American Football: Gruden orchestrates revenge on Raiders

There is an old saying in American football that while offense wins games you need a special defense to win a championship. How true that adage proved to be here on Sunday night when the defensively dominant Tampa Bay Buccaneers pounded the Oakland Raiders 48-21 to claim Super Bowl XXXVII in the most emphatic fashion.

Oakland's potent attack, by far the most thrilling in the game this season, was simply battered and bamboozled as the Buccaneers ran amok. The Raiders' quarterback, Rich Gannon, threw five interceptions, setting a new, unwanted Super Bowl record, but most crucially, three of those errant passes were returned for touchdowns. It is a measure of Tampa's defensive excellence that, in the previous 36 Super Bowls, there have been only six such touchdowns. Tampa's defence, which finished the season ranked No 1 in the league, served up their best performance when it mattered most.

There was nothing fortuitous about this comprehensive victory. After overcoming a shaky start, during which their quarterback, Brad Johnson, threw an early interception, they exuded authority and control. Two early interceptions of Gannon by Dexter Jackson set the tone. The first snuffed out a Raider threat with the scores tied at 3-3, while the second sparked a 28-point explosion which put Tampa out of reach.

Jackson, one of his team's unsung performers, had saved the most complete game of his career for the biggest stage of all, and was duly named the game's Most Valuable Player. "I tried to put it in perspective,'' he said afterwards. "It's like a Mercedes-Benz or a Cadillac. It's shiny on the outside, but nobody sees the spark plugs or the engine and the stuff that makes the car run. I'm one of those guys, and tonight it paid off in a big way.''

Following Jackson's second pick, the Buccaneers, nerves soothed, came into their own. First Mike Allstott scored on a two-yard run, then Johnson threw a pair of touchdowns to Keenan McCardell either side of half-time to make it 27-3. After that, Tampa's defence simply sat back and waited for Gannon to make his mistakes, and there were plenty of those.

For Jon Gruden, the Buccaneer head coach, this was the ultimate vindication. A year ago, while he was still head coach of the Raiders, he had fallen foul of Oakland's tyrannical team owner, Al Davis. When Tampa inquired about Gruden's availability, Davis drove what then seemed a hard bargain, demanding four draft choices and $8m (£5m) to release Gruden from his contract.

Today that looks a brilliant business transaction. The Buccaneers, the epitome of futility since their formation in 1976, had never been to a Super Bowl before. In Gruden's first year they have scaled the summit, and the team has a nucleus of players which should ensure that they remain a force for many years to come.

Certainly the Gruden factor played a massive part in the outcome of this game, as it seemed the Buccaneers were always a step ahead of their rivals. Much of Oakland's offensive strategy had been implemented by Gruden, and it seemed he knew exactly what to expect.

With his team trailing by 24 points, Gannon was forced to take some risks, and that only played into Tampa's hands. A poor pass aimed at the 44-year-old veteran Jerry Rice was claimed by Dwight Smith, a 44-yard return making it 34-3. It seemed all over, but the Raiders stubbornly attempted to rally.

First Gannon tossed a touchdown to Jerry Porter, then Tim Johnson returned a blocked punt for another score, and suddenly the Raiders had hope. When Gannon fired a 48-yard strike to Rice with six minutes remaining, the Raiders had pulled back to within 13 points and the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history seemed possible.

Instead, it was the cruellest of mirages. First, Gannon was intercepted by Derrick Brooks, who returned 45 yards for a touchdown, and the final indignity came with only two seconds left, Dwight Smith once again returning Gannon's fifth interception 50 yards to complete the rout.

"We were just absolutely terrible. It was a nightmarish performance,'' said Gannon. "We didn't do the things we wanted to do. Turnovers killed us. It was a very, very long night for the Raiders.''

Oakland's future now looks far from certain. In addition to Rice and Gannon, they have a number of players in the twilight of their careers. With salary cap problems looming, a period rebuilding seems in order. The team, who pride themselves on a self-styled commitment to excellence, have not won a Super Bowl since 1984, and the short-term prospects are far from encouraging.

As for the Buccaneers, the future is exciting. In the 39-year-old Gruden they possess one of the sharpest coaching minds in the game. Johnson, once of the London Monarchs, has matured into a classy quarterback of poise and assurance, while the uncompromising defence seems capable of winning games on their own. Victory in Super Bowl XXXVII could merely be the prelude to something special.