Chucky's gurning for success

Jon Gruden has an enormous amount going for him. He is young, handsome, well paid and the head coach of a team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who today make their first Super Bowl appearance.

There is, however, one thing he can never escape. It's not that he is the youngest coach in the National Football League - and has been since he was appointed by tonight's opposition, the Oakland Raiders, in 1998 - and not that he was labelled one of the 50 best lookers by People magazine. Nor is it that he is so hard working that he keeps the hours of an ardent clubber, but in reverse.

Gruden habitually rises at 3.17am and heads home between 10-11pm. It is his sobriquet, Chucky, the legacy of a keen-eyed member of the Black Hole, the infamous end-zone area of the Raiders' home crowd where silver and black face paint and (intimidating) fancy dress are almost obligatory. One bright spark noticed that Gruden, who screws his malleable face into fierce expressions throughout every game, looks like Chucky from the Child's Play films.

A doll, complete with eye patch, was duly taken into the Black Hole and a nickname was born. There will be no escape today either. One enterprising (or opportunistic) TV channel is showing two Child's Play films before kick-off. Gruden dominated the build-up. It may well be the first Super Bowl to feature the season's best offense and defense (Oakland and Tampa respectively); it may well be the first Super Bowl for Tampa, and Oakland's first for 19 years; but it is because Gruden is facing the team he left 11 months ago that he is the talk of the town.

To paraphrase Jennifer Aniston in Friends, here's the history bit. Last season, Gruden was seeking an extension to his contract with Oakland. Nothing much happened and he began to be linked with other teams. Meanwhile, Tampa were having an embarrassing time finding a new head coach.

First choice Bill Parcells jumped ship at the last moment, the owners vetoed Marvin Lewis, the choice of the general manger, and then it looked as though the San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci had beaten Gruden to the job. Five-and-a-half hours after they interviewed Mariucci they went back to the Raiders about Gruden, who thus became Tampa's third and fifth choice. Six hours after that, at 5am, Gruden had signed a five-year deal worth $17.5 million and the Raiders received five extra draft picks plus $8m. Although Oakland have here blatantly issued not so much a black-out as a bland-out regarding Gruden's departure, they let loose before last Sunday's AFC Championship game.

'He was a little man who wanted to be a big man and wanted to rule the world,' said offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy.

'He had a kind of Napoleonic complex.' Now we get 'Gruden created this team' from Kennedy although Sam Adams let the façade slip with a rather pointed:

'As I recall, Jon Gruden didn't get the Raiders to the Super Bowl.' A careful Gruden responded with: 'I have no bitterness. Maybe they do. Maybe some do. But I heard Bill Parcells say that he is not for everybody and I know that's for sure with me too.'

There endeth the history lesson. Now, as Mrs Brad Pitt would say, here's the game bit.The Raiders and the Bucs are playing for the right to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the right to wear huge, garish rings and take a winning bonus of a mere $63,000. The key to which set of pirates will prevail comes when Oakland's potent offense, led by the league's most valuable player, quarterback Rich Gannon, have the ball.

Their four losses this season came when they were held to 22 points or fewer. The Bucs defense, hoping to become one of the all-time greats, conceded that many three times in 18 games, one of which they won. For the Bucs to have a chance they must stifle the Raiders offense. If you believe in omens here are a couple.

The NFC representative won the NFL's loudest snorer competition on Tuesday and Tampa's Keenan McCardell won Wednesday's PlayStation 2 challenge. That particular contest has 'predicted' the actual winner for the past seven years. One thing is guaranteed tonight: Jon Gruden, win or lose, will be gurning throughout the game