super Bowl XXXVII

SuperBowl|

 sb_name = XXXVII |

image =

SuperBowlXXXVII.png

| visitor = Raiders | home = Buccaneers |

 visitor_total = 21 |
 home_total = 48 
 visitor_qtr1 = 3 |
 visitor_qtr2 = 0 |
 visitor_qtr3 = 6 |
 visitor_qtr4 = 12 
 home_qtr1 = 3 |
 home_qtr2 = 17 |
 home_qtr3 = 14 |
 home_qtr4 = 14

date = January 26, 2003 |

 stadium = Qualcomm Stadium |
 city = San Diego |
 attendance = 67,603 |

 rating = 40.7 |
 share = 61 |

commercial = $2,100,000 |}}

Super Bowl XXXVII was the 37th Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game was played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California following the 2002 regular season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders, 48–21.

Oakland came into the game as four-point favorites with what some have called one of the greatest offenses in the history of the game.Super Bowl 37: Lord of the Rings The Sporting News (URL last accessed March 12, 2006) However, the Tampa Bay defense dominated the contest. Raiders' quarterback Rich Gannon threw a Super Bowl record five interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. Bucs safety Dexter Jackson, who had two of those interceptions and returned them for 34 yards, was named Super Bowl MVP.

Super Bowl XXXVII is sometimes referred to as the "Gruden Bowl" because the primary storyline surrounding the game centered around Jon Gruden. Gruden was the Raiders head coach from 1998 to 2001 and then became the Buccaneers coach in 2002. Thus, it was "Gruden's old team" versus "Gruden's new team."

Some also jokingly referred to the game as "The Pirate Bowl", given the pirate-themed names of both teams (the Buccaneers and Raiders, who both also feature pirate symbols on their helmets)

Background

Super Bowl XXXVII was originally awarded to San Francisco in 1997 by the NFL owners. The 49ers had recently announced plans for a new stadium, and were rewarded with the Super Bowl dependant upon its completion. However, the stadium plans had stalled by the fall of 1998, and thus the NFL reopened the bidding for the game. San Diego, who had lost out on Super Bowl XXXVI, announced its interest. The city was then awarded the game during a May 1999 meeting at Atlanta.

Gruden helps rebuild the Raiders

After moving back to Oakland, California in 1995, the Raiders suffered sub-par seasons, including a 4-12 record in 1997. Team owner Al Davis then hired Gruden to inject life into the Raiders. Under Gruden's leadership, the Raiders improved to 8-8 in both 1998 and 1999. The team was further boosted in 1999 with the signing of veteran quarterback Rich Gannon. With Gannon under the helm, the team jumped to the 5th best offense in the league.

The Raiders won the AFC West in the 2000 with a 12-4 record and with the best rushing offense in the league. However, they lost the AFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl XXXV winner Baltimore Ravens, 16-3. Then, after signing veteran Pro Bowl wide receiver Jerry Rice, the team repeated as AFC West champions in 2001. But they were eliminated in the playoffs by the New England Patriots in what became known as the "The Tuck Game", in which a potential game-ending fumble recovery by the Raiders was overturned by instant replay.

Gruden is "traded" to the Buccaneers

Davis was known to have the lowest salaries for head coaches in the league, and Gruden was no exception. Instead of paying a high salary for Gruden, Davis opted to trade the rights for Gruden to the Buccaneers in exchange for draft picks, in a deal similar to what Patriots owner Robert Kraft made with the New York Jets to get head coach Bill Belichick in 2000. The Buccaneers ended up giving four high draft choices and $8 million to the Raiders to get Gruden. But Tampa Bay was desperate to have someone rebuild their offense so it would complement their powerful defense in an attempt to win the Super Bowl.

For most of its history, the Buccaneers were regarded as losers, only making the playoffs 3 times in their first 20 seasons. But all that changed when the team hired Tony Dungy as head coach in 1996. Dungy rebuilt the defense around a core group of players such as lineman Warren Sapp, linebacker Derrick Brooks, and defensive backs Ronde Barber and John Lynch. By 1997, Tampa Bay ranked 3rd in the league in total yards allowed, 2nd in 1998, and 3rd in 2000.

