Saving tackle?

Unassuming Barry Sims is half of Sunday's key matchup

SAN DIEGO -- Super Bowl week is so odd sometimes. Reportedly, we are all here for football. But sometimes I'm not so sure.

To me, there is no more important matchup in this game than Tampa Bay right end Simeon Rice against Oakland left tackle Barry Sims. Rice was the premier pass-rusher in the NFC this season, with 15.5 sacks, and the Bucs are placing a huge premium on getting to Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon and disrupting the flow of the Raiders offense. Sims has risen from obscurity to become a better-than-average left tackle with surprisingly quick feet and the ability to hang onto good rush ends and prevent them from invading the pocket.

The way these Wednesday and Thursday media sessions work at the Super Bowl is that all the players are herded into a large conference room at the individual team hotels. The Bucs are in the Hilton Torrey Pines, about 10 minutes north of downtown, with the Raiders a couple of miles away at the Hyatt Regency in La Jolla. During the 40 minutes before they start their day -- first the Bucs, then the Raiders -- the players sit on risers (for the Jerry Rices and Tim Browns) or at round tables, waiting for reporters to come talk to them. This morning, Barry Sims sat reporterless at his table 10 minutes into the media session, scanning USA Today. I walked up to talk to him about the matchup. We chatted for a few minutes. Then, as I was leaving, said to him: "You know, it’s a funny thing about these Super Bowls. About 2,300 reporters come here supposedly to write about a game. And here you are, half of what I consider to be the most important matchup of the Super Bowl, and you’re sitting here alone. No one’s talking to you. Is that weird?”

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“I guess so,” he said. “But it’s the way I like it. I like not having the spotlight on me.”

When I talked to Rice about it, or tried to, probably five of 20 questions I heard were about the game itself, and the rest were focused on featurey angles. That's fine. People have jobs to do. I just think it’s odd. I have this very strong feeling that on Sunday night, one of the big storylines is going to be whether Sims can keep this whirling dervish off his quarterback.

Sims wore a red sweatsuit and a calm appearance. “I’ve watched some tape of [Rice], and I’ll probably watch some more," he said. "I used to not do that. I thought it psyched me out. But now I look to see what I can learn from him.

"I actually played him once before, in a preseason game when he was with Arizona. About 10 plays or so. Not a lot you can tell from that. He has multiple moves, which makes him a really good pass-rusher. Great burst. Gets off blocks well. I’ll have to try to stay on him, stay in contact with him, shadow him, run with him. I feel like I’m quick enough to stay with him. I’m not intimidated by him, by any means. But I think it’s going to be a great challenge.”

There were eight or 10 reporters around Rice, who never met a quote we didn’t like. He wore a red Porsche winter cap, with a white sleeveless muscle shirt and ripped bluejeans. I’ve always liked talking to Rice. He was fired up Wednesday morning.

“It’s essential to get pressure on Gannon,” he said. “He’s the MVP, and he’s their MVP. He distributes the ball all over the field and doesn’t lock in on any one guy.”

“Should you blitz him?” someone asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “But you better get home with it.”

“How important is the matchup of you and Sims?” someone else asked.

“The way I see it, this game falls on my shoulders," he said. "That’s what it comes down to. I don’t mind it. I beckon it. If you’re a great player, and if you want to be legendary, you welcome that. I want to be where Jerry Rice is, and to be there as a player, you’ve got to play great in games like this.”

Agreed. Which is why I’ll be watching the fourth-year 300-pounder from Utah against the great rusher Rice Sunday night.

“I won’t sleep Saturday night. I hardly ever do. I’m going to marinade on it. I’m going to simmer on the game.”
--Uncooked [Simeon] Rice, doing his best Julia Child

I just love some of these questions.

A reporter asked Lincoln Kennedy Wednesday morning: “Will you play them in a phone booth?” Apparently he meant, “Will you try to keep the Tampa Bay defensive linemen in front of you and not let them get free to either side of you?” At least, I think that’s what he meant, but I was wondering, as the question came out of his mouth, If that’s what you meant, why don’t you just ask it that way? Kennedy shot the man an odd glance and said, quite rationally: “We can’t play them in a phone booth. The field is 53 yards wide.”

We all know San Diego is nirvana, but it has become such nirvana over the years that far too many people live here. The traffic is worse than in New Jersey. When I flipped on the TV this morning and scanned the channels, I saw three San Diego morning shows, each with its own traffic helicopter, and one station went to the chopper every four or five minutes. I mean, the show was a non-stop traffic update. I’d also like to report there are very nice raspberry scones at the Starbucks out here. A little heavy, but passable.

MOOCH, WE NEED YOU IN GREEN BAY. COME HOME, MAN. From Jeff deMontigny of Ottawa, Ontario: “What are the chances of Steve Mariucci replacing Tom Rossley as the offensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers? I'm sure that Brett Favre is thinking the same thing. Keep up the great work, eh?”

No chance, I’m sorry to say. Talked to Mariucci Wednesday morning. He’s home in northern California right now. “Unpacking,” he said. “Lots of unpacking.” Mariucci’s going to sit out the year, maybe doing some TV, then troll the waters for a coaching job next year.

1. I think if you listen to Jon Gruden long enough, you always hear something interesting. Like Wednesday morning, when, while standing on a portico outside the Torrey Pines hotel, overlooking the splendid golf course, he said of his former ace cornerback, Charles Woodson: “I used to call him Sandy Koufax ... because he throws a lot of one-hitters at receivers.”

2. I think I’m amazed how polite and nice Dan Marino is tothe barrage of people who nail him for autographs and photos when he’s out on the street. I mean, crowds still gather for this man. The HBO crew dined Tuesday night in the Gaslamp District (New York Strip, shoepeg corn, mashed potatoes, Stags' Leap merlot, latte), and Marino took to the street afterward.

3. I think Warren Sapp has a thing for the Eagles throwbacks. Two days after wearing the Ron Jaworski jersey, he showed up Wednesday morning sporting Harold Carmichael’s old No. 17.

4. I think Bill Romanowski was a one-team free agent. The day he was set free, he called Al Davis’ office and told his secretary: “Tell Mr. Davis I’d like to help him win another Super Bowl.” It’s going to be very interesting, if the Raiders win, to see how Romanowski’s career will be judged, and to see him contend for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I have a vote, and I’m intrigued by his career. I think he’s been very-good-to-great for an awful long time.

5. I think you watch Gannon handle himself on the field, in the locker room, in dealings with the press, and you say: This is what a pro is like.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. He will file daily for CNNSI.com throughout Super Bowl week. Click here to send him a comment.

 

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