ESPN.com
The cattle call has come and gone.
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| | Falcons guard Gene Williams hardly felt the media crush. |
Super Bowl Media Day, perhaps the most bizarre spectacle of pregame hype, took place Tuesday morning at Pro Player Stadium. ESPN.com's Jim Jenks went inside the media sessions for the Falcons and Broncos, providing live insight from the scene and taking your questions directly to the players.
Here's how it went:
The place is opening as we speak. Several thousand members of the media are herded like cattle into The Stadium Formerly Known as Joe Robbie, and we'll have the Falcons in less than 30 minutes. We're in the bowels of the facility, walking by pictures of Kevin Brown (remember him?), Don Shula, and other notables from Dolphins and Marlins history.
This is truly one of the great Super Bowl stadiums. The weather, of course, will be terrific, but this is a wonderful, modern facility. Jumbotrons for replays, very Florida picturesque. The Broncos will have to look up at Miami's ring of honor, with all of the 1972 Dolphins. Of course, the Broncos won't mind that they didn't go undefeated if they can repeat as world champion.
No yet sign of the "reporters" from Comedy Central. The NFL is expecting more than 1,000 members of the media, all trying to get "exclusive" interviews. There are TV cameras everywhere, and cell phones. This is the year of the cell phone. Everyone here has them. Reporters, cameramen -- and, of course, the players -- all have the ability to dial at any moment.
Atlanta's Dan Reeves is in the stadium, receiving his Coach of the Year award. Reeves is thanking everyone as he holds his crystal trophy. He's looking very dapper, very distinguished, in a light-colored suit. Hardly the typical coach's outfit -- golf shirt, sweats -- favored by coaches such as Mike Holmgren.
Still no players ...
The Rocky Mountain News, which has 27 staff members here, is running a section this week called "You must be a Falcon fan if ..." taking its cue from Jeff Foxworthy's "You must be a redneck if ..."
The Falcons are coming into the stadium. Defensive end John Burrough is the first player to appear. It's moving kind of slow, as none of the stars have arrived yet, except for linebacker Jessie Tuggle, who is looking for his podium.
Still no sign of Comedy Central.
Tight end Eddie Smith is taking pictures of the media with his camcorder while he's being interviewed. A lot of these guys are just having fun, hoping to take home some memories from Super Bowl XXXIII.
From Matt O'Dell of Albany, Georgia: Both teams have had outstanding special-teams play all year. Since Atlanta and Denver like to run the ball and control the clock, how much of a factor do you think special teams will be towards the outcome of Super Bowl XXXIII?
Dwight:I think we have to set the tone for the ballgame. Special teams have to set the attitude, which we have in the playoffs against the 49ers and the Vikings. Denver has great special teams, too. So it's going to be up to which group can set some sort of tone early in the game.
The Falcons' kick returner is talking about cliff-diving. He also says he's looking forward to skydiving, but not until after his career. Will Atlanta have to put some sort of clause in his contract prohibiting danger sports? "No way, man. I won't sign something like that."
From Bob Peterson of Wausau, Wisconsin: Once a Packer, always a Packer! Eugene, how has the approach that the Falcons and more specifically Coach Reeves differed from your Packer experience?
Robinson: The regimen is different. He (Reeves) likes to get us off of our feet on Saturdays. With the Packers, we worked on Saturdays. Reeves knows what it means to rest, and then be ready to play.
From Michael Chaffee of Key Biscayne, Florida: Of the three consecutive seasons that you have made it to the Super Bowl, is this trip the most satisfying?
Robinson: No, the first one was the most special. But to be here and see how Atlanta has been hurting, you get caught up in the struggle, and that's what makes it special.
Boom microphones are everywhere. One just hit a guy in the head. There is a brief exchange, but the two guys shake hands and walk away.
Defensive back Ray Buchanan is wearing a dog collar because "we're underdogs. I like dogs because dogs like to squat on turf." Buchanan is guaranteeing an Atlanta win.
The scene this year isn't as crazy. It's very different. Maybe since Atlanta is new to all of this and everyone is trying to get the Falcons' stories, the concentration is on the team and not the media.
We've spotted Comedy Central.
From Rob Story of Anchorage, Alaska: How different is this team from the Buffalo teams that you played in the Super Bowl with?
Bennett: I think this team is pretty similar to the Buffalo teams I played on. We have a cocky running back like we did in Buffalo. A quarterback that gets the job done, just like we did in Buffalo. Overall, talent-wise, this team is pretty equal to the teams we had in Buffalo. Personality-wise, we might not be as similar. But the closeness and togetherness of this team, though, is definitely there, and that's what makes a difference.
Ray is far and away the star of the Falcons' portion of Media Day. He's talking up a storm. "We're underdogs. Hey, Atlanta: go get your dog collars. Get your dog T-shirts. We're all underdogs."
"No one knows what I'm going to do. I brought the dog collar down from Atlanta because we're underdogs."
