Remembering Super Bowl Season
February 6th, 2017
Talks Super Bowl year under Chucky.
In the eyes of the lone Super Bowl-winning quarterback of the Bucs, Brad Johnson, there is one man Bucs fans can thank for bringing a championship to Tampa Bay.
His name is Chucky.
In a really cool interview with Joe’s good friend Jeff Cameron of ESPN Tallahassee last week, Johnson recounted his NFL career. The Bucs winning the Super Bowl was a big chunk of the interview.
Johnson minced no words that he wouldn’t be wearing a Super Bowl ring today without Chucky.
“Jon brought in a great temperament,” Johnson said. “He brought in about 14 or 15 free agents that people don’t give him enough credit. We needed that. We needed that juice, especially on the offensive end. He brought accountability to the team. …
“Every day was a grind. Every day was offense vs. defense – it was a war. We didn’t get caught up in how many games we were winning. We got caught up in how are we going to get better today? Without him we wouldn’t have won the Super Bowl.”
Johnson admitted Chucky may have been the most intense coach he ever had, noting the only time he saw Chucky tired was when he was sick and took the wrong medicine and slammed coffee after coffee to quit yawning.
A couple of other nuggets Johnson offered:
* Chucky may have installed 50 new plays for the Super Bowl against the Raiders.
* The game he remembers more fondly than the Super Bowl is the win over Philadelphia in the NFC title game.
* Johnson nearly didn’t come to the Bucs. He had a great deal of interest in playing for Brian Billick and the Crows when he became a free agent, but Baltimore offered him what he thought was a subpar contract and he instead signed with the Bucs.
It’s a really, really good interview and the full interview can be listened to by clicking the arrow below, courtesy of ESPN Tallahassee.
February 6th, 2017 at 11:10 am
Thank God….when we got our shot…we won!!!!
What a collosal meltdown for the Falcons…
February 6th, 2017 at 11:14 am
I agree TBBF, and good to see you Sir. Atlanta has been there Twice and lost as well as Carolina.
At least as fans we don’t know how it feels to Lose a SB
February 6th, 2017 at 11:20 am
Very underrated qb
Poor guy never had a line
February 6th, 2017 at 11:30 am
So thankful for Chucky as the window of opportunity was closing and Dungy just didn’t have it in him to win it all here.
February 6th, 2017 at 11:33 am
Scary to think he almost signed with the Ravens. We wouldn’t have gone so far with King. Gruden probably would’ve found someone else though.
February 6th, 2017 at 12:37 pm
Once again let me express by gratitude to the brain dead imbecilic bucs fans that ran Chucky out of town.
You don’t hear any “it was Dungy’s team” coming from Brad Johnson.
February 6th, 2017 at 12:53 pm
Chucky got run because of “when” he lost…four games in a row to ruin what had been a promising season. His hard head when it came to player acquistions and over the hill FA’s probably had something to do with it.
Like everybody here I feel indebted to Chucky for winning the SB for us!!!THX
But his record after that…mediocre at best…the kind of record that drives Tmax and Realist crazy…..57-55…the very definition of average. He had one good season after the SB and lost in the wild card game to Washington.
Chucky was the right coach for THAT team. He is the kind of coach that wears out his welcome and players eventually tune him out. Again props to him for the SB…but after that…mediocrity..including a four game skid to end his career in a season that was 9-3 but ended up 9-7. I think the team’s “direction” was as strong a motivation for the Glazers as anything.
February 6th, 2017 at 1:14 pm
As I said imbecilic…….
February 6th, 2017 at 1:32 pm
Eric…
Sticks and stones….bwaahaaa. Great post loaded with facts. But the truth must hurt you. I mean I could call you an imbecile for disagreeing…but rather than simply take cheap shots and hurl opinion and insults I like facts. Do you have ANY to counter my take or just name calling?’
Is 57-55 a good record? Is two playoffs appearances in six seasons after the SB with immediate losses in those Wild Card games your idea of excellence?
February 6th, 2017 at 1:41 pm
Chucky was handicapped by two things…..
The lack of draft picks the Glazers gave up to get him
and the lack of cap space because Dungy overpaid his defense which in
turn mortgaged the future cap space. Hence Chucky was forced to find
over the hill fill ins on a one year deal (kind of like the current Rays)
February 6th, 2017 at 1:46 pm
Blake_buc
February 5th, 2017 at 4:05 pm
Really hoping that Matt Ryan continues a long tradition of choking away big games.
Dude seriously jinx the F#@k of the Falcons!!!
LMFAO!!!
What a Colossal freaking choke job.
February 6th, 2017 at 1:51 pm
Upthegut
I take all of those points and you’re correct IMO. The draft picks were the kiss of death for the future. The Glazers laid it all on the line…win now because we’ve mortgaged the future. At least we won that game.
Consider the Falcons who did the same thing with JJ and it did get them to the SB but then they choked it away. Thank heavens we did not.
February 6th, 2017 at 2:38 pm
SPBF – you are forgetting an important handicap that Gruden had post Super Bowl. The Glazers slammed their wallets shut in 2004 – got rid of Sapp and Lynch and proceeded to spend the least of any NFL team for the remaining 5 years of Gruden’s tenure. (and for all of Rah’s tenure as well)
How can a coach hope to compete in the NFL when his team spends less $ to keep great players and lure talent than any other team year in and year out??
IMO – Chucky did an awesome job winning the amount of games he did post Super Bowl considering the lack of resources he had to work with.
Now the other part of that lack of talent and sustainability was self imposed because Gruden hand picked Bruce Allen and neither one of them was very good at identifying young talent and thus we had a lot of sucky drafts during those years.
February 6th, 2017 at 3:39 pm
Have volunteer grief counselors from around the country descended on the greater Atlanta area yet?
February 6th, 2017 at 5:49 pm
So the lack of spending is why Gruden passed on both AP and Aaron Rodgers in the draft? Also is that why he got Rich McKay fired to get the worthless Bruce Allen here? Gruden got himself fired for trying to play GM when in truth he was a great COACH not a great personal man.
February 6th, 2017 at 7:01 pm
Buccfan305…what game were you watching. Matt Ryan did not choke anything, he played very well just didnt have enough opps on offense.
February 6th, 2017 at 8:46 pm
Each year I become more appreciative of both Chucky and the magical 2002 season. I remember when the Raiders got within 10 or so and the cheeks getting a little tight. Thank God Rich Gannon was no Tom Brady! I’m still stunned at Atlanta’s collapse…this will indeed haunt them. A win would have made them the NFC South Bosses. Now…they’re simply battered.
February 6th, 2017 at 9:49 pm
I hear you Steve. I keep hearing how Ryan choked the game away. The guy was 17 of 23 for 284 yards and 2 TD’s with no picks. The playcalling (Shanahan) is the reason the Falcons choked the game away. that and the defense being gassed and unable to stop the Pats. Even with the Pats comeback, all the Falcons had to do was run the ball from the Pats 30 and play for the FG. It’s called situational football. But no, Shanahan got arrogant and “stuck to the Falcons philosophy and threw the ball”. A sack and holding call later and the Falcons are punting the ball to Brady nursing only an 8 point lead. That was on the same level as throwing the ball from the 1 with Marshawn Lynch in your backfield.