2002 Bucs Game Used As Motivation For 49ers

NFL coaches tend to have their own unique motivation tactics for their teams. Just last week, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni used the rap battle scene from 8 Mile to fire his team up ahead of their NFC Divisional Round win over the Giants. And this week, just a day after the Bucs celebrated the 20th anniversary of their first-ever Super Bowl, Sirianni’s counterpart in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game used that 2002 Tampa Bay team as motivation for his group.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that he showed his team the Bucs’ January 2003 NFC Championship Game against the Eagles, a game that saw them go into Philadelphia, win and advance to Super Bowl XXXVII. Of course, Shanahan’s 49ers will be playing in Philadelphia this Sunday afternoon looking to do the same and get to Super Bowl LVII.

“It was awesome to watch,” Shanahan said. “It was a little bit boring because [the Bucs] had 32 runs for 45 yards, 1.5 a carry, and had 26 points. So, it was, Tampa Bay’s defense was awesome in that game.”

The Bucs actually ran for 49 yards on 32 rush attempts in the game, but that 1.5 yards per carry average didn’t come back to bite them. Rather, it was the Tampa Bay defense forcing three turnovers — including a late pick six by Ronde Barber — that left the home fans unhappy after what was the final game at Philadelphia’s old Veterans Stadium.

Former Bucs SS John Lynch – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

This Sunday, Shanahan’s team will head into Lincoln Financial Field looking for a similar result. Though Philadelphia is the NFC’s No. 1 seed and a 2.5-point favorite as of now, San Francisco has a dominant defense and a wealth of talent on offense. It’s a really good squad that has been built by one of the members of that 2002 Bucs team, former Tampa Bay safety John Lynch, who has been the 49ers’ general manager since 2017.

Shanahan was asked if Lynch, a member of the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class, was present as the 49ers watched that Bucs-Eagles game.

“He came into my office right before when I was going through it to get prepared to show the team and he sat down and enjoyed watching it for about 10 seconds,” Shanahan said. “And he got up and was pacing the room and he didn’t even realize and I’m like, ‘what’s going on with you right now?” And he’s like, ‘Why, what do you mean?’ [Then] he goes, ‘Oh, yeah, this brings back some feelings.”

Lynch had six tackles and a pass defensed in the Bucs’ win before going on to record another pass defensed when Tampa Bay beat the Oakland Raiders, 48-21, in the Super Bowl the following week.

Shanahan Has Plenty Of Praise For Bucs’ Legendary CB

Former Bucs great Ronde Barber – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

When you think about that Bucs-Eagles NFC Championship Game, it’s hard not to picture Barber’s game-clinching 92-yard pick six with 3:12 left in the fourth quarter. Shanahan had plenty to say about Barber, the Bucs Ring of Honor member who is a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist this year.

“Ronde Barber, I always knew how great Ronde was, but that game was as good as it gets,” Shanahan said. “And that’s why my mind will be blown if he’s not in the Hall of Fame soon.”

Barber’s pick six, which sent the Eagles home for the offseason and propelled the Bucs to the Super Bowl, is one of the most iconic moments in NFL history. As he’s running the length of the field, the Tampa Bay cornerback pointed to the nameplate on the back of his jersey.

“Running it back, pointing like this the whole way, pointing at ‘Barber,’” Shanahan said. “It was cool.”

So, with the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class set to be announced in just a couple of weeks, go ahead and count Shanahan among the many who believe this should finally be the year that Barber gets his place in Canton.