With one of the best defenses in the league, Dungy helped guide the Buccaneers to 4 playoff appearances in his 5 years as the team's head coach. But the team always had one of the worst offenses in the league, and was a major factor in their playoff losses. Thus, Dungy was fired and replaced by Gruden.

Still, even Gruden had trouble getting the offense in sync during his first year as Tampa Bay's head coach. In 2002, the Buccaneers ranked 25th in the league in total yards gained (5,222). Quarterback Brad Johnson had decent numbers and made the Pro Bowl, completing 281 out of 451 passes for 3,049 yards, 22 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions. Running back Michael Pittman led the team in rushing with 718 yards and one touchdown, and caught 59 passes for 477 yards. Pro Bowl fullback Mike Alstott had 548 yards and 5 touchdowns, and also had 35 receptions for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson led the team with 76 receptions for 1,088 yards and 5 touchdowns, while wide receiver Keenan McCardell had 61 receptions for 670 yards and 6 touchdowns.

However, the Buccaneers' defense was still the strength of the team, leading the NFL in fewest total yards allowed (4,339), fewest passing yards allowed (2,785), fewest passing touchdowns allowed (10), and most interceptions(31). Brooks, Lynch, Sapp and lineman Simeon Rice all had Pro Bowl years. Brooks led the team with 87 tackles, and was great a pass coverage, recording 5 interceptions, 218 return yards, and 2 touchdowns. Rice led the team with 15.5 sacks. Sapp recorded 7.5 sacks and 2 interceptions. Defensive back Brian Kelly was also a big asset, leading the team with 8 interceptions.

The Raiders win without Gruden

Despite the loss of Gruden in 2002, the Raiders under their new coach Bill Callahan still managed to earn a share of the AFC's best record at 11-5. The offense led the league in total passing yards (4,689) and ranked second in total yards gained (6,451).

Gannon had a Pro Bowl season, completing 418 out of 618 passes for 4,689 yards, 26 touchdowns, and with 10 interceptions. His 418 completions and his 10 games with over 300 passing yards were both NFL records. He also ran for 50 times for 156 yards and 3 touchdowns. Rice, who was already the NFL's all time leader in nearly every receiving record after 17 seasons, had a Pro Bowl season for the 13th time in his career with 92 receptions for 1,211 yards and 7 touchdowns. Gannon's other weapons in passing game were 13-year veteran receiver Tim Brown (81 receptions for 930 yards and 2 touchdowns) and young receiver Jerry Porter (51 receptions for 688 yards and 9 touchdowns). Multi-talented running back Charlie Garner was the team's leading rusher with 962 yards and 7 touchdowns, while also leading all NFL running backs in receiving with 91 receptions for 941 yards and another 4 touchdowns. Running back Tyrone Wheatley was also a big contributor with 419 rushing yards and 71 receiving yards. Up front, their offensive line was led by 2 Pro Bowlers, guard Lincoln Kennedy and center Barret Robbins.

The Raiders' weakness was primarily on their defense, which ranked 25th in the league in passing yards allowed (3,787) and 12th in total yards (5,240) But veteran Pro Bowl cornerback Rod Woodson recorded 8 interceptions for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns. Up front, their line was anchored by defensive tackle Roderick Coleman, who led the team with 11 sacks. Behind him, the team had a solid veteran linebacker, Bill Romanowski, who was playing in his 5th Super Bowl (after winning 2 championships with the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV, and 2 while playing for the Denver Broncos in Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII). Defensive back Tory James was also a big contributor with 4 interceptions.

Playoffs

The Buccaneers defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 31-6, and the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Raiders were victorious against the New York Jets, 30-10, and the Tennessee Titans, 41-24.

Super Bowl pregame news

The Raiders entered the game favored to win their first Super Bowl in 19 years. However, much of the media hype surrounded Gruden. Many speculated on whether or not Gruden still had some idea of what Oakland's game plans would be, and how this knowledge would affect the game.

Much of the hype also centered around the Gruden trade prior to the season. This forced league commissioner Paul Tagliabue to issue a statement that he might ban all future trades for coaches involving draft choices because it might compromise the draft.

