Super Bowl XLII report, January 31

The Rocky

Published January 31, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.

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Joel Collier wants to have his father join him for the walk-through.

Photo by Barry Gutierrez / The Rocky/2004

Former Bronco Jeff Shoate is on the Giants' practice squad.

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Collier pleased to have chance to treat father

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Joel Collier has waited 30 years to return the favor, but he'll finally get the chance this weekend.

The Patriots defensive backs coach, and son of longtime Broncos assistant Joe Collier, was a 14-year-old when his father took him to Denver's walk-through at the Louisiana Superdome the day before Super Bowl XII.

And Saturday, he plans to bring his father to the Patriots' walk-through at University of Phoenix Stadium.

"Kind of a full-circle thing," Joel Collier said. "One of my favorite memories is from that '77 season. I remember the Saturday before the game I went to the stadium, was on the field for the walk-through.

"I've been thinking, 'I'm going to do that, get my dad to go Saturday.' "

Joel Collier is in his second stint as a Patriots assistant, but he is in his first Super Bowl since joining Bill Belichick's staff in 2005.

His father went through three Super Bowls with the Broncos, so he already has offered some advice for getting through the week.

"My dad said the biggest thing is to make sure you go out and try to enjoy it," Collier said. "It's still work, but he emphasized that you enjoy the experience. It might be a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

But the biggest difference between his first Super Bowl trip as a teenager and this one as an assistant might be the size of the spectacle surrounding the game now.

"Just a huge difference," Joel Collier said. "I remember in New Orleans, I was a nervous kid, and I remember at halftime I got sick because I was so nervous. I just felt like I had to go outside, so I left the stadium thinking I was going to throw up. I just walked out of the stadium and walked back in without a ticket.

"You couldn't do that now without a police escort."

Looking ahead

Former Broncos cornerback Jeff Shoate was sitting with his family when he got the call from the Giants earlier this month.

"They said 'if we beat Tampa, we're going to bring you in,' so needless to say, I'm glad they beat Tampa," Shoate said.

The Giants signed Shoate to their practice squad in the days after the wild-card win, and three weeks later, he's practicing with a team at the Super Bowl.

The Broncos' fifth-round pick in 2004 said he's preparing to sell his home in Aurora after being released by Denver earlier this season. His wife, Ronisa, is in graduate school at Southern California.

He had been on the Ravens practice squad to close the regular season.

"And we're going to kind of wait and see where I end up, but Baltimore said they wanted to have me back," Shoate said. "So it looks like that's where I'll be when all of this is done.

"But maybe something will work out (with the Giants), but I know Baltimore is very interested, and with Rex Ryan staying as the defensive coordinator, I think that helps me some."

The date

Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli can remember the exact day he went from being a committed fan to football hopeful.

"Sept. 23, 1973," Pioli said.

That happened to be the day Pioli, a Washingtonville, N.Y., native, attended a Giants-Eagles game with his father, courtesy of two tickets provided by a neighbor.

"It was the only game I ever went to growing up and it changed my life," Pioli said. "The last play of the game, Pete Gogolak kicked a field goal in the end zone we were sitting in. The ball landed just a section over from where we were to tie the game at 23-23. It was the last game they had in Yankee Stadium."

Pioli joked his entire family always has been Giants fans and "my father is coming down (today) and I'm still not sure who he's going to be rooting for."

"We watched the Giants every single Sunday as a kid," Pioli said. "You got home from mass at St. Mary's, and from 11 to 11:30 watching F Troop on Channel 11, from 11:30 to 1, watched Abbott and Costello on WPIX, and at 1 the Giants kicked off.

"That was every Sunday, that's just the way it was. So there are a lot of emotions there (Sunday). It's really pretty cool."

Etc.

* Giants long snapper Zak DeOssie's father, Steve, played in Super Bowl XXV as a member of the Giants, with Patriots coach Bill Belichick then serving as New York's defensive coordinator. The DeOssies will become the ninth father-son combination to have reached the Super Bowl. They join Julius and Keith Adams; Ross Browner and Max Starks; Frank and Frank C. Cornish; Bob and Brian Griese; Emery and Aaron Moorehead; Don and Matt Hasselbeck; Mosi and Lofu Tatupu; and Manu and Marques Tuiasosopo.

* Mike Carey was selected to be the referee for Sunday's game, his 15th playoff game. He was the referee when the Giants and Patriots met in the regular-season finale.

* The Patriots practiced for two hours at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe and put on shoulder pads for the first time this week. Quarterback Tom Brady, who suffered a sprained right ankle in the AFC Championship Game, took part in the entire workout. On the team's work, Belichick said, "I've seen better." Receiver Jabar Gaffney was limited because of a shoulder injury.

* The Giants worked for two hours at the Arizona Cardinals' practice complex. Receiver Plaxico Burress was held out of practice because of a sore ankle. Guard Rich Seubert (knee) and cornerback Kevin Dockery (hip) each took about half of the practice snaps.

He said it

"It's impossible."

Amani Toomer, Giants receiver, on whether he will treat Sunday's game as just another game.

He said it II

"Not a whole lot because we don't have real grass anymore."

Matt Light, Patriots left tackle, on the sense of pride he feels when New England's line keeps Brady's uniform clean.

Four for four?

Should the Patriots win Sunday, Brady will join Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana atop an elite class of Super Bowl quarterbacks with at least two wins who have not lost in the title game.

Quarterback, team Record

*Terry Bradshaw, Steelers 4-0

*Joe Montana, 49ers 4-0

*Troy Aikman, Cowboys 3-0

Tom Brady, Patriots 3-0

Jim Plunkett, Raiders 2-0

*Bart Starr, Packers 2-0

* In the Pro Football Hall of Fame

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