From 2001-04, and the won three Super Bowls while establishing a dynasty. The they didn't win during that span? That one was won by the , who wiped away nearly three decades of irrelevance by whitewashing the in Super Bowl XXXVII.Tampa Bay's 48-21 win over the Raiders also ended the narrative that those Buccaneers couldn't win the "big one," a narrative that was born from previous playoff failures. Three years earlier, the Buccaneers suffered a five-point lo s to the eventual champion in the NFC Championship Game. They then suffered consecutive playoff lo ses to Andy Reid's by a combined score of 52-12.Despite his succe s in bringing a winning culture to Tampa, Tony Dungy was fired after the 2001 season. To get his succe sor, the Buccaneers traded two first and two second-round draft picks to the Raiders for Jon Gruden, who was coming off of to Brady and the Patriots. Gruden set an early tone Houston Astros in Tampa, as he gleefully challenged his defense during summer practice se sions. During one practice, Gruden caught his defense off-guard after running a quarterback bootleg during a power running drill. Pick Six Newsletter Crafted By The Best NFL Experts Get the day's big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount's . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. "I looked at Gruden right in the eye and I said, 'If you're scared, say you're scared,'" former Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp . Anthony Gose Jersey "He looked back at me and said, 'Well, it looks like they've been running boot on you for the last three years, so now what?' And that's where the challenge started." Gruden was also tough on his offense, a unit that didn't always carry its weight under Dungy. While Gruden's offense took time to develop, quarterback Brad Johnson enjoyed a breakthrough performance in Week 9, throwing five touchdowns in a 38-24 win over the . Johnson earned a Pro Bowl selection that season along with fullback Mike Alstott, whose exemplified the '02 Buccaneers' rallying cry: "Pound the rock.""The rock is the opponent basically," Gruden said. "You've got to visualize yourself holding on to a hammer and taking the best swings you can at that rock, trying to crack your opponent."Besides Gruden's quick succe s in Tampa, another main storyline during the 2002 season was the meteoric rise of Michael Vick, whose traveled to Tampa in Week 14 with the NFC South division title up for grabs. To neutralize Vick, defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin instructed middle linebacker Derrick Brooks first-year starter. Brooks helped hold Vick to just 15 yards rushing, as Tampa Bay completed its season sweep of Atlanta while J.R. Richard Jersey clinching the South. Waiting for Tampa Bay in the NFC Championship was the Eagles, who had gotten the better of the Buccaneers in Week 7. On the team bus following the team's 20-10 lo s in Philadelphia, Gruden told Sapp that he had figured out how to crack the Eagles' defensive code. Trailing 7-3 and in need of a spark, Gruden called a slant pa s to Joe Jurevicius, whose 71-yard catch-and-carry set up the Buccaneers' go-ahead score."We tried to get Jurevicius a one-on-one option route against their inside linebacker," Gruden said. "In certain coverages, you've got a chance to hit the lottery."I've never seen Jurevicius run like that. He was flying." "Tampa Bay changed the complexion of the game with one play"Who remembers former WR Joe Jurevicius slice up the Eagles-Defense in the 2002 NFC Championship Game? He ultimately helped the Buccaneers secure the W & advance to the Super Bowl | | AllThingsBucs (@AllThingsTBbucs) Ahead 20-10, the Buccaneers appeared to be on their heels after Donovan McNabb willed his team deep inside Tampa Bay territory. But just when it appeared that an Eagles comeback was brewing, Ronde Barber ended such thoughts when he intercepted McNabb and ran untouched for . In defeating their nemesis, the Buccaneers also closed down Veterans Stadium, the Eagles' hallowed home for over 30 years. "They had everything there to help with their celebration," Gruden said, "and nobody got to celebrate. It was eery. It was awesome. Evan Gattis Jersey "The Buccaneers had only a week to prepare for Super Bowl XXXVII. Making their preparation significantly easier was the fact that Gruden was facing his former team, the Raiders, who punched their ticket to the Super Bowl after defeating the . Gruden not only instructed his defense on how to properly defend Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon, the 39-year-old coach took it a step further."At some point during that week, I was going to be Rich Gannon and simulate the Raiders' offense against the greatest defense in football," Gruden said. "That was a film I will never, ever, lose. I was great that day." Gruden instructed his defense not to bite on Gannon's play-action. The result was a record five interceptions off of the league's MVP. Dexter Jackson's two early interceptions helped him win the Super Bowl MVP award. Dwight Smith's 44-yard pick-six gave the Buccaneers a commanding 34-3 lead with le s than 20 minutes remaining.The Raiders made a run, with a special teams touchdown sandwiched between two Gannon touchdown pa ses. Gannon's second Marwin Gonzalez Jersey touchdown pa s, a 48-yard bomb to the immortal Jerry Rice, made it a 13-point game with 6:06 left. Tampa Bay's defense took control from there, as Brooks' 44-yard pick-six with 1:18 left gave the Buccaneers an insurmountable lead. With just seconds remaining, Smith's second pick-six of the game capped off Tampa Bay's first championship. January 26th 2003! On this day 18 years ago the won Super Bowl XXXVII defeating the Raiders 48-21!! About time we won another one! Adam (@Taggsy79) After an 0-26 start as a franchise, with 14 consecutive losing seasons and three gut-wrenching playoff defeats, the Buccaneers were Super Bowl champions. They did it behind a dominant defense, an efficient offense and a coach Chucky. "The way we had done it, going from the Yucks, as Sapp says, turning a third-world country into the Taj Mahal," said former Buccaneers safety John Lynch. "It just teaches you how difficult it is to obtain one of those.""No matter what anybody says, I was there for this," said Gruden, who at the time was the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl. "Sometimes, I kinda wear (my Super Bowl ring) around my house when no one is there. It's an awesome game. An awesome, awesome game."
