SAN DIEGO — Dexter Jackson grinned broadly and gripped the Super Bowl MVP trophy tightly as if it was one of Rich Gannon's passes.
Jackson had two of Tampa Bay's five interceptions Sunday in the Bucs' 48-21 Super Bowl victory over Oakland.
The other three picks — two by Dwight Smith and another by Derrick Brooks — were returned for touchdowns. Jackson's two grabs, however, turned the flow of the game Tampa Bay's way and earned him the MVP trophy.
And once he had it, he wasn't letting go.
"Me and a couple of guys on the team were watching TV and they were talking about the MVP," Jackson said. "I said, 'Hey, man, they ain't thrown the ball yet.' I can be a big difference in this game. The opportunities came my way and I was able capitalize on them."
Jackson began Oakland's downfall when he intercepted Gannon's pass on the last play of the first quarter. That started Tampa Bay on the way to Martin Gramatica's 43-yard field goal early in the second quarter that gave the Bucs the lead for good at 6-3.
On the next possession, Jackson picked off another pass, this time at the Oakland 45. The Bucs did not score on the ensuing possession but got the field position that led to Mike Alstott's touchdown that made it 13-3. When the Bucs scored again before halftime, the rout was on.
And the more Gannon tried to repair the damage, the more Tampa Bay's defense took advantage.
"We're one of the best of all-time. We're a great defense," Jackson said. "You never can say you're the best. We're one of the best. They know now, they know tonight, we're for real.
"I share this with the whole secondary," he said, clutching the MVP trophy.
Jackson was only the eighth defensive player — and third defensive back — to win the MVP award in the 37-year history of this game. He also was overshadowed on the league's No. 1 defense by higher profile players such as Brooks, the defensive player of the year, and Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice, John Lynch and Ronde Barber.
"When I first came to the team, I knew they had some great players like the Sapps, the Lynches and the Brookses," Jackson said. "These guys came from nothing and came together as a championship caliber team. I'm happy for the city of Tampa."
Jackson was a quarterback in high school, one of the most highly recruited in the state of Florida. When he got to Florida State, he was converted into a defensive back.
"Good hands," he winked.
He was a fourth-round draft choice of the Bucs in 1999 and became an important cog in the NFL's No. 1 defense. In the Super Bowl, the Bucs held Oakland's offense, No. 1 in the league, to 19 yards rushing and 11 first downs.
"Gannon throws 40 to 50 times. Opportunities came my way and I capitalized on it," Jackson said. "During the season, people don't challenge our defense. He tried to make some plays, and I was able to capitalize.
"Gannon started getting frustrated a lot, which led him into more trouble," said Jackson, who returned his interceptions for 34 yards and had two tackles. "He was moving his feet a lot faster. He had happy feet."
Jackson's three interceptions this season were a career high. On a defense crammed with high-profile stars, he was largely overlooked.
Gannon made that same mistake on Sunday and it returned into the MVP award for Jackson.