Chucky's Super Bowl XXXVII Chalk Talk

Bucs coach Jon "Chucky" Gruden talks about today's game:

By RICK STROUD, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 26, 2003

On what it would mean to win a Super Bowl:

"I can't describe that. It's an opportunity to be a world champion. That is a great accomplishment by a lot of people. And in modern-day football and old-fashioned football, the way I've learned it, a group of people that comes together and wins one of those is something you can't explain. It's very, very meaningful though, obviously."

On his mixed emotions about playing his former team in the Super Bowl:

"Well, I tell you, this has been a strange week. Some of these questions are almost impossible to answer without making somebody mad. The only thing I can say is I'm so happy for a lot of those people there. If they win, then they deserve to win and I tip my hat to them. At the same time, I can't tear myself in half with all these emotions. I'm the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and I'm very excited about that and whoever wins the game is going to be very jubilant. And whoever loses the game is going to be very, very sad. Because you try so hard to climb that mountain and you get knocked off it, it's a tough day. I know."

On the Raiders offense:

"Well, they're doing a lot of things differently. They're doing some great things on offense. Very creative things. Players are emerging. This offensive line is unbelievable. The protection that they have given on a weekly basis, when you let five eligible receivers into a route freely, you're counting on great protection. and these guys have done a heck of a job from left to right tackle, giving Rich (Gannon) an opportunity to come off his first and second reads and find completions."

On the Raiders defense:

"Defensively, they have a lot of new players. I think the linebacking corps has improved tremendously from a year ago. And Rod Woodson gives them a real instinctive free safety that's very unforgiving. And they can rush a passer. They're very creative with Chuck Bresnahan and his scheme."