JAR
01-28-2009, 09:34 PM
At least Deebo didn't jump over his podium and rip the guys jugular out. Maybe this guy should cover figure skating and not football.
Steeler screwup
:Binky Hub Arkush :Binky
TAMPA, Fla. — Media Day at the Super Bowl is always the Tuesday before the game, the first chance the assembled media hordes get to descend on the “Super” participants and the only chance we get to visit the stadium prior to the playing of the game on Sunday. It is also always a crapshoot as to just how much craziness you’ll run into, from media and players alike. Our visit this week was almost perfect, until it came to an ugly end.
The Cardinals went first, arriving to meet the media and get their very first taste of Super Bowl mania at 10:00 a.m. on a warm, bright and sunny morning in Tampa. That this crew arrived with practically no Super Bowl experience at all — with a few very notable exceptions — was stunning considering the class they displayed, almost to a man.
All-world receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald were at one end of the field, separated at their podiums only by Australian punter Ben Graham, and it was difficult to decide which of the two was the more polished. Boldin called the media frenzy “20 times greater than the NCAA National Championship game he played in,” describing it with a childlike glee. Fitzgerald described the Super Bowl as “a bigger game, but the same game I played growing up at Martin Luther King Park as a kid, with the same rules and on the same size field, I just have to focus on playing the game.”
What was most striking about the Cardinals was regardless of players being on the offensive or defensive side of the field — whether it was one of the wideouts, Adrian Wilson, Edgerrin James, Darnell Dockett or any of his other teammates — each and every one pointed to QB Kurt Warner as their unquestioned leader and the main reason they were there. Fitzgerald described him as “an amazing leader, amazing friend, a Hall of Fame father and Hall of Fame player whose bust I can’t wait to see in Canton.”
And for his part, Warner reveled in the moment as few have in the past. Asked whether he ever thought he’d be back, Warner said, “I’m a man of pretty strong faith, so I believe a lot of things are possible, but I can’t say when I left New York (Giants) I saw this happening.” But that it has is a blessing for all of us, because in covering 31 Super Bowls I can’t remember a more dignified and seemingly satisfied player in my life. It's not that he doesn’t still ache to win one more; he just truly seems at peace with his lot in life.
The Steelers almost to a man were equally impressive. Safety Ryan Clark, when asked if he was prepared for the media crush, said, “It’s actually just sinking in as I’m talking to you and it’s pretty unbelievable.”
Pittsburgh DE Aaron Smith is as impressive a guy as you’ll ever meet. Predictably, there was a great deal of questioning about his five-year-old son, Elijah, who was diagnosed with Leukemia a few months ago. Smith calmly and repeatedly shared what he felt was relevant while fiercely defending the privacy of his son and family whenever the questions seemed too personal, focused and smiling while never losing his cool, almost similar to the way he plays the game — at a near All-Pro level but so stylishly and effortlessly. He never seems to get the credit he deserves.
Much as Warner leads the Cards, Hines Ward appears to be the focal point of the Steelers’ championship resolve. Ben Roethlisberger was lighthearted but combative at times and occasionally bordered on arrogant or aloof but stopped just short, instead seeming just a bit cocky and self-assured.
Troy Polamalu and LaMarr Woodley are two of those kids that make you wish they were your own, or at least that you hope your kids would emulate and follow. And Casey Hampton is a huge man, quick-witted and gruff but seemingly hiding a warmth that belies his ferocity on the field.
It was all going so well until I came upon James Harrison. To be fair, I’ve never met or interviewed the 2008 NFL Defensive MVP before and perhaps he was trying to be clever or glib. Perhaps he’d grown weary of answering similar questions, a feeling he is neither entitled to nor can he afford in the glare of the media spotlight at the Super Bowl. Young men being paid millions of dollars to play a child’s game have no right to petulance on top of the god-given gifts they’ve been given, and they minimally owe a modicum of respect to media merely trying to do their jobs which generate the ridiculous wealth the players demand. Unfortunately, he came across as a complete ass and someone either coaches or front office needs to take aside and forewarn before he turns the week into a complete disaster for himself and possibly his team.
I asked Harrison if Dick LeBeau had adjusted any of his schemes to take advantage of Harrison’s special talents or if the player was just a unique fit to what LeBeau likes to do. Not a Pulitzer Prize-winning question to be sure, but a reasonable football query from which I hoped to do my job and develop a slightly deeper line of thought. When the linebacker glared at me and responded, “LeBeau’s not adjusting nothing for me, he’s tweaked the system for this week and I’m going to be dropping into coverage on every down. I’m not doing anything this Sunday, I’m just going to cover,” I was taken aback, as were the few reporters around me. I couldn’t imagine he was actually tipping me to this Sunday’s game plan, and if he was going for humor, at best he got smart-ass.
Assuming he was kidding, I said, “James, the system must work for you somehow if you’re the defensive MVP?” Unmoved and glaring more harshly, he replied, “I told you the game plan’s been tweaked this Sunday. I’m not doing anything but dropping into coverage because their offense’s too good and I’m just going to have to cover all day long when all I want to do is rush the passer on every play.” Still uncertain as to where we’d gone wrong but now certain beyond doubt I was being far more than dissed, I returned his glare and said, “That would be fun, just rushing on every play, wouldn’t it?” To which his final and complete answer was, “Yes!”
