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Tom Brady has a history against the Raiders, as do the Buccaneers

By Sravan Gannavarapu

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (C) takes a hit from Charles Woodson (R) of the Oakland Raiders on a pass attempt in the last two minutes of the game in their AFC playoff 19 January 2002 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots won 16-13 in overtime. AFP PHOTO/Matt CAMPBELL (Photo by MATT CAMPBELL / AFP) (Photo by MATT CAMPBELL/AFP via Getty Images)
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (C) takes a hit from Charles Woodson (R) of the Oakland Raiders on a pass attempt in the last two minutes of the game in their AFC playoff 19 January 2002 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots won 16-13 in overtime. AFP PHOTO/Matt CAMPBELL (Photo by MATT CAMPBELL / AFP) (Photo by MATT CAMPBELL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Tom Brady and Jon Gruden have a history with each other, as do the Buccaneers and Raiders.

Raiders fans will never forgive Tom Brady for the infamous “Tuck Rule” that launched a 21st century dynasty and spearheaded the departure of Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson appeared to have forced a fumble on Brady that then-Oakland recovered. However, referee Walt Coleman used the Tuck Rule to negate the fumble and the Patriots went on to win in overtime — and the rest is history.

While the silver and black were able to shake off the loss and earn to the No. 1 seed in the AFC in 2002, Gruden was busy building his own imagination of the Buccaneers. In January, the two teams collided in Super Bowl XXXVII. With intimate knowledge of his former team, Gruden got the last laugh in a 48-21 victory, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

Since that loss, both the Raiders and the Buccaneers entered a period of falling from grace while Brady dominated the league and won more rings. Gruden was eventually dismissed from Tampa in 2009 and took a sabbatical from coaching to pursue a career in broadcasting with ESPN on Monday Night Football.

Now in 2020, Gruden is back on the sidelines in silver and black while Brady turned in his red, white and blue for pewter and black as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneer. When the two teams collide on Sunday Night Football in Week 7, history will certainly be on the minds of the fanbases.

Tom Brady forced Gruden out of the Raiders, but Gruden did wind up with a ring.

While its been nearly two decades since that fateful night, Gruden for sure won’t forget when he sees Brady in primetime. Though he did wind up giving the Buccaneers a Lombardi Trophy, the Raiders head coach will surely have his perceived slight while with the Raiders in mind.

Heading into Sunday night, both teams are trending upwards. The Raiders are coming off a victory over the defending champion Chiefs before their bye week in which they put up 40 points. Josh Jacobs is running wild over defenses and Derek Carr, particularly in their last game, has been effective.

On the flip side, the Buccaneers are on a mission of their own after thumping the heavily favored Packers and dropping 38 points. Brady is coming off his first game without a turnover in Tampa and even had a moment of hitting Rob Gronkowski for a touchdown, just like old times.

The old saying of “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” is very much in play. Brady could play well and show that the Buccaneers are better than the Raiders; or the Raiders can come out with a vengeance and redeem their 2001 playoff loss. It all goes down in Sin City on Sunday night.

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