But a major distraction for the Raiders was that Robbins went missing for most of the week and ended up in the hospital. Backup Adam Treu ended up replacing Robbins in the Super Bowl.

Television and entertainment

The game was broadcast in the United States by ABC with Al Michaels handling the play-by-play duties and color commentator John Madden. Chris Berman from Disney-owned corporate sibling ESPN hosted all the events. Berman was joined by fellow ESPN analyst Steve Young, Baltimore Ravens head coach Brian Billick, and New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan.

Pregame ceremonies

Before the game, a show called "Santana and Friends" performed on the field. Carlos Santana was joined by Beyoncé Knowles and Michelle Branch and sang truncated versions of "Oye Como Va", "The Game of Love", and "Foo Foo".

In a nod to what the New England Patriots did the previous year in Super Bowl XXXVI, both teams were introduced as a team, rather than offensive and defensive starters, after highlights of their seasons were simulcast on the video boards in the stadium and on television.

Celine Dion then sang "God Bless America" and later the Dixie Chicks sang the national anthem.

To honor the 30th anniversary of the 17-0 undefeated, perfect season of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the following members of that team appeared during the coin toss ceremony: Don Shula, Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, Larry Little, Jim Langer, Nick Buoniconti, Paul Warfield

Halftime show

Shania Twain, No Doubt, and Sting were featured during the halftime show, which was sponsored by AT&T Wireless. Twain was dressed in what many people viewed as a dominatrix-looking outfit and performed her hits "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" and "Up!". No Doubt then sang their hit "Just A Girl" with lead singer Gwen Stefani ad-libbing lines like "I'm just a girl at the Super Bowl!" The show concluding with Sting performing "Message in a Bottle", in which Stefani joined in midway through.

The provided counter-programming against the halftime show, airing a live segment of "Weekend Update" from the comedy-variety show Saturday Night Live featuring Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey.

Post-game ceremonies

Bon Jovi appeared as part of the post-game ceremonies, performing "It's My Life" prior to the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation and "Everyday" afterwards (most of the latter performance was not shown on ABC because the network cut to commercials).

Game summary

As many sports fans and writers predicted, Gruden's prior knowledge of the Raiders was a major factor in the Buccaneers' win in Super Bowl XXXVII. The most damaging piece of evidence is NFL Films footage of Tampa Bay defensive back John Lynch telling his teammates during the game that almost all of the plays run by Oakland's offense were plays that Gruden (who that week even played the part of "Rich Gannon" by playing QB with the scout-team offense) specifically told them to look out for. Better still for the Buccaneers was that Oakland hadn't changed their audible-calling signals that Gruden himself had installed, thus tipping off plays repeatedly. As a result, Tampa Bay dominated Oakland, outgaining them in total yards (365 to 269), rushing yards (150 to 19), first downs (24 to 11), offensive plays (76 to 60), and forced turnovers (5 to 1).

The Raiders had a great chance to score a touchdown early in the game after defensive back Charles Woodson intercepted Buccaneers quarterback Brad Johnson's pass on the third play of the game and returned it 12 yards to the Tampa Bay 36-yard line. But 6 plays later, Tampa Bay defensive tackle Simeon Rice sacked Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon on third down, forcing Oakland to settle for kicker Sebastian Janikowski's 40-yard field goal to give them a 3-0 lead.

Buccaneers kick returner Aaron Stecker returned the ensuing kickoff 27 yards to the 29-yard line, then appeared to fumble the ball. Although the officials initially ruled that the ball was recovered by Oakland's Eric Johnson, the play was reviewed by instant replay and the fumble was overturned, thus Tampa Bay retained possession.

On the first play of the drive, Johnson completed an 11-yard pass to receiver Joe Jurevicius. Johnson's next 2 passes were incomplete, but he then completed a 23-yard pass to Jurevicius on third down to advance the ball to the Oakland 37-yard line. Running back Michael Pittman then rushed for a 23-yard gain to the 13-yard line. However on the next 3 plays, the Raiders defense limited the Buccaneers to a pair of incompletions and a 1-yard run. Kicker Martin Gramatica then made a 31-yard field goal to tie the game, 3-3.

