Notebook

Bucs have experienced backup QB; Raiders don't

• King: Bucs' defense rests its case • Banks: Bucs' Johnson validated • Banks: No. 1 D the difference • Donovan: Raiders too slow • Donovan: Controversy burns Raiders • Statitudes: Havenots can have faith • Statitudes: By The Numbers • Mandel: Broadcast took its time • George: Super Bowl ads fun again

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Rob stands No. 2 in Tampa Bay's Johnson & Johnson pecking order at quarterback, so he probably won't play in Sunday's Super Bowl unless Brad is injured or ineffective.

That's OK by him.

"It's a situation I picked out," Rob said Thursday of joining the Buccaneers this season, even though Brad beat him out for the starting job in training camp. "I wanted to learn a lot of football from Jon Gruden.

"I wouldn't change a thing. I could have gone to other places, I could have gone back to Buffalo. I'm glad to be here."

And, needless to say, glad to be playing for a Super Bowl team.

"The older you get, the more you realize how few opportunities you get," he said.

The 29-year-old Johnson has started one playoff game and 29 regular-season games in his eight-year career, including a combined 17 at Buffalo in the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

He said Gruden told him before he joined the Bucs there would be open competition for the No. 1 job.

"And there was," Johnson added.

Regarding Brad, Rob said: "He's been a very good quarterback in this league and nobody gives him credit."

Inexperienced backup

While Rob Johnson provides Tampa Bay with plenty of experience as the backup quarterback, Oakland's Marques Tuiasosopo has seen minimal action.

But the 23-year-old Tuiasosopo, who has thrown four passes in his NFL career -- all as a rookie in the 2001 season --is aware he'll be playing against the Buccaneers if NFL MVP Rich Gannon is injured.

"I'm preparing to play, I can't afford not to," Tuaisosopo said Thursday. "You've seen in this league that anything can happen. You just never know. I don't want to leave that to chance. One fall is all it takes."

In his final college game at Washington, Tuiasosopo quarterbacked the Huskies to a 34-24 victory over Purdue in the 2001 Rose Bowl game.

"That definitely holds a special place in my heart," he said.

The Raiders made him a second-round draft pick 3 1/2 months later.

"I don't know when my opportunity will come. When it does come, because of Rich, hopefully I'll be better off," Tuiasosopo said. "It's been just like a gold mine for me to sit back and watch him play."

Raiders fined for interview no-shows

At least a dozen players weren't at their assigned places for interviews at the Raiders' team hotel on Wednesday, and many who showed up left early.

"The failure to make all players and coaches available for the required Wednesday media session was the result of a communications breakdown on the part of the club," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "The Raiders have fully participated in all other required media sessions this week."

Actually, the Raiders have followed their own schedule during Super Bowl week, despite the NFL's strictly regimented plans.

Several players again left Thursday's interview session early or sat at different tables. Earlier in the week, Oakland held up the media day activities for more than 50 minutes to take a team picture.

Carollo to referee Super Bowl

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Referee Bill Carollo will head the seven-man crew selected to officiate at Sunday's Super Bowl.

Carollo is completing his 14th year in the league and will work his second Super Bowl, first as a referee. He was side judge in the 1996 game between Pittsburgh and Dallas and has also officiated in five conference championships, four divisional playoffs and two wild-card games.

The rest of the officiating crew will have Ed Coukart as umpire, Dale Williams as head linesman, Mark Steinkerchner as line judge, Tom Sifferman as field judge, Rick Patterson as side judge and Don Carey as back judge.

Ed Hochuli and Scott Dawson will serve as alternate officials.

Wandering Raiders

When the Raiders were in the Super Bowl 19 years ago, they were based in Los Angeles. Even though they won that game 38-9 over the Washington Redskins, they often found themselves playing second fiddle during their 13 seasons in LA.

"We were being outshined by the Lakers and the Kings, and even the Dodgers won a championship, in 1988," said receiver Tim Brown, who's spent his entire 15-year career with the Raiders. "It was a tough situation as a player. We were competing with Magic [Johnson] and [Wayne] Gretzky and [Kirk] Gibson and all these guys. It was really a no-win situation for us.

"It was pretty tough if you had a home, and obviously the talk of us going back to Oakland started as early as '89. It was a tough, tough situation."

The Raiders moved back to Oakland before the 1995 season.

Dream come true

Mike Tomlin realized in high school he wanted to be a football coach. Now, at age 30, he's handling Ronde Barber and friends as the secondary coach for the NFC champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tomlin admitted he's a football junkie, just like Bucs head coach Jon Gruden.

"I'm sick, I enjoy every aspect of football: film study, camaraderie with the guys, the game situation," Tomlin said with a smile.

Tomlin, from Newport News, Va., was a star receiver and team captain at William & Mary, but knew playing in the NFL wasn't in the cards.

"I realized I was a big fish in a small pond," he said. "I knew there were bigger ponds out there."

Tony Dungy brought Tomlin to the Bucs before the 2001 season, only to be fired following the campaign.

"Tony's kind of been a blueprint for who I want to be professionally," Tomlin said.

He hopes to become a head coach some day.

"No question, that's why we're all in this business," he said. "You look for challenges. At the same time, I'm happy where I am now."

No fan of either team

49ers center Jeremy Newberry, in town for a Pro Bowl news conference, doesn't like either Super Bowl team.

The 49ers lost to the Buccaneers 31-6 in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Asked his Super Bowl prediction, he said: "If they both lose, I'd be happy. I'm not a big Raiders fan, either."

 

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