Raiders still haven't recovered from Super Bowl XXXVII

[24champ]

According to Brown, coach Bill Callahan then “blew this thing up” on the Friday before the Super Bowl, changing the game plan from a run-heavy attack to an intent to “throw the ball 60 times.”

“We all called it sabotage . . . because Callahan and [Tampa Bay coach Jon] 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. He hated the Raiders so much that he would sabotage the Super Bowl so his friend can win the Super Bowl. That’s hard to say, because you can’t prove it.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...er-bowl-xxxvi/

[DomCasual]

What a truly bizarre story. Apparently, Bill Callahan hated the Raiders, and was good friends with Jon Gruden.

As crazy as this story seems, there are a few Raiders players (including Jerry Rice) who seem to agree with Brown. They claim that the entire offense changed from the game plan the coaches had installed in the weeks leading up to the game.

Jon Ritchie and Charlie Garner said that they had never experienced a game where the game plan changed so drastically, the day or two before the game. Players have even implied that the change is what made Barrett Robbins go off the reservation, the night before the game.

Anyway, whether or not it's true, it's one more legendary tale to throw into the story of the dysfunctional Raiders organization.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/88...wl-xxxvii-loss

According to receiver Tim Brown, Jon Gruden's Tampa Bay Buccaneers thrashed the Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII because Oakland was "sabotaged" by Bill Callahan, the team's head coach at the time, who changed the game plan at the last minute.

Brown's comments to SiriusXM NFL Radio on Saturday were earlier reported by ProFootballTalk.com, which was provided audio of his remarks.

Brown said that when the Raiders got the game plan on the Monday before the Super Bowl, it was a run-heavy attack taking advantage of Oakland's size advantage on the offensive line. However, Brown said Callahan scrapped the plan on Friday to the shock of the team.

"We all called it sabotage ... because Callahan and Gruden were good friends. 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.

[DomCasual]

Originally Posted by 24champ

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...er-bowl-xxxvi/

Get out of my head!

[ludo21]

hahahaha

i hope its true... bill callahan is great.

[Chris]

Apparently Tim Brown's vagina is still seriously twisted. Calahan - incompetent? Yes. Nefarious? No.

[lonestar]

they are raiders aldavis guys what do you expect..

[DBroncos4life]

He has been named the new play caller of the Dallas Cowboys today too. His son is on our staff as well.

[24champ]

I bet Al Davis told Cal to scrap the run game and air it out instead.

[Rohirrim]

Romo ain't buyin'...

“I’m absolutely flabbergasted,” Romanowski told Tony Bruno and Jon Marks of 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia. “Is he trying to be relevant for the Super Bowl? What is he trying to do? He absolutely couldn’t be further from the truth. So you’re saying that a man has a chance to cement himself in history with winning a Super Bowl and he wants to hand it over to his buddy? Give me a break, OK? It couldn’t be further from the truth. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. And I’ll tell you what, I’m blown away that something like that would come out of an intelligent man’s mouth.”
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...laims/related/

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

Romo ain't buyin'...

“I’m absolutely flabbergasted,” Romanowski told Tony Bruno and Jon Marks of 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia. “Is he trying to be relevant for the Super Bowl? What is he trying to do? He absolutely couldn’t be further from the truth. So you’re saying that a man has a chance to cement himself in history with winning a Super Bowl and he wants to hand it over to his buddy? Give me a break, OK? It couldn’t be further from the truth. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. And I’ll tell you what, I’m blown away that something like that would come out of an intelligent man’s mouth.”
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...laims/related/

Wow I agree with Romo. And I’ll tell you what, I’m blown away that something like that would come out of a not so intelligent man’s mouth.

[SoCalBronco]

That's a stretch but props to Bill Callahan if true.

Actually I read on PFT the stats showed they got only 19 yards on their first 11 carries and had gotten behind early that's likely a more plausible reason to abandon the run.

[SoCalBronco]

That's a stretch but props to Bill Callahan if true.

Actually I read on PFT the stats showed they got only 19 yards on their first 11 carries and had gotten behind early that's likely a more plausible reason to abandon the run.

[extralife]

Jerry Rice backs him up. I'm buying Jerry Rice over Romo.

[Tombstone RJ]

so a run heavy game plan going up against one of the better defenses in the NFL, if not the best defense in the NFL at the time? And Callahan scraps this for a pass heavy offense instead? I can't even remember who the faiders RBs were at that time...

[enjolras]

I only caught the end of it, but Romo seemed to back up the claim that the gameplan was changed at the last second on the radio today.

It was in response to Barret Robbins going mental tho. Not intentional sabotage.

