| | Robbins' absence felt by Raiders
Associated Press
SAN DIEGO -- Since Barret Robbins was one of the Oakland Raiders' five Pro Bowl selections, his name was flashed on the
scoreboard and shouted over the sound system during several
timeouts at the Super Bowl.
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It doesn't help to have a Pro Bowler missing. We need all our guys, especially at the pinnacle of the sport in the biggest game of our lives. ” |
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— Bary Sims |
But Robbins wasn't in uniform Sunday -- and the All-Pro center's
curious absence helped expose several other holes in the NFL's best
offense at the worst possible time.
From the overmatched line's terrible performance to their
nonexistent running game to Rich Gannon's dismal day, the Raiders
were humbled by the Buccaneers' league-best defense in Tampa Bay's
48-21 victory.
Robbins, the gritty veteran heart of the Raiders' line, spent
Sunday in a local hospital after mysteriously leaving his teammates
on their final day of preparation for the Super Bowl.
"Offensively, we didn't get it done, and it starts up front,''
left tackle Barry Sims said. "It doesn't help to have a Pro Bowler
missing. We need all our guys, especially at the pinnacle of the
sport in the biggest game of our lives.''
The Raiders wouldn't say where Robbins went on Saturday or why,
but the first-time Pro Bowl selection wasn't around to battle the
Buccaneers' punishing defense at the culmination of his most
successful season.
One Raider player, who asked not to be named, would not blame the loss on Robbins, but did tell ESPN's Chris Mortensen: "I'm not sure how many guys want to face him again, let alone play with him again."
Many of the Raiders apparently didn't know the reason for
Robbins' absence from their Saturday activities. Several other
players declined comment, while coach Bill Callahan wouldn't
discuss specifics.
"If somebody chooses to do something wrong, nobody can tell
them what to do,'' guard Frank Middleton said. "We have to go with
the guys who want to be here. ... My concern is not B-Robb. He's
safe, and he paid the price for what he did. I haven't talked to
him, and I don't know if I'm going to talk to him.''
The Raiders were out of sorts from their first possession, and
Robbins' predicament undoubtedly was a factor in their mental
preparation. Robbins' teammates had known he wouldn't play since
Saturday afternoon, shortly before he missed their final team
meeting.
"There was no distraction, because I eliminated it,'' Callahan
insisted. "Where he's at, and what's transpired since (Saturday),
I can't say.''
Gannon, the Raiders' MVP quarterback playing in his first Super
Bowl after 15 NFL seasons, didn't mishandle any snaps from Robbins'
replacement, Adam Treu, but almost everything else was a problem
for the league's most prolific quarterback.
He went 24-for-44 for 272 yards with a Super Bowl-record five
interceptions -- after throwing just 11 interceptions in his first
18 games this season. Gannon hadn't thrown more than two
interceptions in any game during the past two years; what's more,
he was sacked five times and constantly hurried by Tampa Bay's pass
rush.
"All the guys stuck together, but we didn't see it coming,''
said Treu, who found out Saturday afternoon that he would start.
The Buccaneers' two-deep zone kept the Raiders' talented
receivers from getting the space in which they often turned short
catches into long gains this season.
The Raiders' offensive troubles were obvious from their opening
drive. Oakland got excellent field position thanks to Charles
Woodson's interception, but Tampa Bay's Simeon Rice roared past
Sims for a third-down sack that forced the Raiders to kick a field
goal. Rice beat Sims several more times, while Warren Sapp kept
constant pressure on Treu and the middle of the Raiders' line.
The Raiders averaged 390 yards per game in the regular season.
They had 72 midway through the third quarter, when Tampa Bay
retreated to a three-man pass rush and allowed Gannon a moment to
breathe in the pocket. The quarterback immediately drove Oakland to
its first touchdown.
But moments earlier, when Dwight Smith intercepted Gannon and
ran 44 yards for a score, the Raiders' chances for a fourth Super
Bowl title had essentially vanished. Gannon threw that pass to
Jerry Rice in double coverage -- typical of the poor decisions he
made all day.
Rice, the 1989 Super Bowl MVP playing in his fourth title game,
didn't make a catch until 3:30 remained in the third quarter. Rice
still set a playoff record with his 22nd touchdown on a catch
midway through the fourth.
"Obviously it didn't help our cause,'' Gannon said of Robbins'
absence, "but I don't know if it would have made any difference.''
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