Smith says Atlanta has always had talent. "The difference now has been structure of the organization. We've had some of the best players of the decade here. Brett Favre, Deion Sanders, Andre Rison. They were here, but we didn't win. But Dan Reeves came in and changed the structure. He has done a lot of things differently in getting us to this point."
From Sami Thalji of Gainesville, Florida: Was there one moment in time during the season or one play or game in particular where the team really began to believe they were the team to beat in the NFC?
Chandler: I think probably the first game of the year with Carolina. It was a team we've had trouble with in the past, and we went up there and beat them on the road. And then at the Giants a few weeks later. We were able to beat them and, at that time, we were 4-1. It was, I think, we thought had something special going with this team, and maybe we could go on to bigger and better things.
Atlanta is now done with its session. This was less the party atmosphere of years past, because the Falcons are so unknown. It was a business session, with a lot of talk on the players' backgrounds and about the game. Ray Buchanan was probably the showman of the group, although offensive lineman Bob Whitfield paid tribute to the team's star running back: "There's Jamal (Anderson) and then there's the rest of us."
As we speak, the grounds crew is painting the field. Let's inhale a few fumes, shall we?
The Broncos are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. (ET). We're going to take a break, but we'll be back right before Denver hits the field.
The Broncos were here before the media. Neil Smith is on the field this year. Last year he had a podium, this year he's on the field. What's up with that? A whole bunch of players are doing cell-phone interviews, while others are just hanging around.
From Jared Thompson of Golden, Colorado: Do you and Eric Brown have a relationship like you and Dennis Smith did, and have you brought up Eric in the same manner that Dennis Smith did with you? Will he be the next Atwater?
Atwater: Yes, it's very early in its stages, but it's coming along. Dennis and I were very close ... As far as bringing him along, oh yeah, I'm working on that.
Obviously, the crowds are around John Elway, Terrell Davis and Mike Shanahan. Ed McCaffrey has a podium, as does Bill Romanowski. Shannon Sharpe is talking and talking and talking. Denver is very business-like. No dog collars or outrageousness.
Defensive back Tito Paul is playing the game "Operation." He just pulled out "water on the knee," but is having problems getting "charley horse" and the "wrenched ankle." WAMI-TV in Miami is having players test their skills with "Operation," which is the gimmick of the day.
Shanahan, Reeves, Elway, Chandler, Anderson and Davis have fences around them this year, the first time the NFL has had barriers around the "star" players. It's a sign of more control, since it has tended to get a little crazy around the more popular players, with photographers and reporters killing each other.
From Dante Lazcano Martinez of Tijuana, Mexico: How is the night before a Super Bowl?
Diaz-Infante: You really, at that point, just want to play. You're tired of all the hype and just want to get to the game. You feel the pressure. It's easy to get caught up in the moment, but on Saturday night you're going over your assignments and what you have to do. You're only as strong as your weakest link. That puts an enormous amount of pressure on you, so you don't let your teammates down.
Shanahan drew a big crowd earlier, but it has quieted down a little. A lot of focus has been on the feud with former boss Reeves, but Shanahan is avoiding the issue now. He's very business-like. He has been here at the Super Bowl as an assistant with Denver and San Francisco, and now twice as head coach of the Broncos. He knows the deal, so Media Day is not the frenzy it might be for someone in their first Super Bowl.
A bunch of Broncos are sitting in the stands, playing with the "Choice Seat" computer monitors. Reserve quarterback Jeff Lewis says he if were a fan, he would pay for the seat "but only if it had this cool TV." Others wouldn't pay for the seats. "Not unless Michael Jordan was playing," said one practice-squad member.
Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak has been to the Super Bowl six times now, three as a player with the Broncos and three as a coach (once with San Francisco, twice with Denver).
"Last year stands out a bunch, because I was here when we lost three. And to see John's face when it was over, to see Mike's face when it was over. Just to be a part of it was special. Hopefully, this will be another memory that will stand out as special."
From Peter Bialik of Muskegon, Michigan: What's the difference between a run for the national championship in college, like you had last year at Michigan, and a run for the Super Bowl title in the NFL like you're doing with Denver?
Griese: It's something you want as a team. I'm just happy to be here."
McCaffrey says the only difference between this year and last year is that "we haven't played yet," which basically sums the whole thing up. Romanowski is speaking in German to a foreign TV station, while the Broncos are getting ready to take their team photo.
That's it for Media Day this year. There wasn't the craziness, as in years past. No "Downtown" Julie Brown. No Dirty Bird dancing, which isn't all bad. Comedy Central was boring. The Daily Show wasn't getting nuts. The weather is awesome, which should last all week. Lots of media interviewing media, which is a standard every year.
For the Broncos, it was business as usual. They've been here before and know what to expect. The Falcons seemed to enjoy it, this being their first appearance in the Super Bowl.
The most asked questions were "Are you going to be back?" to Elway and "What's up with the dog collar?" to Buchanan. But all in all, it was a very tame session. That's it from Media Day at Super Bowl XXXIII.
Murphy: Eating it all up