As Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon executed one of the greatest passing years in NFL history, Brown, considered Mr. Raider because of his 15-year tenure, felt he was in a Brownout. Each week, he felt less and less part of the passing game. A string of nine 1,000-yard seasons ended. Brown fell behind Jerry Rice, Charlie Garner and Jerry Porter in Gannon's reads.

Even rookie tight end Doug Jolley sometimes seemed to be more involved in the offense than Brown.

"To be honest with you, it was tough early in the year because I couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting any balls," Brown said. "I had a pretty great season last year (91 catches for 1,165 yards). I had a good offseason. Then, all of a sudden, once the season started, all my routes changed. Because we were winning games, it was hard to complain."

	Tim Brown caught only two touchdown passes this season.

If that wasn't enough, Brown had to stay focused on the field while his wife, Sherice, adjusted to being pregnant with twins. He's on standbye to leave Super Bowl XXXVII to be with his wife, who is 8½ months along and back home in Oakland.

Professionally, Brown has had the joy of becoming the NFL's third most productive receiver, with 1,018 catches. The Raiders stopped the game against the Jets when Brown caught his 1,000th pass, brought out his family for a brief celebration and then threw a touchdown pass to Rice on the next play.

It has been that kind of a rollercoaster year, but the ride has gotten Brown to his first Super Bowl. Imagine the emotions running through him last Sunday. He covered his head with a towel as teammates approached to congratulate him on his first AFC championship in 15 NFL seasons. Literally, the Tim Brown story is one that players talk about, but rarely see happen.

Would you trade your role as the team's playmaker and your stats for a trip to the Super Bowl? Brown did that, but there was, and still is, no guarantee he will claim that elusive Super Bowl ring. The season still will be hollow if the Raiders lose to the Buccaneers on Sunday.

"If you win a championship, it will all be worthwhile," Brown said.

The Tim Brown of 2002 had to check his ego in the locker room to survive mentally and emotionally. The Raiders passing offense is an ever-changing mosaic. Bill Callahan replaced Jon Gruden as head coach and decided to emphasize the passing offense, but he had to see what the offense looked like before figuring which direction to take it.

Against the Steelers in Week 2, offensive coordinator Marc Trestman hit upon something. Gannon went no-huddle against the Steelers and burned them with 64 passing attempts in a 30-17 victory. Porter moved into the role as the team's third wide receiver, but the more he played the more plays were called for him.

"I was running a lot of underneath stuff, a lot of complementary routes for JP and Jerry," Brown said. "I ran a lot of backside routes. But hey, that's the way it is. Every once in a while, I'll get to go downfield."

Brown finished with 81 catches for 930 yards, but he had only 2 touchdown receptions. He's used to 9 touchdowns a season. His 11.5 yards per catch this season is 2.6 yards below his career average. Going to the Super Bowl is one of the biggest thrills in his career, but Brown feels as though he won a lottery using someone else's ticket.

Callahan downplays Brown's de-emphasized role in the offense, saying that Brown still caught 81 balls. Still, it has been difficult for the Raiders' go-to receiver to accept being passed buy.

"Tim has pretty much been the backbone," Rice said. "But I think with the addition of myself and Jerry Porter, his body is probably feeling pretty good right now. But it just shows the character. He's a great football player. He knew that his role was going to be a little reduced. But the main objective was to get here, and he had to sacrifice a little bit for that to happen."

Winning eases any tension. After all, Brown has been looking for a Super Bowl ring since coming into the league in 1988. Being the only receiver in the league who doesn't wear gloves, he can't wait to get the ring on his finger, but if the Raiders lose Sunday, Brown might dwell on the season that got away from him.

"Certainly, ending up here is very rewarding," Brown said. "I think had we not made the playoffs, I would have been very disappointed about the fact that my numbers have been down. But when you look at our team and you know how talented we were, you sort of have to understand where you fit in. Earlier in the season, I was a little more worried about it. I did have a conversation with the organization to make sure everybody wasn't looking at me as if I couldn't do it anymore. They assured me that wasn't the case."

Super Bowl XXXVII features one of the most interesting blends of receiving egos to play in such a big game. Brown set aside his ego to allow Rice to become the team's prime receiver. Keyshawn Johnson underwent adjustments under new coach Gruden. The receiver who wrote the book, "Just Give Me The Damn Ball," had to accept being on the sidelines as the team was near the goal line.

"I think you just want to get your best players on the field," Trestman said. "We didn't want to sit there and have Jerry Porter watching for 35 to 40 plays a game. Fullback Jon Ritchie had to take a lesser role. So did our backup tight ends. They came off the field. They took secondary roles."

	“	At this point, man, next to Jerry Rice over there, the sky is the limit. It's all about staying healthy and feeling good about yourself and about your game and being healthy enough to go out and perform week-in and week-out. At this particular time, I know I want to come back next year. I think it's really going to come down to what the Raiders want to do in their future. I'm not thinking about retirement. ”
		— Tim Brown, Raiders receiver

And Brown accepted running his less important routes.

"Tim wants a defensive back right on his body, and for me over the years it has been trying to leave the guy in his tracks and run very precise routes," Rice said. "Tim likes to have the defensive back banging on him, and then he has a tendency to get open. For years, everything was pretty much all for me, running my routes. Watching him, there's always a burst at the end. I'm trying to incorporate that into my route running. I think it's going to make me a better receiver."

How about that? The greatest receiver in the history of the league used Brown to learn a few tricks. Receivers like to receive. As close as Rice and Brown are as friends, it's still hard to accept if you are Brown. "Because we were winning games, I wasn't complaining," Brown said. "When we were 4-0, you can't complain."

The ultimate tease came against the Kansas City Chiefs. Brown caught 13 passes for 144 yards. Finally, Brown felt good about his own performance. But the Raiders lost. Since then, he has caught 42 passes in nine regular-season games and has been shut out of the end zone. He caught a team-high 12 in the two playoff games, but none for touchdowns.

"The one thing that I love about this offense is that we will do whatever it takes to win the football game," Brown said. "Whether it is throwing the ball 64 times like we did against Pittsburgh or running the ball 60 times like we did against Kansas City, whatever it takes we are going to try to do it. If the game plan we start with doesn't work, we will scratch it and find something that is working for us."

The ideal ending to the season would be a big day by Brown so he could have a better feeling about his team role heading into the offseason. Because the Raiders are $47 million over the salary cap, tomorrow is not certain. The Raiders have to make hard roster decisions.

The thought is that Gannon, Rice, Brown and Garner will all return. But there are no guarantees. The only certainty is that Brown plans to be back. Rice says he wants to return.

"At this point, man, next to Jerry Rice over there, the sky is the limit," Brown said. "It's all about staying healthy and feeling good about yourself and about your game and being healthy enough to go out and perform week-in and week-out. At this particular time, I know I want to come back next year. I think it's really going to come down to what the Raiders want to do in their future. I'm not thinking about retirement."

Brown is thinking about his wife, the twins, his role in the offense and a possible Super Bowl ring. It has been an interesting year.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.