Oakland Raiders took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII. It’s been 20 years since these two red-hot teams collided in San Diego, California. You had the top-ranked defense versus the top-ranked offense. The raiders had a great offense, but their weakness was their defense. Jon Gruden coached the Oakland Raiders from 1998 to 2001. Gruden was traded to the Bucs for two draft picks and 8 million dollars. Gruden was out for revenge to beat his old team and let them know they had made a mistake by letting him go.
Jon Gruden knew Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon. He knew his game, and Gannon loves to pump fake a lot before he threw the ball. Gruden prepared his defense for the assignment. From the start of the game, Raiders had no chance. Bucs’ defense annihilated the Raiders. Bucs intercepted Gannon five times, and 3 of them returned for a touchdown. Raiders wide receiver Jerry Rice didn’t catch a ball until the third quarter.
Derrick Brooks out the exclamation mark in the fourth quarter when they got the interception. Bucs won the game 48-21 and their first Super Bowl in franchise history. John Lynch, Derrick Brooks, and Warren Sapp were the key leaders of their defense and have been together since 1995. At 39, Jon Gruden became the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl.
The 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers had one of the greatest defenses of all time. Derrick Brooks won Defensive Player of the Year that season.
