thedrifter
01-31-07, 09:05 AM
A mission to the depths of absurdity
Media Day brings the circus to the Super Bowl
By CARL KOTALA, Florida Today
First published: Wednesday, January 31, 2007
MIAMI -- "Did you imagine after winning the NFC Championship Game that you would get to the Super Bowl?" the man with the "Tonight Show" flag on his microphone asked Chicago Bears guard Terrence Metcalf.
Uh ...
Welcome to Super Bowl Media Day. Security may be tight all around the city of Miami, but at Dolphin Stadium on Tuesday, it seemed like the NFL let anybody in.
"I got serenaded by the 'American Idol' guys," Indianapolis Colts right tackle Ryan Diem said. "... That was interesting."
And for a few brief moments, Chicago Bears wide receiver Bernard Berrian actually found himself sitting at a podium ... by himself.
"Do I really have to sit here for an hour?" he asked.
It wasn't long before Berrian had a group of media huddled around him. In fact, it was hard for any member of the Bears or Colts to escape the scrutiny of what seemed like 3,000 journalists milling around.
Not that everyone minded it.
"It's been pretty cool," Chicago tight end Desmond Clark said. "I haven't gotten any dumb questions yet, but when I do, I'll let you know."
Journalists from all around the world -- Japan, Mexico and Austria, to name a few -- joined the fray as players sat in their assigned booths, in the stands, or just milled around on the stadium floor.
A number of players had their camcorders out. Some had cameras, too.
There was a film crew from the U.S. Marines, asking players to give a shout out to the troops. An "Entertainment Tonight" reporter stopped by to give Bears running back Thomas Jones an MVP Award -- that's Most Valuable Playa.
And then, of course, there was the guy in a "Televisa Deportes" shirt who was wearing an arm-length ... bear puppet.
New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan was on hand, working for the "Best Damn Sports Show" and Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp was there for the NFL Network. Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday also was walking around with a local film crew.
As usual, the questions ranged from the serious -- how will the Colts be able to attack Chicago's Cover 2 defense -- to the one from the "Tonight Show" reporter, which drew a puzzled look from Metcalf. His response was, essentially, that the Super Bowl is the next game.
Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was asked about his pregame routine.
"Every Sunday when I wake up, there is a saltwater fishing show on ESPN that I watch at 8, and at 9 o'clock there's another one and I watch that until I have to go to the stadium when the game is at noon (Central time)," Urlacher said. "This Sunday, I'll be able to watch the whole thing since it's late. ... Then, I'll go over to the stadium, eat a couple of cookies, relax a little bit and listen to my headphones.
"There's something relaxing to me about watching fishing shows."
Oh, and for those interested, it doesn't matter what kind of cookie it is, either.
"Usually chocolate chip," Urlacher said. "If someone gives me something else, I'll eat those, too. I'm not really picky."
Yep, another hard-hitting day of questions.
But it's Media Day. Its zaniness has become a Super Bowl tradition.
And while the players might not like every question -- Diem, for instance, said a lot of the foreign journalists don't know a lot about football -- they are ecstatic about the fact they are actually here to take part in it.
"This is sweet. This is awesome," Colts tight end Dallas Clark said. "I'm loving every second of it. These are some fun interviews. This is great. They say how it's hectic and all that.
"But if you complain about this, you're not truly enjoying the moment. This is beautiful."
Ellie
Media Day brings the circus to the Super Bowl
By CARL KOTALA, Florida Today
First published: Wednesday, January 31, 2007
MIAMI -- "Did you imagine after winning the NFC Championship Game that you would get to the Super Bowl?" the man with the "Tonight Show" flag on his microphone asked Chicago Bears guard Terrence Metcalf.
Uh ...
Welcome to Super Bowl Media Day. Security may be tight all around the city of Miami, but at Dolphin Stadium on Tuesday, it seemed like the NFL let anybody in.
"I got serenaded by the 'American Idol' guys," Indianapolis Colts right tackle Ryan Diem said. "... That was interesting."
And for a few brief moments, Chicago Bears wide receiver Bernard Berrian actually found himself sitting at a podium ... by himself.
"Do I really have to sit here for an hour?" he asked.
It wasn't long before Berrian had a group of media huddled around him. In fact, it was hard for any member of the Bears or Colts to escape the scrutiny of what seemed like 3,000 journalists milling around.
Not that everyone minded it.
"It's been pretty cool," Chicago tight end Desmond Clark said. "I haven't gotten any dumb questions yet, but when I do, I'll let you know."
Journalists from all around the world -- Japan, Mexico and Austria, to name a few -- joined the fray as players sat in their assigned booths, in the stands, or just milled around on the stadium floor.
A number of players had their camcorders out. Some had cameras, too.
There was a film crew from the U.S. Marines, asking players to give a shout out to the troops. An "Entertainment Tonight" reporter stopped by to give Bears running back Thomas Jones an MVP Award -- that's Most Valuable Playa.
And then, of course, there was the guy in a "Televisa Deportes" shirt who was wearing an arm-length ... bear puppet.
New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan was on hand, working for the "Best Damn Sports Show" and Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp was there for the NFL Network. Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday also was walking around with a local film crew.
As usual, the questions ranged from the serious -- how will the Colts be able to attack Chicago's Cover 2 defense -- to the one from the "Tonight Show" reporter, which drew a puzzled look from Metcalf. His response was, essentially, that the Super Bowl is the next game.
Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was asked about his pregame routine.
"Every Sunday when I wake up, there is a saltwater fishing show on ESPN that I watch at 8, and at 9 o'clock there's another one and I watch that until I have to go to the stadium when the game is at noon (Central time)," Urlacher said. "This Sunday, I'll be able to watch the whole thing since it's late. ... Then, I'll go over to the stadium, eat a couple of cookies, relax a little bit and listen to my headphones.
"There's something relaxing to me about watching fishing shows."
Oh, and for those interested, it doesn't matter what kind of cookie it is, either.
"Usually chocolate chip," Urlacher said. "If someone gives me something else, I'll eat those, too. I'm not really picky."
Yep, another hard-hitting day of questions.
But it's Media Day. Its zaniness has become a Super Bowl tradition.
And while the players might not like every question -- Diem, for instance, said a lot of the foreign journalists don't know a lot about football -- they are ecstatic about the fact they are actually here to take part in it.
"This is sweet. This is awesome," Colts tight end Dallas Clark said. "I'm loving every second of it. These are some fun interviews. This is great. They say how it's hectic and all that.
"But if you complain about this, you're not truly enjoying the moment. This is beautiful."
Ellie