But just over two hours after Tampa Bay hit the ground here Monday afternoon to prepare for Super Bowl XXXVII, they met the media for the first of four official times without Jon Gruden, their leader and the week's dominant storyline.

"He didn't want to come today because he wanted to treat it as a normal week," explained strong safety John Lynch at the team's hotel. "We got home late from Philly, and we went home. The coaches, we saw them today. I don't think they had gone home.

"They're putting in the work, and we trust them. He felt like it was the right thing to do."

	“	It's been chaos. It's all a lot of people talking at the same time. (The Gruden story) doesn't matter. What matters is how we approach the game. All the hoopla -- it's entertaining -- but the real truth of the game is our No. 1 defense against their No. 1 offense. Hype is for the onlookers, but we're playing for the moment. It will redefine our careers. ”
		— Simeon Rice, Bucs DE

Gruden, of course, was 40-28 in four seasons as the Oakland Raiders head coach.

His abrupt departure from the Raiders and owner Al Davis' ultimate price of $8 million and four draft choices promise to make Tuesday's Media Day one of the most delicious and entertaining ever.

Last week, he made a point of declining to answer questions that offered him an opportunity to criticize the Raiders and some of their players.

When it became clear that Gruden was going to miss the mandatory session, the NFL told Raiders head coach Bill Callahan he, too, could skip the meeting with the media. Shockingly, he accepted the offer.

General manager Rich McKay was left to explain why the architect, the very face of the Buccaneers, had stayed home for an extra day after beating the Eagles 27-10 in the NFC championship game. He acknowledged that it was a difficult subject for Gruden.

"He's really not comfortable with it," McKay said. "There will be questions, and it will be a sidebar. He won't give you long, elongated answers. It's going to be like elevator music; you're going to hear it, but you try to tune it out."

Talking to the Bucs players, it doesn't seem like this will be a problem for them. They admitted that Gruden had urged them to be low-key with the media, but seemed to relish their position on sports' largest stage.

The Bucs' defense, anchored by the Pro Bowl troika of defensive tackle Warren Sapp, linebacker Derrick Brooks and Lynch, has been a force for years. The Bucs led the league in defense this year and finally had enough offense to achieve critical mass. That was because Gruden somehow mashed together a handful of new starters into his version of the West Coast offense.

While most experts favored the Eagles, the Buccaneers displayed a not-so-quiet confidence in the week leading up to the game. And now, as Sapp said, "We're here."

Sapp appeared wearing wraparound sunglasses and a gleaming, emerald Ron Jaworski Eagles jersey, perhaps also a tribute to (or a dig at) the fallen Philadelphians.

"Growing up as a kid as a sports fanatic, the Super Bowl feels great," Sapp said. "I really like where I'm at. I'm not going to say anything other than I'm just happy to be here."

Too happy to be here?

"Listen," Sapp said, darkening, "we ain't here for no vacation.

"We're just going to go out and play football. Hey, we haven't even seen the game plan yet."

That's because the coaches don't usually present the game plan until Wednesday, anyway. Gruden will fly in Tuesday with the game plan, while the players will be off, free to deal with all the logistics -- i.e., new friends looking for tickets -- before returning to practice Wednesday.

Simeon Rice, the defensive end whose 15½ sacks were first in the NFC, is the unknown quantity and perhaps the most underrated Buccaneers player, on and off the field. He is glib and loquacious -- and can use both words correctly in a sentence. After spending five years in the wasteland that was Arizona, he held court Monday night like someone who had been born to the throne.

"It's been chaos," Rice said. "It's all a lot of people talking at the same time. (The Gruden story) doesn't matter. What matters is how we approach the game. All the hoopla -- it's entertaining -- but the real truth of the game is our No. 1 defense against their No. 1 offense.

"Hype is for the onlookers, but we're playing for the moment. It will redefine our careers."

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.