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Look back at the Super Bowl's annual media circus
ESPN.com

Editor's Note: Our reporters swarmed the floor of the Superdome on Tuesday to bring you as close to Media Day as you could get without having your toes stepped on by the hordes of reporters, cameramen, celebrities, groupies and ... wait, did we say groupies? Sorry ... wrong event ... that's later ... but still ...

Hello, and welcome to the instant replay of ESPN.com's annual live shot at tracking Media Day online. Our team of reporters infiltrated the media horde today, tagging along as the marauders descended upon the Patriots and Rams to pick at their bones. Then our guys culled through the scraps to feed the beast we know you are.

11:10 a.m. ET
So far the early star is ... surprise! ... Tom Brady, the backup quarterback who took over in Week 3 and led the Patriots to the Super Bowl ... and the No. 1 question is, of course, does he think he should start? The crowd around Brady's podium is about 20 deep right now, and he's saying all the right things.

Drew Bledsoe is getting the same treatment, and his answer didn't sound rehearsed ... no, not at all:

"I know whoever starts at quarterback will be ready to go, and I know that whoever starts at quarterback, we have to win the game," Bledsoe said.

Hey, he's a team guy, remember?

Blatant promotion alert: By the way, you can watch Media Day on ESPNews ... call your local cable company.

11:15 a.m. ET
The session is under way, and we're hearing that some of the delays are due to some extroardinarily tight security measures ... members of the media are subject to what we hear is just short of a full-body-cavity search.

Pro Bowl bound Patriots' players strut their stuff during Media Day.

So the crowds are sure to grow around Brady's throne.

11:20 a.m. ET
With a lot of the reporters still stuck in the security lane, the Superdome is surprisingly quiet ... of course, let's not blame the media (how cliché, anyway) for the noise. Apparently the Superdome itself is so cavernous that sound dissipates, unlike the Rams' home dome.

11:30 a.m. ET
Time to get a couple of your questions answered ...

From Steve Holbrook, Hanson, Mass.: With all this quarterback controversy, why has everyone forgotten about Antowain Smith? Antowain, do you think it is possible for you to have a breakout game?

Antowain: "If me and the big boys up front, hopefully everyone will forget about us, and hopefully we can get some things going in the running game. And if we can, it will really help out our defense tremendously."

From Steve Toland, Braintree, Mass.: Joe Andruzzi, has the story of your brothers and their heroism on Sept. 11 been an inspiration to this team?

Andruzzi: "I think so. Because when it happened, it got everyone to realize there are more things in life, to slow down and take everything in. Basically, that's how weve been going about everything. We were 1-3, and everybody counted us out. Now we're on top."

11:35 a.m. ET
Our first celebrity sighting! OK, "celebrity" might be a reach, but we ran into Andrew Feinberg and Kevin O'Connor!

What do you mean, who? Oh, c'mon. The two bald guys from The Amazing Race! (Don't ask us which one is which, though. We're not that plugged in.)

They've graduated from globe hopping to full-fledged membership in the media horde, here interviewing people for the Rosie O'Donnell show.

For what it's worth, they're not maintaining much journalistic objectivity -- Feinberg is wearing a Ty Law jersey and O'Connor has on a Bledsoe.

11:42 a.m. ET
Another user question ...

From Rob Razzano, Cincinnati: Marc Edwards, do you feel more comfortable in the Patriots offense than you did in the Niners' West Coast O?

Marc Edwards: "I'm comfortable with both. The fullback is a major part of both offenses, not only in the blocking but also with involvement with the ball. It's a role I've had since college, and one that I relish. The biggest difference is that the Pats offense is more straight at you. We're not going to do a lot of pulling and trapping. We're going to come straight at you, and it is, 'Stop us if you can.' "

11:48 a.m. ET
Now we're talking media circus: Georg Richter from SAT1 in Germany just did a stand-up alongside the 6-foot-5 Bobby Hamilton. OK, no problem ... happens all the time. But Richter struck some kind of pose, planting his feet wide apart as he addressed the camera and rambling on in German as a somewhat confused Hazmilton stood by. When Richter was done, Hamilton said, "I want to know what the hell you just said."

Trust us ... it was a hoot.

And D'Marco Farr, the former NFL player now working for a, uh, competing network, is asking players who they'd prefer to hang out with, Mr. Howell or the Professor ... you know, from Gilligan's Island? He's not being well received.

