Fri
12
Nov
2010
In the National Football League, everything seems to get a nickname eventually. From the Ice Bowl in the 1960s to the Steel Curtain defense of the 1970s, the tendency to define players, plays,
teams, and events through the use of colorful monikers has been seemingly irresistible. With that in mind, it was perhaps inevitable that Super Bowl XXXVII in January of 2003 would be labeled as
well. Featuring the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Oakland Raiders - both of whom employ symbols and imager evocative of a pirate motif, it was only natural that the game would earn the apt nickname "the
Pirate Bowl".
Trading for a coach
Of course, there was enough color to define this game even without the pirate logos. After all, there was a lot of controversy surrounding the way the Bucs had gotten their hands on their new
coach, Jon Gruden. He had, after all, been the coach of the Raiders just a season before, and was traded to the Bucs in exchange for a lump of cash and four critical draft picks. Most analysts at
the time thought that the Raiders had certainly gotten the better of the deal, as they traded their Captain for a shipload of booty and sailed off toward an outstanding season without him.
History refuted that notion, however, as the Bucs under Gruden soon became a dominant NFC team. For the League's part, it banned all such future trades involving draft picks and coaches.
Ruling the Pirates
Gruden skipped the celebrations in Tampa Bay, since he knew he had plenty of work to do. Despite the presence of a world-class defense - left in the wake of Tony Dungy's departure - The Bucs'
offense was almost nonexistent. Gruden knew that he had to coordinate his offensive players and change their entire way of viewing the game if he was to have any hopes of turning the franchise
around. Most experts assumed it would take several years to be done - if it could be accomplished at all. In the end, it happened on the fly throughout his first season, as the Bucs sailed
through the NFC with only four losses. Bolstered by the premier defense in the NFL, and a suddenly revived offensive group, the Bucs powered through the playoffs and earned a spot in Super Bowl
XXXVII.
The opponents for the Bowl
Of course, the Raiders would find their way to the Super Bowl as well, having posted impressive numbers in the AFC in 2002. In fitting fashion, they would come into the game with the best offense
in the League, behind the arm of Rich Gannon. In a duel between top offense and defense, most experts predicted the offense would win out. As it turned out, that Raiders offense was sunk by the
Buccaneers' defense, and Tampa Bay won the game going away.
The mistake
The game had a bit of controversy as well - and In this case, Gruden was the center of it. It turns out that the Raiders had made no real adjustments either their offense or defense for the game,
even though it was common knowledge that Gruden was familiar with both. As a result, he was able to prepare the Buccaneers for the contest in the best possible manner, since the Raiders did
almost exactly what he knew they would do. The Raiders' decision to leave their battle plans intact may very well go down as the worst mistake in the history of the NFL title game.
Check out this Virginia Tech Ornament and these Alabama Christmas Ornament
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