In the land of captive giant pandas, fish taco stands on every block, palm trees and surfer dudes, these people hate three things: traffic jams, rain, and the Raiders!
The fans of the Silver and Black invade America’s finest city every year for the Chargers-Raider game, spreading mayhem and chaos everywhere. They hold Qualcomm Stadium hostage like a rogue band of outlaws, picking fights in the stands while gurgling beer after beer after beer. It is an ugly sight.
So when the Raiders advanced to the Super Bowl all true San Diegans groaned. People from Carlsbad to San Ysidro, Coronado to La Mesa, all winced at the reality that for the second time in two months, Raider Nation would descend on this city like a pack of ravenous wolves.
And they have!
Raider fans have gobbled up every ticket in sight, driving the price of nosebleed seats to over $2,000. Meanwhile, San Diegans, smelling cold hard cash, have put their precious tickets on eBay in droves.
Come game time, Al Davis’ crew should have a distinct home field advantage, if there is such a thing in the Super Bowl. Friendly Qualcomm will be transformed into the “Black Hole South”-complete with fans adorned in Darth Vader costumes.
Yet, I still have faith that the Raiders nineteen year championship drought will continue (they last won the game in 1984). I have faith that Tampa Bay and Jon Gruden will dissect the Raiders offense. I have faith that Bill Romanowski will commit a dumb personal foul (i.e. one of those cheap shots he is famous for). I have faith that Sebastian Janikowski, the resident drunk and lazy kicker, will force a chip-shot field goal wide right.
Any way you slice it, unless you are a neurotic Raiders fan, the game will be a nail-biter. Will it be a defensive chess match? Will it be a high scoring extravaganza? I dunno.
But it will be a contest… hopefully.
Truth is, the Buccaneers are a very good team. Warren Sapp and Co. are the best defense around. They have looked very impressive in the playoffs, dismantling the 49ers and outplaying the Eagles ( in Philadelphia, no less). The Bucs’ offense has come alive as Brad Johnson has suddenly found his form, Keyshawn Johnson is a legitimate deep threat, and Joe Jurevicius is a big play receiver.
Yet, the Bucs defense, ranked first in the NFL,is what drives them.
Indeed, the Raiders will have to establish the run if they hope to win, and they hate the run. Let’s just hope they go to the air and get creamed when Ronde Barber starts picking balls off at will.
That is, however, wishful thinking
On the season, the Raiders have rushed for an average of only 110 yards a game, 18th in the NFL. They have no dominant runner, although Charlie Garner did rack up a respectable 962 yards on the season.
The Raiders want to pass and pass often. Who can blame them? They have four excellent receivers: Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Jerry Porter, and Charlie Garner, all with superb athletic ability and all with explosive downfield speed. Add Rich Gannon, who passed for a league high 4,689 yards, and it is no wonder why all they want to do is go long.
So whether you hate the Raiders with a passion or enjoy making yourself look like a fool in a Darth Vader costume, break out the guacamole and get ready for what should be a great Super Bowl.
I just pray that Raiders fans don’t turn San Diego into a war zone.