Flashback Friday: Steelers Put ‘Paper Champion’ Buccaneers In Their Place In 2002

Back in the early 2000s, smack talk through the media was much more prevalent than it is in today’s NFL.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Lee Flowers seemingly had enough back in 2001 and used the media to start a war of words with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Following a 17-10 win over the Buccaneers in the 2001 season, Flowers called Tampa Bay “paper champions,” which sparked some bad blood.

“I’m tired of Tampa,” Flowers said of the Buccaneers in 2001, according to the Midland Daily News. “They talk so much. They go to the Pro Bowl because they talk so much. But they’re paper champions. That’s all they are, and that’s all they’re ever going to be.”

Entering the 2001 season, the Buccaneers were coming off a 10-6 season and a playoff berth, losing to Philadelphia in the Wild Card Round. The 2002 season was expected to be a big one for Tampa Bay. But the Buccaneers never got going, finishing 9-7. In that season, the Steelers hosted Tampa Bay on October 21, 2001, and bullied them in a 17-10 win, leading to Flowers’ comments.

That carried over into the 2002 matchup just a few days before Christmas down in Tampa Bay as Hall of Fame defensive lineman Warren Sapp had some words for Flowers and the Steelers, which led to some members of the Steelers responding, leading to a chippy pre-game moment between running back Jerome Bettis and Sapp after Sapp jogged through the Steelers’ pre-game warm-ups.

Both teams were fired up, but only one reigned supreme that day—the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers put the “Paper Champions” in their place for the second straight season. That 2002 matchup on Monday Night Football, December 23, 2002, is the subject of this Flashback Friday here at Steelers Depot.

Opening up the game on the road in Tampa Bay in a hostile environment, the Steelers were ready to go right from kickoff.

On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Tommy Maddox lofted a perfectly placed pass to wide receiver Plaxico Burress for a gain of 41 yards, igniting the Steelers’ offense.

A few plays later, Maddox and Burress hooked up again on an 18-yard completion, putting the Steelers inside the Tampa Bay 20-yard line as the Steelers marched right down the field against the Tampa Bay defense.

Two plays later, Maddox hit wide receiver Antwaan Randle El in the flat for an 11-yard touchdown, opening the scoring just under three minutes into the game.

Things picked up from there for the Steelers, who went into the game against the Buccaneers looking to send another message.

On the second play from scrimmage for Tampa Bay’s offense, quarterback Shaun King fired a pass to the right flat that Steelers’ cornerback Chad Scott jumped in front of, picked off, and returned 30 yards for a touchdown, stunning the home crowd to give the Steelers a quick 14-0 lead with 11:20 left in the first quarter of play.

Following Scott’s interception, the Steelers’ defense again clamped down on Tampa Bay’s offense, forcing a quick three-and-out, giving the football right back to Pittsburgh’s offense.

Maddox went back to work through the air, hitting Burress for a gain of 28 yards on a 3rd and 4 near midfield and later finding Hines Ward for a gain of 12. The Steelers’ drive stalled deep in Tampa Bay territory, though, as a third-down sack of Maddox by defensive end Simeon Rice led to a 26-yard field goal from kicker Jeff Reed, giving Pittsburgh a 17-0 lead.

After that, Tampa Bay found its footing offensively, marching down the field against the Steelers defense, leaning on running back Mike Alstott. The standout running back opened the drive with an 18-yard run, and then King found tight end Ken Digler for a gain of 11 yards.

The drive stalled, though, leading to a 50-yard field goal from kicker Martin Gramatica that split the uprights. However, a holding call on Steelers’ outside linebacker Jason Gildon negated the field goal, keeping the drive alive for the Buccaneers.

Two plays after the field goal was negated, King ran for 15 yards, and then Alstott added an 8-yard run. But on a 2nd and Goal from the 7-yard line, Alstott tried to punch one into the end zone for Tampa Bay but ran into a brick wall in Steelers’ linebacker Kendrell Bell, leading to a fumble that the Steelers recovered, keeping Tampa Bay off the board.

Following Tampa Bay’s failed drive, things really slowed down. The Steelers and Buccaneers traded punts back and forth until late in the second quarter, when running back Amos Zereoue fumbled inside the Tampa Bay 20-yard line, ending a Steelers’ potential scoring drive.

Pittsburgh’s defense stood tall, though, forcing a punt shortly after the fumble to head to halftime up 17-0.

Coming out in the second half, the third quarter was a rather quiet one. Tampa Bay Hall of Fame cornerback Ronde Barber sacked Maddox to end a Steelers’ drive, and safety Mike Logan sacked King to end a Buccaneers’ drive.

Later in the third quarter, Bettis and safety John Lynch got into a scrap, leading to offsetting penalties before a Steelers punt. Then, on Tampa Bay’s next drive, the Buccaneers drove down the field as quarterback Rob Johnson took over for King, moving the Buccaneers right down the field.

Johnson hooked up with wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson four times on the drive for gains of 17, 12, 23, and 15 yards, but the drive stalled and ended as Steelers’ nose tackle Casey Hampton sacked Johnson and forced a fumble, leading to a recovery by Kendrell Bell.

Things were quiet after that until the “Paper Champions” scored a late touchdown with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter as the Johnson and Johnson connection in Tampa Bay hooked up on an 18-yard touchdown to make it a 17-7 game.

The Steelers leaned on Bettis, though, riding “The Bus” to close out the game, sending Pittsburgh to the 17-7 win over the “Paper Champions.”

Ultimately, the Buccaneers had the last laugh that season as they won Super Bowl XXXVII over the Oakland Raiders, 48-21, getting their ring, while the Steelers had to wait three more years to get theirs.