I would love to believe better of the guy, that he is more than the total punk he acted like, completely unprovoked. I checked the printed quote sheets the league distributes and saw he had answered other questions about the defense and coach LeBeau with reasonable and apparently straight answers. Did he mistake me for someone else he has had issues with in the past? I wish I could find some explanation, but I can only report in my dozens of Super Bowls it was one of the strangest encounters with a player I’ve ever had, a dark stain on an otherwise really good day for both teams.
http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Fe ... 012809.htm (http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/Super+Bowl/2008/harkush012809.htm)
Steeler screwup
:Binky Hub Arkush :Binky
TAMPA, Fla. — Media Day at the Super Bowl is always the Tuesday before the game, the first chance the assembled media hordes get to descend on the “Super” participants and the only chance we get to visit the stadium prior to the playing of the game on Sunday. It is also always a crapshoot as to just how much craziness you’ll run into, from media and players alike. Our visit this week was almost perfect, until it came to an ugly end.
The Cardinals went first, arriving to meet the media and get their very first taste of Super Bowl mania at 10:00 a.m. on a warm, bright and sunny morning in Tampa. That this crew arrived with practically no Super Bowl experience at all — with a few very notable exceptions — was stunning considering the class they displayed, almost to a man.
All-world receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald were at one end of the field, separated at their podiums only by Australian punter Ben Graham, and it was difficult to decide which of the two was the more polished. Boldin called the media frenzy “20 times greater than the NCAA National Championship game he played in,” describing it with a childlike glee. Fitzgerald described the Super Bowl as “a bigger game, but the same game I played growing up at Martin Luther King Park as a kid, with the same rules and on the same size field, I just have to focus on playing the game.”
What was most striking about the Cardinals was regardless of players being on the offensive or defensive side of the field — whether it was one of the wideouts, Adrian Wilson, Edgerrin James, Darnell Dockett or any of his other teammates — each and every one pointed to QB Kurt Warner as their unquestioned leader and the main reason they were there. Fitzgerald described him as “an amazing leader, amazing friend, a Hall of Fame father and Hall of Fame player whose bust I can’t wait to see in Canton.”
And for his part, Warner reveled in the moment as few have in the past. Asked whether he ever thought he’d be back, Warner said, “I’m a man of pretty strong faith, so I believe a lot of things are possible, but I can’t say when I left New York (Giants) I saw this happening.” But that it has is a blessing for all of us, because in covering 31 Super Bowls I can’t remember a more dignified and seemingly satisfied player in my life. It's not that he doesn’t still ache to win one more; he just truly seems at peace with his lot in life.
The Steelers almost to a man were equally impressive. Safety Ryan Clark, when asked if he was prepared for the media crush, said, “It’s actually just sinking in as I’m talking to you and it’s pretty unbelievable.”
Pittsburgh DE Aaron Smith is as impressive a guy as you’ll ever meet. Predictably, there was a great deal of questioning about his five-year-old son, Elijah, who was diagnosed with Leukemia a few months ago. Smith calmly and repeatedly shared what he felt was relevant while fiercely defending the privacy of his son and family whenever the questions seemed too personal, focused and smiling while never losing his cool, almost similar to the way he plays the game — at a near All-Pro level but so stylishly and effortlessly. He never seems to get the credit he deserves.
Much as Warner leads the Cards, Hines Ward appears to be the focal point of the Steelers’ championship resolve. Ben Roethlisberger was lighthearted but combative at times and occasionally bordered on arrogant or aloof but stopped just short, instead seeming just a bit cocky and self-assured.
Troy Polamalu and LaMarr Woodley are two of those kids that make you wish they were your own, or at least that you hope your kids would emulate and follow. And Casey Hampton is a huge man, quick-witted and gruff but seemingly hiding a warmth that belies his ferocity on the field.
It was all going so well until I came upon James Harrison. To be fair, I’ve never met or interviewed the 2008 NFL Defensive MVP before and perhaps he was trying to be clever or glib. Perhaps he’d grown weary of answering similar questions, a feeling he is neither entitled to nor can he afford in the glare of the media spotlight at the Super Bowl. Young men being paid millions of dollars to play a child’s game have no right to petulance on top of the god-given gifts they’ve been given, and they minimally owe a modicum of respect to media merely trying to do their jobs which generate the ridiculous wealth the players demand. Unfortunately, he came across as a complete ass and someone either coaches or front office needs to take aside and forewarn before he turns the week into a complete disaster for himself and possibly his team.
I asked Harrison if Dick LeBeau had adjusted any of his schemes to take advantage of Harrison’s special talents or if the player was just a unique fit to what LeBeau likes to do. Not a Pulitzer Prize-winning question to be sure, but a reasonable football query from which I hoped to do my job and develop a slightly deeper line of thought. When the linebacker glared at me and responded, “LeBeau’s not adjusting nothing for me, he’s tweaked the system for this week and I’m going to be dropping into coverage on every down. I’m not doing anything this Sunday, I’m just going to cover,” I was taken aback, as were the few reporters around me. I couldn’t imagine he was actually tipping me to this Sunday’s game plan, and if he was going for humor, at best he got smart-ass.
Assuming he was kidding, I said, “James, the system must work for you somehow if you’re the defensive MVP?” Unmoved and glaring more harshly, he replied, “I told you the game plan’s been tweaked this Sunday. I’m not doing anything but dropping into coverage because their offense’s too good and I’m just going to have to cover all day long when all I want to do is rush the passer on every play.” Still uncertain as to where we’d gone wrong but now certain beyond doubt I was being far more than dissed, I returned his glare and said, “That would be fun, just rushing on every play, wouldn’t it?” To which his final and complete answer was, “Yes!”
I would love to believe better of the guy, that he is more than the total punk he acted like, completely unprovoked. I checked the printed quote sheets the league distributes and saw he had answered other questions about the defense and coach LeBeau with reasonable and apparently straight answers. Did he mistake me for someone else he has had issues with in the past? I wish I could find some explanation, but I can only report in my dozens of Super Bowls it was one of the strangest encounters with a player I’ve ever had, a dark stain on an otherwise really good day for both teams.
http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Fe ... 012809.htm (http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/Super+Bowl/2008/harkush012809.htm)