Later in the period, a 17-yard punt return by Raiders defensive back Darrien Gordon gave Oakland the ball at their own 49-yard line. Gannon then threw an 8-yard pass to running back Charlie Garner to reach the Tampa Bay 43-yard line. But on third down, Buccaneers safety Dexter Jackson intercepted Gannon's pass at the 40-yard line and returned it 9-yards to near midfield. Then nine plays after the turnover, Gramatica kicked his second field goal from 43 yards to give Tampa Bay a 6-3 lead.

Jackson intercepted another pass on the Raiders' next drive and returned it 25 yards to Oakland's 45-yard line, making Jackson the first player ever to record 2 interceptions in the first half of the Super Bowl. However, the Buccaneers were unable to take advantage of the turnover and were forced to punt. Fortunately for Tampa Bay, they got a big assist from their punter Tom Tupa, who managed to pin Oakland all the back at their own 11-yard line with his punt. The Raiders could not move the ball either, losing 1 yard on 3 plays with their ensuing drive. Tampa Bay punt returner Karl Willams then returned Shane Lechler's punt 25 yards, giving the Buccaneers great field position at Oakland's 27-yard line. Aided with Pittman's gains of 6 and 19 yards, the Buccaneers scored their first touchdown on a 2-yard run from fullback Mike Alstott, increasing their lead 13-3. Then with 3:45 left in the half, Tampa Bay drove 77 yards, assisted by 3 defensive penalties against Oakland and a pair of catches by Alstott for 28 total yards. Johnson finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Keenan McCardell to give the Buccaneers a 20-3 halftime lead.

Tampa Bay continued to dominate the game for most of the third quarter. The Buccaneers forced the Raiders to punt on the opening drive of the second half. Next, Tampa Bay marched 89 yards on a 14-plays drive that took 7:52 off the clock, and ended with Johnson's 8-yard touchdown pass to McCardell to increase their lead to 27-3. Then on the second play of Oakland's ensuing drive, Buccaneers defensive back Dwight Smith intercepted Gannon's pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown, making the score 34-3.

After giving up 34 unanswered points, Oakland finally managed to drive 82 yards down the field and score on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Gannon to receiver Jerry Porter. Although he was initially ruled as being out of bounds when he caught the ball, it was determined that Porter had one foot in the end zone and used it to drag the other foot out. The two-point conversion failed, so the Raiders were still down 34-9.

The Raiders' touchdown seemed to fire up their defense, who forced the Buccaneers to a fourth down on their ensuing possession. Oakland lineman Tim Johnson then blocked Tupa's punt, and Raiders defender Eric Johnson returned the ball 13 yards for a touchdown. Another two-point conversion for Oakland failed, but Tampa Bay's lead was cut to 34-15.

Tampa Bay responded by moving the ball to the Oakland 9-yard line on their ensuing drive, featuring a 24-yard run by Pittman, but they came up empty after Tupa fumbled the snap on a field goal attempt. A few plays later, Gannon threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Rice with 6:06 left in the game, cutting the Raiders deficit to 34-21 after the two-point conversion failed again.

In an attempt to prevent a Raiders comeback, the Buccaneers managed to run the clock down to 2:44 on their ensuing drive before being forced to punt. Then on third and 18 from the Oakland 29-yard line, Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks intercepted a pass from Gannon and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown, giving the Buccaneers a 41-21 lead with only 1:18 left and putting the game out of reach. And a few plays later as the Raiders were now playing for pride, Smith intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown, making the final score 48-21.

Johnson finished the game with 18 out of 34 completions for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception, along with 10 rushing yards. Pittman was the top rusher of the game with 129 yards. Alstott was the game's second leading rusher with 15 yards and a touchdown, and had 5 receptions for 43 yards. Wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson was the Buccaneers' leading receiver with 6 catches for 69 yards. Smith recorded 2 interceptions, 94 return yards, and 2 touchdowns. He also added another 23 yards on a kickoff return. Gannon finished the game 24 out of 44 for 272 yards and 2 touchdowns, but was intercepted a Super Bowl record 5 times. Garner was their leading rusher, but with only 10 yards, and caught 7 passes for 51 yards. Rice was the Raiders' leading receiver of the game with 5 catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Marcus Knight returned 8 kickoffs for 143 yards.