[DENVERDUI55]

Why would they try and force a round peg into a square hole when they had the league MVP who was MVP for throwing the ball? Oakland wasn't going to win running the ball. Sour grapes to me and why bring it up 10 years later.

[R8R H8R]

A few things to consider:

If Callahan hated the Raiders so much why did he accept the HC job? Why didn't he follow Gruden to TB?

Hate them now? Yes. Hated them then? Hard to believe.

No one would seriously jeopardize their career by intentionally sabatoging the team, just before the SB! Again, hard to believe.

If the players believed Callahan sabotaged the team, wouldn't Al Davis believe it too? Because if he did believe it, we know he would have immediately fired him.

Which leads me to a more plausible explanation: I heard Warren Sapp say on a NFL Channel show a couple of years ago his explaination for some of the problems the raiders have. He said it was common for the defensive coaches to have a game plan in effect and they would practice it all week, then on Friday, Al Davis would look at the game plan and force the coaches to completely change it to more his liking.

He said that happened every week. It may also explain why Fox walked out on the raiders many years ago. Al Davis was an egomaniacal meddler. If anyone was capable of sabotaging the team, it was him. That, I would believe.

[24champ]

Of course Al Davis meddled with play calling that was supposedly to be geared towards the run game, he hated running the ball.

Just look at how he treated Marcus Allen.

[ol#7]

Originally Posted by 24champ

Of course Al Davis meddled with play calling that was supposedly to be geared towards the run game, he hated running the ball.

Just look at how he treated Marcus Allen.

This ^^^^^^

You have an NFL MVP QB in Gannon, nearly two 1k WR's in Rice and Brown, and an owner who LOVES the deep ball and is known to meddle.

But no, I am sure Al Davis would have never meddled with a game plan that instead featured Tyrone Wheatly and Zak Crockett. GMAFB. Brown is an idiot.

Plus Tampa was great against the run, and the Faid fell behind early. They had to throw the ball no matter what. WTF is Browns problem for calling a guy out like this? Glad the Faid matched the offer sheet we made him in 95.

[manchambo]

How much would you have to like a guy to throw the Super Bowl for him? Callahan is going to ruin his career to help Gruden and stick it to the raiders? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

[bronco militia]

Romo is the only one making sense?

damn it's cold in here

[TheChamp24]

I never bought into Brown's claim too much because the Raiders that year were not a running team. Their main RB was Garner, with Wheatley getting some carries. They averaged 110 yards a game, and their asset was a passing game to multiple weapons.
I mean, they had Tim Brown and Jerry freakin Rice, add in a young Jerry Porter and Garner out of the backfield, it was a tough passing game to stop. I still remember how deadly Gannon and that offense was, quick passes.

Their running game was not feared though. Out of 19 games they played that season, only 6 times did they get over 100 yards rushing as a team. And you want to go into the biggest game of the season, as run heavy? Yeah...

Basically, the Bucs were able to get pressure and take away the short passes, and Oakland couldn't do a thing on offense, which doubled when Gannon started throwing picks left and right.

[BroncoBeavis]

It's not all bad news for the Fade today.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/88...g-nfl-comeback

You can only keep a quality franchise down for so long. We'll see in 2013. A Phoenix rising from the ashes.

[bronco militia]

Originally Posted by BroncoBeavis

It's not all bad news for the Fade today.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/88...g-nfl-comeback

You can only keep a quality franchise down for so long. We'll see in 2013. A Phoenix rising from the ashes.

When last we checked in with monstrous bust quarterback JaMarcus Russell, the rotund rocket was getting busted in June of 2010 in his hometown of Mobile, AL for possession of Purple Drank. That was roughly two months after he was cut by the Raiders, following three seasons of terrible play, binge eating and napping through practice.

Other than recaps of most spectacular draft busts in history, it was thought to be the last anyone would hear of ol’ JaFatass. The fall from grace was cruel and swift, but at least he isn’t hooked on painkillers and in prison and therefore at least somewhat better off than Ryan Leaf.

But apparently being saved from having the most tragic bust story in NFL history isn’t enough. JaMarcus would like another crack at this quarterbacking thing. According to Yahoo! Sports, Russell is down to from the 320 pounds he weighed last fall to a slightly less bulbous 308. Along with further weight loss, JaMarcus plans to work with a team of consultants, including Jeff Garcia and a guy who once mentored Joe Flacco. If that’s not the road to flamboyant eliteness, I don’t know what is.

[WolfpackGuy]

I don't know about "throwing the game"...

I thought it was common knowledge the Faiders never even changed their plays, signals, and audibles from when Gruden was there which led to that ass whipping in the Super Bowl.