SportsNetwork Game Preview
(Sports Network) - The 2003 NFL preseason officially kicks off Saturday when the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers tangle with the New York Jets at the 18th American Bowl in Tokyo, Japan. The American Bowl began in 1986 as a result of increased interest in American football around the world. Neither the Buccaneers nor the Jets have ever competed in the event. Last season, Steve Spurrier's Washington Redskins hammered the San Francisco 49ers, 38-7, in Osaka, Japan. Tokyo has now hosted the game 11 times, more than other city. Tampa Bay is fresh off a exciting playoff run which resulted in the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl title. The Buccaneers posted a 12-4 regular season mark and a South Division title, before dispatching San Francisco and Philadelphia en route to their first NFC title. Then as a heavy underdog, the Bucs shocked the world with a 48-21 shellacking of the mighty Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. Head coach Jon Gruden has given his club plenty of motivation in its run for a second consecutive title, as he has promised to dance down the road in only a jockstrap if the team repeats. The Jets recovered from an ugly 1-4 start in 2002 to secure an AFC East title with wins in eight of their final 11 contests. New York stunned the Green Bay Packers in the final week of the regular season at Giants Stadium, helping it garner a three-way tie for the top spot in the East with New England and Miami. The Jets won the tiebreaker and gained the lone slot in the postseason from the East. Upstart quarterback Chad Pennington led the Jets to a Wild Card game blowout of the Indianapolis Colts, but the team's luck ran out against Oakland in the second round. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: New York 24, Tampa Bay 14 07/31 11:00:07 ET
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=9930993&BRD=1942&PAG=740&dept_id=356246&rfi=6
(Sports Network) - The 2003 NFL preseason officially kicks off Saturday when the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers tangle with the New York Jets at the 18th American Bowl in Tokyo, Japan. The American Bowl began in 1986 as a result of increased interest in American football around the world. Neither the Buccaneers nor the Jets have ever competed in the event. Last season, Steve Spurrier's Washington Redskins hammered the San Francisco 49ers, 38-7, in Osaka, Japan. Tokyo has now hosted the game 11 times, more than other city. Tampa Bay is fresh off a exciting playoff run which resulted in the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl title. The Buccaneers posted a 12-4 regular season mark and a South Division title, before dispatching San Francisco and Philadelphia en route to their first NFC title. Then as a heavy underdog, the Bucs shocked the world with a 48-21 shellacking of the mighty Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. Head coach Jon Gruden has given his club plenty of motivation in its run for a second consecutive title, as he has promised to dance down the road in only a jockstrap if the team repeats. The Jets recovered from an ugly 1-4 start in 2002 to secure an AFC East title with wins in eight of their final 11 contests. New York stunned the Green Bay Packers in the final week of the regular season at Giants Stadium, helping it garner a three-way tie for the top spot in the East with New England and Miami. The Jets won the tiebreaker and gained the lone slot in the postseason from the East. Upstart quarterback Chad Pennington led the Jets to a Wild Card game blowout of the Indianapolis Colts, but the team's luck ran out against Oakland in the second round. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: New York 24, Tampa Bay 14 07/31 11:00:07 ET
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=9930993&BRD=1942&PAG=740&dept_id=356246&rfi=6
