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The 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was their most successful season in franchise history. The season began with the team trying to improve on a 9–7 season and did so with a franchise best 12–4 record. It was Jon Gruden's first season as the Buccaneers head coach. They won the Super Bowl for the first time in the team's history, beating the Oakland Raiders 48–21. To date, this is Tampa Bay's only Super Bowl appearance. ==Summary== In January 2002, after losing in the wild card round to the Eagles for the second consecutive year, the Buccaneers fired head coach Tony Dungy.〔(http://www.scout.com/2/32896.html)(Flynn,2002).(http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/news/2002/01/14/bucs_dungy_ap/)(AP,2002)〕 After a recruiting effort aimed at former Jets coach Bill Parcells, Tampa Bay settled on Raiders coach Jon Gruden in exchange for two first round draft picks (2002, 2003), two second round picks (2002, 2004) and $8 million in cash payments. Upon his arrival in Tampa Bay, Gruden immediately went to work, acquiring former Jaguars WR Keenan McCardell, and RB Michael Pittman from the Cardinals. The Buccaneers needed to improve their sluggish offense, as the league's sweeping realignment sent them to the new NFC South division, along with Atlanta, Carolina and New Orleans. The offense made slight improvements during the season, but the strength of the team was the defense. The 2002 Buccaneers became the first team to lead the league in total defense, points allowed, and interceptions since the 1985 Chicago Bears. They also held opposing quarterbacks to an unbelievable 48.4 passer rating for the season.〔()〕 Led by this dominating defense, the 2002 Buccaneers achieved their most successful season to date. They won the NFC South title with the team's best ever record, 12–4, and then defeated the 49ers in what became coach Steve Mariucci's last game with that franchise. In a surprising upset, Tampa Bay won their first NFC Championship on the road against the Eagles in the last NFL game ever played at Veterans Stadium. Cornerback Ronde Barber capped off the win by intercepting a Donovan McNabb pass and returning it 92 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The Buccaneers went on to rout Gruden's former team, the Oakland Raiders, by a score of 48–21 in Super Bowl XXXVII. Gruden's familiarity with the Raiders' players and playbook paid off, as John Lynch and other Buccaneer players recognized some of Oakland's formations and plays at crucial points in the game (). The Bucs became the first team to win the Super Bowl without any picks in the first two rounds of the previous spring's NFL Draft, having traded these picks to the Oakland Raiders for the rights to acquire Gruden. At the time, Gruden became the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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