| Super Bowl XXXVII
With Leonard Shapiro
Washington Post Staff writer
Friday, Jan. 24, 2003; Noon ET What has the mood been over the past week in San Diego leading up to Super Bowl XXXVII? Can Oakland's top-rated offence defeat Tampa Bay's League-leading defense? What are your predictions? Washington Post sports writer Leonard Shapiro was be online from San Diego to take all your Super Bowl questions and comments. The transcript follows. Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Leonard Shapiro: Were are here is San Diego where the sun is warm, skies are blue and the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are about to play one of the more anticipated Super Bowl games in recent history.
Alexandria, Va.: So what are your predictions? Leonard Shapiro: My predictions are for a close game and possibly a high scoring game with Tampa Bay which is a 3 ½ point underdog going in, coming out on top by a 27-20 margin.
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.: The Raiders offense is described as a West Coast offense, correct? Is the same true of the Bucs? Leonard Shapiro: The answer is yes although each team runs it a bit differently because of the different styles the two quarterbacks bring. The west coast offense is essentially based on a number of short passing routes that get running backs, tight ends and wide receivers into various passing lanes around the field. Both quarterbacks are extremely accurate, but Oakland's Gannon brings an added dimension because he still likes to run the football himself, even at the age of 36. Brad Johnson stays in the pocket and rarely leaves.
Fairfax, Va.: Leonard -- What do the Raiders have to do to win against the Bucs? Thanks Dog! Leonard Shapiro: The Raiders in order to win have to protect Gannon from one of the fastest defensive lines in the game. Defensive end Simeon was a major force last week in disrupting what Philadelphia wanted to do, and Warren Sapp at defensive tackle provides a strong inside rush. The raiders also have to shut down the Buc's power running game and get the ball back in the hands of their offense. If Tampa Bay can sustain a number of drives and maintain position of the ball, that will not bode well for Oakland's chances.
Bowie, Md.: Football's a great game; and it's best when not surrounded by a whole bunch of distraction like Up With People, but the X's and O's stuff is great. Can you suggest what will be the best pre-game shows for football content and which I can write letters during?
Leonard Shapiro: Both ESPN and ABC, its corporate cousin will run four hour pregame shows. Chris Berman will handle ABC's version and Stuart Scott will be the lead anchor at ESPN's show. ABC's effort will appeal to a far broader audience than the cable network, which has always been superior to the networks in terms of pure X and O football.
Arlington, Va.: What is it like in San Diego? Leonard Shapiro: Things are starting to heat up a bit. Not so much the weather but the temperature of the fans. The downtown gaslamp district was filled to capacity Thursday night in an area featuring a wide variety of restaurants, bars and clubs, and should be standing room only for the rest of the weekend until game time. The weather has been chamber of commerce gorgeous and for last minute rivals of the local visitors and conventions bureau says there are still rooms available at reasonable prices. Tickets are another story. Face value is $400 and $500 and scalpers are getting as much as $5000 per ticket for choice seats in the stadium.
Brooklyn, N.Y.: Leonard, Which team do you think will have the advantage early in the game vs. having to make adjustments? I can see the Raiders coming out and scoring on their first two drives, but the Bucs D adjusting and then limiting them from there. Whereas I think the Raiders are good enough to run their gameplan throughout. I see something like 26-21 Raiders. Agree? Leonard Shapiro: Disagree. I truly believe that predicting such things is not worth the time or effort. Both teams will obviously try to come out firing from the get go and both teams will make adjustments on the fly. This is not rocket science, and teams will generally not change their personalities for this one game. Both teams know the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents and will react accordingly.
Washington, D.C.: What sort of security precautions have you seen or heard about? Is it the same amount as last year's Super Bowl? Is it even being discussed? Leonard Shapiro: Yes, security as always since Sept. 11th has been a major factor in this game. Authorities are clearly beefing up the security. There are 4,000 local, state, federal and private police and security on duty. There is a no fly zone over the stadium before during and after the game. Security is even more visible this year than last, though there are not expected to be as many uniformed troops in the area. Immigration police are also busy at the moment. They have detained a number of foreign born security guards and taxi drivers and are making a number of arrests on outstanding criminal warrants as well.
Washington, D.C.: Most of the commentators I saw picked Tampa Bay, yet the Raiders are 3 and half point favorites, why do you think that is? Leonard Shapiro: I think two words -- Jon Gruden. I think he is the face of the Super Bowl and because he knows his team about as well as he knows his old team that is definitely an advantage to the Bucs. Still point spreads don't necessarily reflect reality, and these teams are too evenly matched to get too enthusiastic about one or the other winning the game.
Silver Spring, Md.: Any rebuilding advice for the Skins in the off-season? Leonard Shapiro: Hire a general manager. The current structure of this team may very well lead to continued mediocrity. The Redskins are a team that desperately needs a plan and that does not include cherry picking big name, high priced over the hill discards from other teams. I think Steve Spurrier is going to be successful, but he needs a lot of help from a personnel department that is at the mercy of an owner who ought to let his football men make the decisions.
They need help at wide receiver, offensive line, and defensive line and finding a dead on kicker would be nice too.
Washington, D.C.: Have you got Kornheiser and Wilbon there with you? Leonard Shapiro: Tony doesn't do airplanes, but Wilbon is here and in fine form. It is nice walking around town with a TV guy. Lots of people come up and say hello. Mike is doing what he does best for the Post and he is sitting back there tapping out his stories just like the rest of us.
Washington, D.C.: Hard for me to decide who to root for. As a native Californian, I would tend to root for the Raiders. But I am originally from L.A., which the Raiders abandoned. And Al Davis, and some of the fans, are extremely obnoxious. My brother-in-law, who lives near L.A., likes the 49ers but whenever the Raiders play always cheers for the opposing team. Leonard Shapiro: Personally, Raider Nation is not a place I'd ever like to live in. Both teams like to use a pirate image, but this one is easy -- you have captain hook (Oakland Owner Al Davis) versus Peter Pan (Tampa Bay Coach Jon Gruden). I'll pull for Peter Pan every time.
washingtonpost.com: That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion. © Copyright 2003 The Washington Post Company | 
