From the National Football League, everything seems to get a nickname eventually. From the Ice Bowl from the 1960s to the Steel Curtain defense with the 1970s, the tendency to define players, plays, teams, and events via the use of colorful monikers has been seemingly irresistible. With that in mind, it had been 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 had been only natural how the game would earn the apt nickname “the Pirate Bowl”.

The pirate deal

The stage was set for this game the moment how the Buccaneers executed a trade for former Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden in 2002. Since Gruden’s contract with the Raiders was still in impact, Oakland was able to use their parley   with the Bucs to force Tampa Bay into giving up four valuable draft selections in exchange for the appropriate to hire the coach. As steep as the price seemed, no a single need to have been surprised that the Raiders exacted such a high cost. They are, after all, pirates. The League later banned any such future draft choice trading when it comes to hiring coaches, but the pirate swap made by the two teams remained in effect since there was no rule prohibiting it at the time. For Gruden plus the Bucs, the trade would reap large dividends instantly.

The Pirate King

Gruden’s arrival in Tampa Bay left no time for celebration. Even though the Buccaneers’ previous coach, Tony Dungy, had left the team with one particular of the very best defenses within the League, Tampa Bay’s offense was dismal at finest. And, as everybody knows, in case you can’t score, you can’t win. Taking over the Bucs’ ship and readying it for a campaign of plunder would first need Gruden and his staff to ensure that the ship’s cannons were all in working order and that the crew could follow the strategy of attack. He was successful in his efforts as the Bucs went on to dominate the NFC South division, posting the most beneficial record the team had ever enjoyed: twelve wins and only four losses. Behind their primary inside NFL defensive unit, the Bucs stormed into the thirty-seventh Super Bowl.

The Pirate Bowl

The team’s opponent, the Oakland Raiders, had managed to compile their own fine set of statistics during the 2002 campaign. As they looted the League, their offense earned the number 1 spot among all from the NFL’s teams. With Rich Gannon as their quarterback, the Raiders have been favored by four coming into the Pirate Bowl. From the end, their ship would lie in smoking ruin, sunk by the offense and defense in the Buccaneers in a 48-21 contest.

Pirate controversy

As is fitting for a contest between pirates, the meeting had its share of controversy – primarily centered on Gruden. As the Raiders’ former coach, Gruden knew their entire offensive and defensive schemes and put it to great use in preparing his squad for the matchup. It was later learned that the Raiders had failed to make any significant changes to their game plan, even though they had been well aware that Gruden had inside knowledge of their battle plans – a mistake that numerous now call the largest blunder in Super Bowl history.

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