Scoring Summary

*OAK- FG Janikowski 40
*TB- FG Gramatica 31
*TB- FG Gramatica 43
*TB- Alstott 2 run (Gramatica kick)
*TB- McCardell 5 pass from B. Johnson (Gramatica kick)
*TB- McCardell 8 pass from B. Johnson (Gramatica kick)
*TB- D.Smith 44 interception return (Gramatica kick)
*OAK- Porter 39 pass from Gannon (pass failed)
*OAK- E.Johnson 13 return of blocked punt (pass failed)
*OAK- J.Rice 48 pass from Gannon (pass failed)
*TB- Brooks 44 interception return (Gramatica kick)
*TB- D.Smith 50 interception return (Gramatica kick)

Commercials

Memorable television commercials that aired during the game included the "Terry Tate: Office Linebacker" Reebok ad [1] and the Budweiser Zebra Referee. [2]

Trivia

*Jerry Rice became the first player ever to catch a touchdown pass in 4 different Super Bowls.
*Jerry Rice and Bill Romanowski joined Gene Upshaw as the only players to appear in Super Bowls in three different decades. Rice played in Super Bowls XXIII, XXIV, and XXIX. Romanowski played in Super Bowls XXIII, XXIV, XXXII, and XXXIII.
*The Raiders became the first team to appear in Super Bowls under four different head coaches. John Rauch coached them in Super Bowl II, John Madden coached them in Super Bowl XI and Tom Flores coached them in Super Bowl XV and XVIII.
*The attendance of 67,603 was the third-smallest for a Super Bowl game, trailing only Super Bowl I (61,946) and Super Bowl XXVI (63,130).
*This will likely be the last Super Bowl to be played in January as subsequent Super Bowls are now scheduled for the first Sunday in February. This is also the last Super Bowl to have been scheduled without a bye week after the conference championship games.
*San Diego became the fifth region to host the game at least three times New Orleans has hosted it nine times, Miami eight times, the Greater Los Angeles area seven times and Tampa three times.
*The Buccaneers became the first team in Super Bowl history to score three defensive touchdowns. The Cowboys (XXVII) were the only previous team to score multiple defensive touchdowns.
*The Buccaneers became the second (Baltimore Ravens, Super Bowl XXXV) post-merger expansion team to appear in a Super Bowl and win the league championship.
*Dexter Jackson became only the second safety and third defensive back to ever be named Super Bowl MVP.
*The teams combined for the most second half points in a Super Bowl with 46 (28 for Tampa Bay and 18 for Oakland) and the second most total points in a game with 69, tying Dallas and Buffalo who combined for 69 points in Super Bowl XXVII.
*Jerry Rice's touchdown catch gave him a touchdown in four different Super Bowls, joining Thurman Thomas and John Elway as the only players to do so.
*Keenan McCardell's two touchdowns marked the tenth time a player has caught multiple touchdowns in a single Super Bowl. Jerry Rice caught three touchdowns in a Super Bowl on two occasions with the 49ers.
*This was the final Super Bowl for Jerry Rice, and the only one he lost. This was also the only Super Bowl Tim Brown ever played in.

Officials

*Referee: Bill Carollo
*Umpire: Ed Coukart
*Head Linesman: Dale Williams
*Line Judge: Mark Steinkerchner
*Field Judge: Tom Sifferman
*Side Judge: Rick Patterson
*Back Judge: Don Carey
*Alternate Referee: Ed Hochuli
*Alternate Umpire: Scott Dawson

Notes

References

* Super Bowl official website
* The Sporting News: History of the Super Bowl (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
* http://www.pro-football-reference.com - Large online database of NFL data and statistics
* Super Bowl play-by-plays from USA Today (Last accessed September 28, 2005)
* All-Time Super Bowl Odds from The Sports Network (Last accessed October 16, 2005)

Super Bowl XXXVII: Encyclopedia BETA

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