| Jon Gruden was ahead of the curve when it came to coaching football. At 31- he was already an offensive coordinator in the pro ranks. At 34- he became one of the youngest NFL head coaches ever. So the asking price for his services was steep in 2002: Two first round picks- two second round picks- and 8 million. But for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers- it proved to be a bargain. Gruden inherited a Buccaneers team that was already playoff caliber- as Tampa Bay reached the postseason four times in the previous six years. But the organization wanted more from Gruden. With a star studded defense that included Warren Sapp- John Lynch and Derrick Brooks in place- the Buccaneers asked their new hire to lead them to a world title. The workaholic Gruden soon won over his charges- and advanced the team to Super Bowl XXXVII against his former team- the Oakland Raiders. With firsthand knowledge of Oaklands system- Gruden prepared Tampa Bay for its opponent as well as any team in Super Bowl history- resulting in a 48 21 win. Join NFL Films as they retell the story of the 2002 Buccaneers- a club that chose their head coach wisely. Americas Game uses exclusive interviews from Gruden- Sapp and Lynch to recount Tampa Bay’s first championship season. |
