Defending Johnson

Brad Johnson, Super Bowl MVP. Sound improbable? Hardly.

How quickly we seem to forget Tom Brady. Brady took his mistake-free style to the Super Bowl a year ago and walked away with an MVP trophy and a championship ring. Brad Johnson is just as mistake-free and accurate as Brady.

Johnson had the third-best quarterback rating in the NFL this year. But his poor performances during the playoffs in previous years still left doubters. Even after throwing two touchdowns in the 31-6 romp over the 49ers, people talked about how Johnson wouldn’t be able to handle the Philadelphia Eagles. I was one of those people.

All signs seemed to point to an Eagle feast on Johnson atop the green concrete known as turf at Veterans Stadium. The Bucs had already lost to the Eagles in Philadelphia earlier in the year, and Johnson threw for a mere 124 yards and was sacked six times.

But there were more storylines. This was the last game at the dreadful Veteran Stadium. Plus, Tampa had been eliminated from the playoffs in Philadelphia the last two years (and handily at that). It didn’t look as though Brad had a chance.

To the surprise of most, Johnson handled the fourth-ranked defense in the NFL. He went 20-33 with 259 yards passing and threw one touchdown.

The Oakland defense is bringing momentum into the Super Bowl, but it is not on the same level as the Eagles. As good as Charles and Rod Woodson are, Charles is not 100 percent, and their secondary is not as good as what Johnson faced in Philadelphia.

Let’s face it, Brad Johnson is not going to win the Super Bowl for the Buccaneers, Jon Gruden is. All week we have been hearing the question as to whether Callahan or Gruden has the advantage. Well this should not even be a question. Gruden can change his tendencies, the Raider players can’t. Gruden knows who to attack and where to attack them.

But as entertaining as the Gruden versus Callahan situation is, what might be even more intriguing will be the play of Jerry Porter. The Raider receiver, who was never a favorite of Gruden’s, will most likely be seeking revenge on his old coach. Since Gruden’s departure, Porter has exploded for 32 more receptions and nine more touchdown catches than a year ago. Look for Porter to be playing with a chip on his shoulder.

However, if Super Bowl champions of the past few years tell us anything, it is that defense wins. Oakland has the number one passing offense, while Tampa has the number one passing defense. This will be the match up. If Rich Gannon is able to sling it around the Buccaneer secondary like he did to the Titans, then Tampa does not stand a chance. But as dominating as the Oakland offense is, the speed and physicality of the Tampa defense will ultimately be the difference.