GETTING CARRIED AWAY

By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 29, 2008 at 7:22 p.m.

Text size

More Denver Broncos

More stories »

There were puppets, models and stares, oh my.

Another Super Bowl, another media day as the annual ante on the strange but true seems to go up each year.

Thousands of credentialed "media" - some mainstream, some anointed only for a day - descended Tuesday on University of Phoenix Stadium for 60 minutes of quality time with both Super Bowl teams.

Nothing was out of bounds.

Nothing deemed too strange.

And few things were ordinary.

Still, for many of the Patriots, making their fourth Super Bowl trip in the past seven seasons, it was just another odd day at one of the more distinctive offices.

"At this point you're prepared, you're ready, you know how it goes," Patriots tackle Matt Light said. "You just go with it."

It was the first trip into the mayhem for most of the Giants, who are making their first Super Bowl trip since the 2000 season. Their two holdovers from that team - defensive Michael Strahan and receiver Amani Toomer - tried to brief the others on what they might see, what they might hear.

"This is my first time in this," said former Broncos cornerback Jeff Shoate, now on the Giants practice squad. "You see it on TV, but you never expect it to be like this. Crazy, just crazy. I guess that's why we all brought cameras, you don't want to forget any of it because nobody would believe it anyway."

Or as Patriots receiver Randy Moss, who sported one of the biggest crowds in front of his podium, offered when the clock hit 00:00 on his team's session: "That's it? Yeah-ah."

I don't

Few outlets take media day to the next level like the television networks from Mexico.

And TV Azteca, which has had a former Miss Spain - Inez Sainz - attend for years - also had Ines Gomez Mont dressed in a wedding dress/miniskirt ensemble Tuesday.

Mont held a T-shirt that read: "The Real Miss Brady."

At one point, Mont screamed a marriage proposal to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and added, "I am the real Miss Brady."

To which a calm, unflustered Brady declined and offered: "I've got a few Miss Bradys in my life."

Brady did accept the T-shirt as a gift.

Stand-up guy

So much for the notion Bill Belichick is devoid of humor. His deadpan, monotone delivery was a hit on media day.

Approached by an Entertainment Tonight reporter, who informed the Patriots coach she covered entertainment and fashion, Belichick didn't miss a beat.

"Well," he said. "You're in the right place."

But Belichick saved his best exchange for Gomez Mont, the reporter who was pitching herself as a possible wife for Belichick's quarterback.

Reporter: "Do you think Tom Brady should marry me?"

Belichick: "You have to ask Tom that one . . ."

Reporter, referring to Brady's supermodel girlfriend: "But I'm better than Gisele, right?"

Belichick, pausing: "I wouldn't go that far."

Line of the day

It came when Gomez Mont moved in on the NFL Network's Deion Sanders to ask a few questions. Sanders quickly said: "What's prenuptial in Spanish?"

Light is on

Patriots left tackle Matt Light was a popular stop, once people heard some of the things he had to say.

When asked who was the team's "biggest ladies man," Light said: "Well, I don't want to get anyone in trouble with their wives, so I guess I'll pick a single guy. I've to go with 12 (Brady)."

Asked about teammate Logan Mankins' beard: "He doesn't believe in shampoo. It's never been thoroughly cleaned; it's a little unkempt."

On movies: The Mountain Men. Charlton Heston, Brian Dennehy, 1972, greatest movie ever made." (Actually, it was released in 1980 and featured Brian Keith, not Dennehy).

Music men

Making a point about the atmosphere in the Patriots locker room, Randy Moss paused for a moment to shout a question about music to teammate Donte Stallworth walking nearby.

The point of contention was a song that had been playing in their locker room before practice Monday.

"Who was that, Lynyrd Skynyrd?" Moss asked. "C'mon, I don't know, dog, I really don't know."

Told by Stallworth the song was from Bon Jovi, Moss said: "See, we all get along, man."

Fortysomething

Giants punter Jeff Feagles, 41, would be the oldest player in Sunday's game and is in his 20th NFL season.

Feagles had his own podium, usually reserved for a team's marquee players.

"Did they put more podiums up this year?" he asked.

Asked if he would run a fake punt if asked, Feagles said, "It would take a long time to develop, I know that."

Celebrity sightings

Former America Idol contestant Kellie Pickler was on hand as a Tonight Show correspondent.

An assistant towing a backpack with shoulder pads and pompons followed close behind as prop master.

Veronica Grabowski, wearing her Miss Nevada USA sash, posed with several players.

Danella from BET's The Black Carpet also was a popular media figure among the athletes.

Child's play

Jason Krause, the kid reporter on ESPN's NFL Sunday Countdown, scored an exclusive interview with Patriots third-string quarterback Matt Gutierrez.

"How are you the third-string quarterback behind Brady?" Krause asked. "You're 1-for-1 this year."

Gutierrez answered the question in straightforward fashion, to which Krause responded: "Legendary."

Ever wonder how Krause got his gig?

"It all came up because my sister, Danielle, had a Make-A-Wish granted, which was to skate with Michelle Kwan," he said.

"ESPN has a segment about it called 'My Wish,' and I was in there. They liked my personality, apparently."

And the winner is . . .

"The first red carpet of the Super Bowl and it belongs to ET," Entertainment Tonight host Kevin Frazier exclaimed.

Standing close by was Claudia Jordan toting a briefcase with the show's logo. Jordan's side gig is part of the NBC show Deal or No Deal.

Players were handed various awards.

"We gave Tom Brady the Supermodel Award. We gave Junior Seau the Susan Lucci Award for finally making it to the big game . . ." Jordan explained.

Moss concluded his podium interview by receiving his hardware.

"This is for Jennifer Garner," Moss said, before racing off.

KICKOFF

NUMBERS GAME

.833postseason winning per- centage for Patriots coach Bill Belichick as a coach, the second-best all time of those who have coached at least six postseason games. Belichick is 15-3 (15-2 with the Patriots), just behind Vince Lombardi's 9-1.

HE'S MY GUY

Giants owner John Mara said he made it clear to quarterback Eli Manning, below, after the 2006 season - the Giants lost to Philadelphia in the wild-card round - that Manning was his choice to be the team's leader. The Giants had traded Philip Rivers to the Chargers in exchange for Manning on draft day in 2004.

"I sat down with him after the last game of last season and visited with him for a while and let him know I don't care what anybody says, if we had to make that deal over again, we would make it," Mara said.

REDO

Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has tried to stop the Patriots offense in a Super Bowl before. Spagnuolo was an Eagles assistant - he coached linebackers at the time - in the 2004 season when the Eagles lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.

"We were even leading at halftime, but they made some plays in the second half. . . . In the second half, we didn't feel like we played our best defense," he said. "They made a couple more plays than we did."

HE SAID IT

"I'm actually jealous that I'm not Tom Brady."

Michael Strahan, Giants defensive end, on the prospect of chasing Brady on Sunday.

Jeff Legwold

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News