Everyone will want to talk to Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Charlie Garner, Bill Romanowski and Rich Gannon -- and that's just the Raiders. Then, there's always Warren Sapp, Keyshawn Johnson, Simeon Rice and Brad Johnson on the Bucs. You look at this game and say, "Wow."

It's tough to say who'll be the star of the day. Many of the Raiders have been here before, so they'll come in humble and experienced. Rice will certainly be interesting at the podium because he can draw comparisons between his days in San Francisco and Oakland. He can also discuss Gannon and how he compares with Joe Montana.

Keyshawn Johnson and Warren Sapp will be the characters. Johnson will relish this stage. And Sapp is always entertaining with his facial expressions, smiles and eyes. He has the physical attributes to go along with his quick wit that make him a colorful guy. They'll surely deflect some attention from the shy, less vocal Bucs players.

John Lynch could surprise. Lynch can be pretty darned outspoken. When he ran off the field last week, he was taunting the crowd to tell him who the best secondary is. So we know he has the potential to be vocal.

Simeon Rice should also stand out on media day. Rice has become the star of the Bucs' defensive line -- he has the sacks and he's forced and recovered fumbles. Rice has raised their game, making the Bucs' defense better. Quarterbacks underestimate his speed. It may look like he's blocked, but he's coming around the corner, and then the quarterback takes off, but -- WHOOM! -- Rice is on top of him.

But perhaps the biggest story of the week revolves around Jon Gruden. He wants to downplay all of this and will be very humble, gracious and candid on Tuesday. Gruden is approaching this game with the same attitude he had going into Philadelphia. Even though the Bucs were the underdogs, Jon's cavalier response was that they're weren't going to the end of the Earth, just Philadelphia. The same applies to San Diego.

Gruden won't get caught up in the hoopla, which is partly why he didn't travel with his team. Because it's such a short week, he'll put in 200 pass plays, so he needs the solitude and time to prepare. Everyone understands who Gruden is and the time necessary for preparation. Coaches have done it before.

Despite the potential for controversy, I'd be very surprised if anyone shoots his mouth off. Even Jerry Porter, who's been vocal about his feelings toward Gruden. But if I were Porter, I'd be thankful that Gruden went to Tampa. That's how he got his chance. He was let out of Gruden's doghouse and was able to lead the Raiders in touchdowns this year.

Media Day has become a fun event. When I was a player, I spent more time in front of the camera than most other guys. The current setup allows for a tremendous amount of diverse coverage of different people. You'll probably have 15 guys who'll command feature stories. In the past, you'd have maybe five, combined. Now, between coaches and players, you've got a better situation.

A game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football, former NFL QB Joe Theismann won a Super Bowl and a league MVP award. He'll be writing a daily Cup o' Joe for ESPN.com during Super Bowl week.