Josie Karp: Friends in Super Bowl face-off

CNN correspondent Josie Karp: 'Affection isn't what we were looking for at the Super Bowl, but it's what we got.'

Story Tools

SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- Preparations are almost complete for Sunday night's matchup between the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.

CNN correspondent Josie Karp filed this report Saturday from San Diego.

KARP: All the talk about this year's Super Bowl is almost done. Much of the talk this week was centered on one of the coaches, Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden, because basically he was traded last February from Oakland, where he was the head coach, to Tampa for two first-round draft picks, two second-round draft picks and $8 million.

Well, [on Friday], Gruden and his counterpart, Bill Callahan, got a chance to get their hands on the trophy that the Oakland Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fighting for. The Vince Lombardi Trophy goes to the winner of Super Bowl XXXVII.

Gruden was asked, for probably the last time, whether he thought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had to win the game in order for him to justify his high price tag.

"You're going to be judged whether you're brought in for a pair of turf shoes or for a draft pick to perform and win games," Gruden said.

All week long we were sort of waiting for some animosity to bubble up maybe between players from the Oakland team who felt abandoned when Jon Gruden left, or Jon Gruden and [Oakland Raiders owner] Al Davis, but that never really materialized.

And one of the lasting impressions I think a lot of people are going come away with from this Super Bowl is the fact that Jon Gruden and Bill Callahan are such good friends and they have such affection for each other. Affection isn't what we were looking for at the Super Bowl, but it's what we got.

Just [Friday], Callahan said basically that Jon Gruden taught him everything he knows about offensive football. That's because when Jon Gruden was in Philadelphia, he brought Bill Callahan into the National Football League. It will be interesting [Sunday] to see if what Gruden taught Callahan comes back to maybe bite the coach in some way.

Story Tools		Subscribe to Time for $1.99

Father guilty of killing 9 of his children • Helicopter crashes near U.N. • Arrest in Aruba missing girl case • FDA panel OKs drug aimed at blacks

CNN/Money: Security alert issued for 40 million credit cards • Bin Laden deputy sends message • U.S. House votes to keep U.N. dues • Iran poll to go to run-off