The two weeks between the championship games and the Super Bowl serves as a long break for the media and the teams to prepare for the big game. It also serves as a time where players and others in the football world can reflect on past Super Bowl games and appearances.
Usually those memories are on the positive side of things, but for former Oakland Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown, those memories were a bit painful. Speaking with Sirius XM NFL Radio this past Saturday, Brown said that ex-Raiders coach Bill Callahan was the main reason why the team lost 48-21 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Brown said in the interview that Callahan may have changed the team's game plan on Friday night because he was friends with Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden and "hated" the Raiders. Gruden was formerly the coach of the Raiders the previous season before leaving for the Tampa Bay job.
"We get our game plan for victory on Monday, and the game plan says we're gonna run the ball," Brown said. "We averaged 340 (pounds) on the offensive line, they averaged 280 (on the defensive line). We're all happy with that, everybody is excited."
Brown said Callahan, now the offensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys, decided to change the plans at the last minute, switching from a run-heavy attack to a passing one.
"We all called it sabotage ... because Callahan and Gruden were good friends," Brown said. "And Callahan had a big problem with the Raiders, you know, hated the Raiders. You know, only came because Gruden made him come. Literally walked off the field on us a couple of times during the season when he first got there, the first couple years. So really he had become someone who was part of the staff but we just didn't pay him any attention. Gruden leaves, he becomes the head coach. ... It's hard to say that the guy sabotaged the Super Bowl. You know, can you really say that? That can be my opinion, but I can't say for a fact that that's what his plan was, to sabotage the Super Bowl. ... That's hard to say, because you can't prove it."
Adding a bit more intrigue, first reported by ProFootballTalk.com, Brown said that the disappearance of center Barrett Robbins from San Diego before the game was tied to the move.
"But the facts are what they are, that less than 36 hours before the game we changed our game plan. And we go into that game absolutely knowing that we have no shot. That the only shot we had (was) if Tampa Bay didn't show up," Brown said.
According to NFL.com: "Robbins had bipolar disorder, and went missing the day before the game. He turned up Saturday night and admitted to wandering around Tijuana all day, but was left off the team's game-day roster."
According to Brown, the reason Robbins may have disappeared was due to the change by Callahan. Following Callahan's announcement of the change of game plan, Brown directly quoted Robbins as saying: "Do not do this to me.... I don't have to make my calls, get my calls ready..we can't get this done."
The potential-Hall of Fame wide receiver offers some damning quotes, but the idea that Robbins freaked out in response to the changing game plan was refuted on Tuesday morning by former Raiders running back Zack Crockett, who spoke on ESPN Radio this morning with Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg and said that the game plan changed due to Robinns' disappearance. He described how one reason the game turned out the way it did was due to the change from an All-Pro center to a longsnapper, meaning that many of the calls were simplified.
"I'm not saying one had anything to do with the other," Brown said. "All I'm saying is those are the facts of what happened Super Bowl week. So our ire wasn't towards Barret Robbins, it was towards Bill Callahan. Because we feel as if he wouldn't have did what he did, then Barret wouldn't have done what he did.
On top of that, Crockett also said that it's possible the Buccaneers knew some of the audible calls since Gruden was there one season before and since they had a new snapper, the team did not change enough of the code words.
"Now, should Barret have manned up and tried to do it? Absolutely. But everybody knew Barret was unstable anyway. So to put him in that situation - not that he was putting him in that situation - but for that decision to be made without consulting the players the Friday before the Super Bowl? I played 27 years of football. The coaches never changed the game plan the Friday before the game," Brown said. "I'm not trying to point fingers at anybody here, all I'm saying is those are the facts of what happened. So people look at Barret and they say all these things, but every player in that locker room will tell you, 'You'd better talk to Bill Callahan.' Because if not for Coach Callahan, I don't think we're in that situation."
The Raiders were completely dominated by the Buccaneers in the game and attempted only 44 passes and 11 runs plays in the game while getting pushed around on the offensive line, allowing five sacks. The team was down 20-3 after the first half and had to completely abandon the run anyway.
Brown was not much of a factor in the game, which could be one reason for his bitter feelings. He made only one catch for nine years, while quarterback Rich Gannon threw five interceptions, three of which were returned for scores, including by the game's MVP. Gannon was asked to comment on what Brown said on ESPN Radio on Monday, but he did not respond to their request.
The Raiders were more of a passing team during the season, with Gannon throwing the ball over 600 times. The team regressed greatly the following season, going 4-12 in 2003, after which Callahan was fired. The Raiders have not made the playoffs since getting to the Super Bowl and went just 4-12 in 2012.
The Raiders have not had a winning season since making the super Bowl, although they have gone 8-8 twice during that span. The team hasn't finished better than third in the AFC West since winning the division in 2002. This year's Super Bowl in New Orleans marks the 10th anniversary of the game.
Brown was one of the best receivers during his time, ranking in the top five all-time with 1,094 receptions for 15,000 reception yards with 100 touchdowns scored.
