Originally posted by SaburoS
The best team won.
Did you catch Mike Lynch on the sidelines telling a teammate that the they saw in practice everything the Raiders threw at them? Talk about great coaching and being prepared. The Raiders had no hope.
I thought that quote was the most telling of all the things that were said: John Lynch: "Every play they've run, we've run in practice."
The only person who knew the Raiders offense more than Rich Gannon and Bill Callahan was John Gruden. Gruden was the guy that taught Gannon in Oakland, and Gruden was the guy that got Oakland's head coach started in the organization as the offensive coordinator.
Porter's TD catch wasn't good.
The 2-point conversion catch, was.
Rice showed his talent at beating a zone defense for a TD.
Woodson played up to his ability despite a plate in his legbone.
Gannon was rattled by sacks, hurries, and the first interception.
No way to practice against stopping a blocked kick run in for a TD, except to practice blocking so the defense can't get through to block it in the first place, but the Bucs aren't known for their great punting teams.
Why didn't we see Tyrone Wheatley earlier in the game?
A couple of good quotes:
"We were embarrassed because he completed two passes,'' Bucs LB Derrick Brooks said, laughing.
About Brooks' getting Gannon's interception late in the game: "He's still bragging about it,'' Bucs strong safety John Lynch said. "He took it down the field. It was probably because we were laughing so much.''
The Bucs are hosting a 5k run in April - the "Draft Day Dash" - at the stadium and giving away door prizes. We'll get to celebrate the Super Bowl victory again and again.
Some good bits from the story on Yahoo News:
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Gruden's knowledge of the Raiders was probably best illustrated when cornerback Dwight Smith stepped in front of Jerry Rice for a 44-yard interception return and a 34-3 lead with 4:47 left in the third quarter.
As Smith raced toward the end zone, Gruden was a few feet out on the field, running along behind the play, pumping his right fist and then thrusting both arms in the air, a huge smile on his face.
In the closing seconds of the first half, he also pumped his fist and ran onto the field after Keenan McCardell caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brad Johnson, capping a 78-yard, 10-play drive that gave the Bucs a 20-3 halftime lead.
Tampa Bay has the NFL's most dominating defense, and it handled the Raiders so thoroughly that red-clad Bucs' fans chanted ``BOR-ING, BOR-ING'' as Gannon broke out of the huddle to begin a drive late in the third quarter.
Dexter Jackson, the game's MVP, had the first two interceptions against Gannon. Smith also had a 50-yard interception return for a TD, with two seconds to play.
