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 Ray Lewis doesn't feel that he should be the matter at hand.
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The Ravens' Rod Woodson sits down for a chat with ESPN's NFL 2Night crew.
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Kerry Collins and the Giants will be well prepared for the Ravens.
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Michael Strahan is a firm believer that the Giants have what it takes to be victorious.
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Shannon Sharpe doesn't appreciate the media's spotlight on Ray Lewis.
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| | Thursday, January 25
Day is about more than stars
By Joe Theismann
Special to ESPN.com
TAMPA, Fla. -- Media Day turned out to be the Ray Lewis spectacle. Although Brian Billick practically gave the media an ultimatum Monday to leave his player alone, they acted like any good media people, completely ignoring Billick and really besieging Lewis.
Billick tried to put the Lewis story to rest, but he didn't. If anyone should know how to handle the media, it's Billick, who spent two years in public relations for Bill Walsh in San Francisco. He tried to do it to take some of the pressure off Lewis, but I don't think he accomplished his mission. Too many people don't know the Ray Lewis story, and many don't care, but their editors want them to ask questions about it.
There probably has never been as many reporters around one player as there were around Ray Lewis at Raymond James Stadium. Small bleachers are set up so people can see him, but only about 40 people could hear what Lewis had to say.
Media Day has almost become too organized and staged. Even when there is a feeding frenzy around a player like Lewis, the players are so insulated. He had a public relations person and security people near by. You can get closer to Madonna than you can to Ray Lewis. I'd like to see all star players sitting in the stands with the other players rather than standing at podiums. The only thing missing over the two coaches were crowns -- Billick and Jim Fassel, the two kings of each conference.
|  | | Kerry Collins attracted one of the largest crowds at Media Day. |
Other than Lewis, the other player who commanded a lot of attention was Kerry Collins. Collins dealt with his past and said his peace, while Lewis chose not to answer specific questions. For us to get through Media Day without phenomenal headlines about something either Collins or Lewis said is a big win for both the Giants and the Ravens. It's one less distraction the players and coaches have to deal with.
With an unflinching view into his past, Collins is giving the media a chance to see him at peace with himself. Collins isn't trying to prove anything and doesn't have to. He has dealt with his demons and the criticism. He has faced terrible accusations and has been as low as he can be as a human being. Collins learned his lesson, showed remorse and now stands tall when he is asked tough questions.
When I went through Media Day in Pasadena and Tampa, I always liked the questions the media asked. I never wanted to know any questions in advance, even today. If I'm doing an interview, I don't want to know the questions. I want to challenge my capabilities to be quick on my feet and to give a reporter an answer with substance.
I don't recall any bizarre or stupid questions from Media Day. But the same questions get asked over and over and over again. I would answer a question, but another reporter wasn't around to get the answer. So the reporter asks the same one. The players don't grow tired of answering questions -- only redundant questions.
In Tampa for Super Bowl XVIII, I remember standing on a podium about three feet high with a sea of reporters around me. I thought, "I'm in the middle of all these people. This is absolutely unbelievable."
I thought for a moment about Roger Valdiserri, who was the public relations director at the University of Notre Dame. "I wonder if Roger, as he worked with me through college, ever envisioned that I would be standing here answering all these questions."
Roger taught me three basic principles about doing an interview: 1. Always praise the opponent; 2. Never, ever take credit; 3. Always praise your teammates. He said if I did those three things, it would be difficult for someone to find fault with what I was doing. After college, however, I modified his advice. I began criticizing people, and my arrogance became a topic of conversation. I have tried not to violate the three principles much in my more recent life.
Tony Siragusa went by his own set of rules Tuesday. The Ravens' defensive tackle was like a one-hour standup comedy routine. But Goose is an entertainer. John Candy, God rest his soul, has passed on, but I think he's come back in the embodiment of Tony Siragusa. The only difference is that Candy was even bigger. Goose put the game into perspective; it's a game. He is using the forum of the Super Bowl as an opportunity to have fun.
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Bright Lights, Big Game
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The Giants may play in the largest media market in the country, but they have some players who come from pretty small towns. Five New York players come from towns with less than 3,000 poeple. By comparison, 3,476 media credentials were issued last year for Super Bowl XXXIV.
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Hometown
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Population
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George Williams
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Roseboro, NC
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1,441
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Dan Campbell
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Glen Rose, TX
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1,949
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Brad Maynard
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Sheridan,
IN
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2,046
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Cornelius Griffin
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Brundidge, AL
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2,472
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Dusty Zeigler
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Rincon,
GA
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2,697
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I had a chance to talk to Giants fullback Greg Comella, who told me a story nobody knows because the Giants' media session had ended and I was just hanging around with some security guards having fun. Comella said his Super Bowl experience is like a dream. He said the dream will end when he wakes up, but the Giants haven't woken up yet. The dream just continues, almost like it is a surreal, out-of-body experience.
Comella also said he remembers sitting in front of a black-and-white TV, watching Super Bowl XVIII and seeing Marcus Allen run all over my Washington Redskins. He said it was the first Super Bowl he watched, and he thought, "Someday I'd like to do that." And now the dream has come true for him. So Comella is really living two dreams.
What I sensed from the players on Media Day was a real appreciation of where they are and an understanding of the significant task ahead. Despite the attention Lewis and Collins received Tuesday, Media Day proved that the true stars of Super Bowl XXXV will shine after the game is over, not before.
Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann works as a game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football. He will give his thoughts each day from Tampa in the Super Bowl version of his "Cup o' Joe" feature.
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