| |  Warner and Brady answered opportunity
By Joe Theismann
Special to ESPN.com
NEW ORLEANS -- Everyone is given special opportunities in life. Some are able to capitalize on them, while others aren't. Kurt Warner and Tom Brady are playing in Super Bowl XXXVI because they threw open the door when opportunity knocked.
|  | | In 14 games as a starter, Tom Brady led the Patriots to 11 wins. |
Each quarterback took his job because the starter got injured. In 1999, the Rams' starter was supposed to be Trent Green, not Warner. This season, the Patriots' starter was supposed to be Drew Bledsoe, not Brady. They seized their opportunities. A lot of quarterbacks have gotten a chance to play when the starter went down, but few have delivered as well as Warner and Brady.
Their situations are one reason why I would never let another quarterback take a snap in practice. I never wanted Joe Gibbs to know there was another quarterback who could play the position like I could. I ran all of the Redskins' first-team offense. Because the backup looked good running the scout team, it didn't matter because he was working off cards, not our playbook. I didn't want to give a sucker an even break. If the backup was able to show what he could do, they may figure they don't need me.
What if Warner goes down Sunday? If he does, we would see Jamie Martin. Would he be the next Warner? Heck, we never thought we would have this Warner. Of course, if Brady went down again, we know what we would get with Bledsoe. And if Bledsoe got hurt, we know about the Patriots' third quarterback, Damon Huard, who started in Miami.
Super Bowls belong to quarterbacks. Bart Starr. Joe Montana. Terry Bradshaw. Steve Young, John Elway. Phil Simms. Doug Williams. Troy Aikman. Joe Theismann. And so on. We have one thing in common -- a Super Bowl championship. Warner is already a part of this select fraternity of 23 quarterbacks. Brady could become the 24th member, if he can seize the day as he has the season. It would change his life.
I consider myself the luckiest person in the world to be part of a Super Bowl championship team. It's the validation of a life's work. Consider Jonas Salk. He worked hard to create the polio vaccine, and he was the person responsible for saving lives and giving people an opportunity for a better life. He must have felt completely fulfilled because his effort, hard work and time paid off.
No matter what job one has, everyone is looking for a payoff, an appreciation of a job well done. It could be a pat on the back, a trophy, a paycheck or even a smile. For a football player, the Super Bowl is the ultimate payoff. There isn't a greater prize in sports. In every other major sport, a seven-game series decides the championship. Not in the NFL. You need your "A" game for one day. I had it for one day in 1983, but not for one day in 1984. An "A" game one year and a "Z" game the next.
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Cooking something up
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Through my work this week with EDS, I attended a three-hour gourmet cooking class Friday morning in the French Quarter. I could have gone on a swamp tour or a tour of the cemeteries, but I chose the class instead. I have owned restaurants for 27 years, but it was the first time I had ever attended a cooking class.
I took the class through the New Orleans School of Cooking. The instructor was Kevin Belton, who refers to his title as "human taxidermist." Kevin was entertaining and funny. We talked about seasonings and spices and the cooking of -- for instance -- celery, onions and green peppers. Because they are water-based vegetables, when they are added to anything you are cooking, the water comes out of them. We cooked the gumbo for 40 minutes, and when those elements are added in the beginning, the middle and the end, you get three different types of texture.
I learned some neat things. We talked about gas stoves versus electric stoves versus coiled heating. We talked about cleanliness. We talked about serving a large number of people. It was fantastic. I would recommend the class to anyone who visits New Orleans.
Friday was the first day I could feel the energy and sense the enthusiasm in the city. You could see it in people's faces. The anticipation of the Super Bowl is finally here.
I was walking around Bourbon Street in the daylight. People were getting out and enjoying the city, and the good Lord is cooperating with some great weather.
-- Joe Theismann
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I kick myself in the rear end for Super Bowl XVIII. We had already won one Super Bowl the previous year in Pasadena, and I thought we were pretty good. I didn't focus and work as hard as I could have. I look back and think about how much more I could have done to beat the Raiders. I could have been much better. That day in Tampa still eats at me.
The Buffalo Bills accomplished one of the greatest feats in sports history, going to four consecutive Super Bowls. We are in New Orleans with throngs of media people, but nobody talks about the Bills making it to the Super Bowl four times. It doesn't mean squat if a team makes it 10 times. The only thing that matters is winning. The loser merely becomes one of 30 teams that didn't win the Super Bowl. Nothing more, nothing less. You had a good year, but you came in second. It's not good enough.
The window of opportunity is open for Brady and Warner. Only one will be good enough Sunday to slip through it.
Yankees of the NFL
The Rams remind me of the Yankees. Mike Martz is like Joe Torre -- quiet, soft-spoken. Their players come to work every day and play hard. Neither the Rams nor the Yankees come with an attitude that they are better than everyone. When they put on their uniforms and attend team meetings, they are there for one reason -- a world championship. Torre told me once that was the way the Yankees approach things. So do Martz and the Rams.
The Rams are not a bickering football team. You don't get this far unless your team generally cares about each other. When have you ever heard about the Rams not liking each other? Never. And I don't think it will happen. There is never any turmoil in the Rams' locker room.
Getting better all the time
The Rams' defense has been greatly improved with eight new starters, including rookie players in Tommy Polley and Adam Archuleta and a rookie coordinator in Lovie Smith. But every team needs a player like Aeneas Williams. Through his work ethic, professionalism and quality play on the field, he brings both tangibles and intangibles to the table.
There is something about Williams that few people know. He met with Hall of Fame defensive backs Ken Houston and Mike Haynes to talk to them about different styles. He talked to Houston about tackling and to Haynes about covering one-on-one. Keep in mind, Williams had already gone to six Pro Bowls. Yet he was seeking advice from other great players about how he could elevate his game. I don't think you need to say another word about him. That speaks volumes for the type of player he is.
Williams, voted to his seventh Pro Bowl with the Rams, left Arizona, where he was the star of a struggling organization. He went to a place where he could be part of a team. And his star quality continues to shine as the Rams prepare to play the world's biggest game in his hometown.
Oh, Romeo
Everyone talks about Bill Belichick and the job he does with the Patriots' defense. But defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel deserves a lot of credit, too. It's like Matt Cavanaugh, the offensive coordinator for Brian Billick in Baltimore, or Gary Kubiak, the offensive coordinator for Mike Shanahan in Denver. Everyone talks about Billick and Shanahan, but Cavanaugh and Kubiak call the plays. Belichick is the defensive guru but Crennel is the coach who really orchestrates the defense and will be responsible for the game plan to stop the Rams' offense.
A game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football, former NFL QB Joe Theismann won a Super Bowl and a league MVP award. He serves up a daily Cup o' Joe for ESPN.com throughout Super Bowl week.
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SB XXXVI Over/Under
