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In case you missed it, as the Bucs/Eagles game's final seconds ticked away and the outcome was no longer in doubt, Johnson changed into a throwback Terry Bradshaw jersey. I can offer one criticism of the act: the Steelers' white jersey does not go with the Buccaneers' uniform pants, that's for sure.

But others offer much more criticism of Johnson's decision.

Half the writers commenting on it have said this is another indication of Johnson's lack of team spirit and look-at-me attitude. ESPN's Jason Whitlock was the most incendiary about it, stating flatly that Keyshawn doesn't care about the Bucs and, essentially, wearing the jersey is his way of promoting the fact that he doesn't care ... or at very least, he's trying to get some more ink. Other pundits have leapt to Johnson's defense, speculating that he wore it as an homage to the commitment it takes to win four Super Bowls, or some such nonsense.

Both camps are wrong.

First, let's examine the charge that Keyshawn's selfishness is so great he has no passion or interest in his own team. I guess that explains why he doesn't go over the middle (oh wait, he does), and why he runs for the sideline rather than take a hit and pick up a couple of more yards (oh wait, he doesn't). Selfish players, or players with no team spirit, are not gritty, are not rugged, don't put their body on the line for the team. Johnson does. To say that the Steelers jersey suggests he is not a supporter of his own team is ludicrous.

There are people, such as Whitlock, who hate, really hate, the type of flamboyant, outspoken athlete Johnson is. They prefer your Notre Dame or Duke teams, populated with players who would never taunt or even jump in celebration. That's just not good sportsmanship, mister.

So he wore it for publicity? To get on TV? Nah. If anyone doesn't need a stunt to find his way in front of the television cameras, it's Keyshawn. Like his quote-a-minute teammate Warren Sapp, reporters and TV crews know if they approach Johnson, they will come away with something. No doubt he likes publicity, and seeks it. No doubt the press seeks him right back. Johnson knows that. If a fourth-string linebacker was looking for some pub, it may work for him to put on the Steelers jersey. For Johnson, it's just not necessary.

I also don't quite buy the idea that the jersey was sort of a tribute to his hardnose, '70s football forefathers. It's just not his style.

I strongly suspect (Johnson himself has not yet addressed the issue as I write this, so that's why we are all hypothesizing) Johnson wore it as sort of an inside joke. Hasn't Bradshaw done his share of good-natured ribbing of Johnson? Isn't this a good-natured ribbing sort of response? We know Terry Bradshaw has a sense of humor. Can't Johnson, too? He could, if he was a player the pundits had more respect for.

***

There must have been a lot of back-room debate in the NFL offices about how to deal with Jeremy Shockey's tantrum in San Francisco, because it took them two weeks to levy the penalty: $5,000 for flipping the crowd the bird, and $5,000 for throwing water over his shoulder into the stands (it hit a couple of kids).

$5,000 for flipping the bird? Good call. If anything, maybe a bit too lenient. $5,000 for the water throwing? That might've beeen appropriate, too, if Shockey hadn't: a) apologized for it (not good enough); b) given the kids a game ball (getting there); and c) inviting the kids to the locker room. Shockey took it upon himself to entertain children, fans of the team that just handed him the biggest loss of his football life, in the locker room just moments after that crushing defeat. That is punishment. No further fines were necessary.

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Since there will only be two million Super Bowl predictions, I better make mine and do my part to make sure we have enough predictions to go around.

It's nice to see a Super Bowl where there is no clear favorite going into the game. We already know about Tampa Bay's No. 1 defense and Oakland's No. 1 offense. Tampa Bay has a slight edge when you compare common opponents, and they both have been dominant against the best their respective conferences had to offer (Oakland was 5-0, including the playoffs, against AFC playoff teams this year; Tampa Bay was 5-1 against NFC playoff teams). Both teams won all of their playoff games by at least three scores. This is going to be a good one.

Since the Bucs had little trouble scoring against the league's sixth-ranked defense, conventional wisdom suggests that they should be even better against the league's 11th-ranked defense, Oakland. That may be true, but I don't think that the Tampa Bay offense will put up as many points against Oakland as they did in Philly. The Eagles came into the NFC Championship with everything on their side: a perfect recent track record against the Bucs, the fact that Tampa had never won in sub-40 degree temperatures before a meaningless game two weeks prior, and the good karma of the game being the last one ever at the Vet. The Eagles looked cocky and unprepared, and that's why the Bucs put up 27 points.

That said, the Bucs' offense has improved enough that they should be able to score a bit against the Raiders. Defensively, whenever I hear someone say, "the Bucs may have a great defense, but they haven't seen an offense like the Raiders!" I laugh and remember how they held the 1999 Rams, perhaps the most prolific, effective offense ever, to 11 points in the NFC Championship Game. I rather think it's the Raiders who have not seen a defense like the Buccaneers.

PREDICTED FINAL SCORE:

Tampa Bay 16, Oakland 14

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