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Blah blah blah You call this Super? Who've you been listening to?
Posted: Friday January 28, 2000 06:41 PM
ATLANTA -- You know, you should be able to figure it out by the name. The "Super Bowl." I mean, c'mon. Super? Everything here is just a tad over the top. Money, lots of it, flows like the Titans through Jacksonville. There are more entertainer types here than there are cameras. There are so many cell phones on the street this weekend, you can pick up conversations on your fillings. And talk? Well, talk is the real currency in this town right now. And it's not cheap. It's flat-out free. And worth about that, most of the time. "It is truly a dream come true," said Tennessee Titans tight end Frank Wycheck. "It's a dream come true," Rams quarterback Kurt Warner intoned. "This is what you dream about," Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse bellowed. "This is what you're playing for your whole life," Titans tackle Jon Runyan said. "We are just trying to enjoy it right now," kicker Jeff Wilkins of the St. Louis Rams allowed. "It feels great," Rams receiver Ricky Proehl opined. Granted, it becomes a little more difficult to come up with pithy sound bites when you've been asked the same question about a billion times. But these guys are professionals. They should be able to do better than this. "I think we are going to have our work cut out for us this weekend," Rams tackle Fred Miller said. "We're going to have our hands full." Everybody, on each team, said that. "We're going to take it each day at a time, prepare well and get well physically," Rams wideout Torry Holt pointed out. Stop. What about the gameplan, guys? "We're going to continue to do what we did to get here," Titans quarterback Steve McNair proclaimed. "They are not going to change and we're not going to change," McNair said. "We've got to run the ball well," Orlando Pace, the big Rams tackle, monotoned. "If we don't turn the ball over and give it away, I think we will play well as an offense," wide receiver Isaac Bruce of the Rams conceded. "We have to get pressure on the quarterback," Rams defensive end Kevin Carter let slip. "We're going to try to mix in a little run and play action." OK. We'll stop picking on McNair. It's maddening. It's pathetic. It's too, too, too too much. So, guys, lets' not talk about the game. Let's talk about the teams. "We're a team that plays hard in all phases. We're aggressive." Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "I think this is a team of hard work," Titans tackle Brad Hopkins said. "We love each other," Rams defensive lineman Ray Agnew confessed. "Our style, offensively and defensively is a physical style," Titans safety Blaine Bishop declared. OK. We see where you're going. Let's just focus on the players, shall we? "He's a great player." Everyone about everyone else. "He is a gifted player," Rams coach Dick Vermeil said about most of the Titans roster. "He is an athlete," Rams running back Marshall Faulk said of Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse. "He's a football player," Fisher said of McNair. "They have some great players," Titans cornerback Samari Rolle said, and then he gets your hopes up with a slight pause. It's a break that means he just might be thinking of something, maybe a potshot at an opposing player, maybe an insightful bit on a weakness on the Rams. Maybe just a reason the Rams are so great. And then he lets this out. "But they're human and they put on their clothes just like everybody else does." Aaarrgh. John Donovan is senior writer for CNNSI.com. Comments? To e-mail Donovan, click here.
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