Bill Callahan sabotaged Raiders at Super Bowl, former players say

Oakland went into the game favored by 3.5 points, despite having an 11-5 record compared to Tampa Bay’s 12-4 mark.

Most thought it would be the Raiders’ offense that would carry the day, considering it was ranked second in the league that season in yards per game and featured the soon-to-be MVP in quarterback Rich Gannon.

Bill Callahan isn’t just about to lay down and take the accusations that he rigged the Super Bowl, something that has been said by Tim Brown, Jerry Rice and others, which all can be read on Silver and Black Pride.

Released Tuesday night, Callahan put out a statement that sent a message, loud and clear. Via NFL.com:

After saying earlier that Callahan “hated the Raiders,” Brown joined NBC Sports Network’s Pro Football Talk on Tuesday to clarify his earlier comments to Sirius XM’s NFL Radio. Pro Football Talk host Erik Kuselias went straight to the heart of the matter, asking Brown point blank if he thought Callahan was incompetent or had intentionally sabotaged his team. Brown, who spent five seasons working with Callahan in Oakland, reiterated his earlier feelings.

“I can’t say the man was incompetent, because he was far from that,” Brown told Kuselias. “Any decisions you make, you have to know that there will be positive outcomes and negative outcomes. I don’t think that [Callahan] was incompetent. That’s not who Bill Callahan is. He’s a very good football coach.”

Brown said Callahan changed the Raiders’ offensive plan two days before the game, basically insinuating that the former coach threw the game against his former mentor. Callahan served as offensive coordinator under Gruden in Oakland from 1998-2001.

Whether or not Callahan sabotaged the Raiders’ offense, it certainly fell flat against the Buccaneers’ defense. Oakland gained just 269 yards and 11 first downs. However, the Raiders’ defense didn’t exactly show up, either, allowing Tampa Bay to gain 365 yards and 24 first downs.