JANUARY 15 2009
AMERICANWAY 31
Phil Simms:
The NFL is year-round in the
media, so obviously the Super Bowl is 24-7
for a good seven or eight days. Everybody
knowswhat to expect.
Sapp:
All youcando is tryandhave funwith
it. Me, I couldn’t wait. Ever since college,
I’ve been the quotemachine. I liked this. I
wanted to hear what everybody was think-
ing. I wanted to go up to
[
ESPN personal-
ity
]
Tony Kornheiser, all serious with my
quarterback killer eyes, but then say, “Hey,
what’sup, homey?”
Ditka:
You have to remind the players that
the media is your friend, but it’s not your
friend. If you do something out of line,
they’ll print it.
Wednesday
The schedule intensifies at this point, with a full day
of practice, treatment, more practice, mandatory
meetings, media sessions, andmore practice. On
Wednesday night, theSuper Bowl–week extracur-
ricular activities kick into gear.
Carson:
TheSuperBowl isacorporateparty.
During theweek, you see theotherguysyou
beat along the way. They’re all there, mak-
ingmoneydoingcorporate functions, shak-
inghands, rubbingelbows. It’sgreatwork if
you canget it
[
laughs
]
.
Davis:
TheMaximparty is alwaysgood. The
Playboy party is usually good. Everything
else ishit ormiss.
Wolf:
My best friend in football is Bill Par-
cells, which was tough
[
in 1997
]
since we
wereplayinghim. But even the coaches can
get out for an hour or two. We had dinner
late
[
Wednesday
]
night, and nobody said a
word to us— includingDanAykroyd, who
was at thenext table.
Rod Woodson:
People talk about the par-
ties, but the most underrated experience
is all the little gifts you get. Every night we
came in from practice, in our rooms we’d
have a newbag full of something—DVDs,
camcorders, all sorts of stuff. That doesn’t
happen inWeek 10.
Long:
OnWednesday,wehadan11p.m. cur-
few, and Ibasedmy timingon theMonday/
Tuesday traffic. That was a mistake. At
10:58, I left my car in the valet line and
sprinted through the lobby. I barely made
the elevator. Fortunately, the coach started
thebed checkon theother sideof thehall.
Thursday
Thursdaymarks the start of the longweekend
for corporate bigwigs, fans, scalpers, and related
hangers-on. For the players, the pressure intensifies.
While teammanagement permits the players to hit
the town after six p.m., it also tightens the leash:
TheGiants, for example, had their bed check pushed
up from one a.m. tomidnight.
Ditka:
It was tough. We were in New Or-
leans,which isonlyoneof thegreatestparty
cities inAmerica. I’mnot saying everybody
was in bed at nine o’clock, but the players
got focused inahurry.
Woodson:
You can’t push too hard. On a
Thursday during the regular season, you’re
done at 5:30 or six o’clock. You don’t stay
up until midnight watching film. It’s like
WARREN SAPP
Adefensive tackle for theTampa
BayBuccaneers (1995 to2003) and
theOaklandRaiders (2004 to2007)
and a leader of the defense that led
theBucs to victory over theRaiders
inSuper Bowl XXXVII. He currently
appears as an analyst on theNFL
Network and onShowtime’s
Inside the
NFL
, and he proved astonishingly agile
for a 300-pound individual during
his stint on
Dancingwith theStars
.
PhIL SIMMS
The quarterback for theNewYork
Giants from 1979 to 1993 and the
MVP of Super Bowl XXI. He is
the leadgame analyst for CBS’s
NFLbroadcasts and an analyst
onShowtime’s
Inside theNFL
.
RoNWoLf
The executive vice president and
general manager of theGreenBay
Packers fromNovember 1991 to
June2001, a stretch duringwhich
the teamwent 92–52 and reached
twoSuper Bowls, defeating theNew
EnglandPatriots inSuper Bowl XXXI
and losing to theDenver Broncos in
Super Bowl XXXII. He’s now retired.
RoD WooDSoN
A cornerback for thePittsburgh
Steelers (1987 to 1996), theSan
Francisco49ers (1997), theBaltimore
Ravens (1998 to2001), and the
OaklandRaiders (2002 to2003)
who played inSuper BowlsXXX,
XXXV, andXXXVII. He currently
appears as an analyst on theNFL
Network’s
NFLTotal Access
.
“In1983, theyear Iwent, youhad threemajor
networks,andESPNwas fouryearsold.Media
daywasnothing like themassof humanityyou
have therenow. Evenaftermediaday, there’s
noplace that isn’tmikedordoesn’thaveacamera.”
—HowieLong