11:58 a.m. ET
Future media darling? Kierra Woodard, 11, is stealing the show, at least as far as the players are concerned. The student from right here in New Orleans is bouncing around the Superdome interviewing players for the "Weekly Reader" website. She was nominated by her teacher and principal for this honor because she's "a good student and a good talker," she said. And she wasn't kidding.

Woodard's questions are scripted, but the players don't seem to mind at all. She's asking:
  • Do you play for money, fame or action?
  • What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
  • How do you decribe yourself?
  • Who's the person who got you started in football?

    You go, girl!

    12:15 p.m. ET
    The Pats are done, and the field is clearing, but we did manage to run down a couple more answers for y'all before they hit the tunnel.

    From Dane Boring, Eaton Rapids, Mich.: I know that most players bring their families for Super Bowl Week. How does that help or hinder their preparation for the game?

    Je'Rod Cherry: "It is an experience you want to share with your family, but even though you bring them in, you don't get to spend much time with them. So in a way, it's pointless.

    "It can hurt you if you let it get out of control. A lot of guys get caught up in, 'I've gotta get a ticket for this guy, or the cousin I haven't heard from in five years.' So if you get caught up in that, it can be a huge distraction, and then you're not focused on why you're here.

    "I told people ahead of time I'm not gonna deal with that. My wife is handling that, because she knows how to say no."

    From Douglas Lee, Braintree, Mass.: Coach Bill Belichick, what are your thoughts on being in the Super Bowl without Bill Parcells? This is your first time here without him, and I'm wondering if you learned a few tricks to help your team focus and not feel the pressure of being here.

    Bellichick: "I think the biggest thing is to try to treat it as much like a regular game as possible and do as many of the things that have gotten you to this point as you possibly can."

    12:19 p.m. ET
    With the Pats' session done and the Rams still a good 90 minutes away, we're going to take a break. We leave you with Lawyer Milloy's thoughts on Media Day. Milloy was asked if this is the worst part of Super Bowl week:

    "I don't mind it. I'd rather be in this position here than the position that the Steelers and the Raiders and anybody else that underestimated us are in."

    Ouch, babe.

    Halftime
    After about a 90-minute break, the Rams have taken the field ...

    2:04 p.m. ET
    Kurt Warner is up on his podium, Marshall Faulk is on his way over to his station, and they're herding the media masses back down out of the stands and onto the stadium floor. That's one of the weird Media Day rituals -- they clear the floor, let the players assume the position, then release the hounds.

    2:20 p.m. ET
    We're getting some answers now, although there's not a lot of love for the Pats' offense ...

    From Patrick Vincents, Philadelphia: London Fletcher, I know that you are professionals and will never overlook your opponent, but is there really anything about the Patriots' offense that worries you at all?

    Fletcher: "The Patriots have a very good offensive line. I like Damien Woody a lot. I thought him and Kevin Mawae from the Jets are the two best centers I've played. They do a lot of trick plays and reverses on offense, and Troy Brown is an excellent playmaking receiver. You just have to go out there and play good, solid defense against them."

    2:24 p.m. ET
    ... and there's not much love for the Pats' D, either ...

    From Derek Slaton, Gastonia, N.C.: Rams punter John Baker, it's a known fact that the Rams offense is one of the most prolific in NFL history, and as a result, there are typically more kickoffs than punts in an average game for the Rams. So my question for you is, how do you feel about being compared to that great American, the Maytag repair man, or to others saying that you just have a really cool part time job?

    Baker: "It's really good. When I'm not playing, that means the offense is playing really well, and they do that quite a bit. But I understand that is part of the job on this team."

    2:26 p.m. ET
    Questions, questions, questions ...

    From Charles Bentley, San Jacinto, Calif.: Torry Holt, everyone talks about the speed of the Rams receiving corps, but what about the hands? Who has the best hands on the team?

    Torry: "I do. I have the best hands, but the other receivers will all say they do, too. That is just how we are, very competetive, and we respect each other. But because I say that, they won't get mad or bitter. We just feel we are the best at whatever we're doing. That is what makes us so strong as a group. We have that confidence, and we strive for excellence, and that is a good thing."

    2:30 p.m. ET
    Let's face it, the Rams are boring ... this half of media day is nothing like the first session ... there are about 18 different Rams players sitting in the stands all alone ... no one wants to talk to them, apparently. And the Rams that are talking aren't really saying much.

    Where's the controversy? Where's the trash talk? Where's Ray Buchanan, fer cryin' out loud?

    2:31 p.m. ET
    Now we're getting somewhere ... those Amazing Race guys we saw in the first session? The two bald guys asking questions for the Rosie O'Donnell Show? The ones wearing Patriots jerseys?

    Well now they're wearing Rams gear! One's got a Warner jersey, and the other's sporting Isaac Bruce. (Again, don't ask us which is which.)

    OK, so it's not much ... but what are you gonna do?

    2:36 p.m. ET
    Remember that German reporter who confused the heck out of the Pats' Bobby Hamilton? Well, Rams offensive lineman Tom Nutten turned the tables on that reporter's colleague. Turns out Nutten speaks fluent German and was able not only to understand the questions, but to answer them and add plenty of color.

    Turns out Nutten's mother Helga did halftime commentary for the SAT1 station sitting alongside former tennis great Boris Becker the last time her son played in the Super Bowl. It was a double thrill for her, because not only was her son in the Super Bowl, she's a huge Becker fan.

    2:46 p.m. ET
    The Superdome is the regular season home of the New Orleans Saints, the Rams' latest arch-rival, and that got at least one fan to thinking ...

    From Brian Rouse, St. Louis, Mo.: Tell us how wonderfully ironic it is that you will be using the Saints' facilities and whether you will be leaving any "souvenirs," such as wet, sweaty, smelly socks or a used jock in Jim Haslett's desk drawers.

    Orlando Pace: We do have a heated rivalry with those guys. But to be here in their stadium gives us an advantage, because we're more familiar with this place, because we play here once a year. Those guys (the Saints) want to be here, but we're here now. I'm not sure they want us all in their complex, working out with their machines and things like that, because the rivalry is heated.

    2:52 p.m. ET
    And the questions (and answers) just keep on coming ...

    From Blue Haught, Chandler, Ariz.: Adam Archuleta, I remember you were an animal in high school in the weight room. How much has your intense weight training helped you get where you are today?

    Archuleta: "It is a huge factor in where I am. Because what you do in the offseason and your preparation really sets the table for what you can do during the season."

    From Jae Ekblad, Oakdale, Minn.: Is it better to have one week to stay focused for the Super Bowl, or would you rather have two weeks for more preparation?

    Adam Timmerman: "I would definitely like the extra week. There are so many things that go along with this week, with 'I need this many tickets, this many hotel rooms, people flying in, oh, yeah, and I have to play football.' We have practice Wednesday and Thursday, and we're trying to get the game plan in, and that is a full time job, anyway. It would be nice to have that extra week, so you could just focus on football."

    3:02 p.m. ET
    The players' obligation is up as of two minutes ago, so the crowds are starting to thin out ... but we're gonna stick around a bit and see if we can't grab anyone (in the figurative sense, of course) as they leave the field.

    3:06 p.m. ET
    OK, we managed to get the biggest question answered right before the Rams hit the road ... please, make sure you're sitting down for this one. Enough of the Brady-Bledsoe debate, the real question is for Rams backup quarterback Jamie Martin:

    From Andrew, Houston, Texas: Jamie, if Kurt Warner goes down, do you believe that you are ready to take over the offense?

    Jamie: Yeah, I'm not gonna do anything differently this week. That's my job every week -- to be ready, prepared and be professional. As a backup, you never know when something is going to happen. Just because this game is bigger, I can't do anything more to be prepared. I have to prepare whether Kurt is 100 percent or not.

    3:10 p.m. ET
    So there you have it -- Media Day 2002. Drew Bledsoe says it doesn't matter who starts at QB for the Pats, and Jamie Martin is ready if Kurt Warner goes down. Lawyer Milloy doesn't mind Media Day, because any other team would love to be at the Super Bowl answering questions, and Orlando Pace doesn't think the Rams will leave any special surprises in the Saints' locker room for the latest arch-rival.

    All in all, it was a relatively uneventful Media Day. No dog collars, no stand-up comedians, very few celebrity sightings. Dang. What do we have to do for a little bad craziness once in a while?

    Right. Bourbon Street. Peace. Out.



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