Showing posts with label super bowl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label super bowl. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
The Playboy Super Bowl Party Was Fun; So Was The Super Bowl!
Yep. I attended my first Playboy Party and fifth Super Bowl. More with a click here!
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Super Bowl Party: Michelle Nunes, Stacey Burns, And Other Hooter Girls From "Best Damm" Confirmed For Bauer's Pure Rush - Miami
See the party video here!
The Hooter Girls that recently and regularly appear on Fox's "The Best Damn Sports" show are confirmed to appear at the Bauer's Pure Rush - Miami Super Bowl Party. Among them is Michelle Nunes (below), who represents the Hooter's Casino Hotel, Las Vegas, and who won the 2006 Hooter's International Swimsuit Pageant held at the Aladdin Resort.
(Check out our Playboy Super Bowl Party coverage with a click here!)
Michelle Nunes competed against 124 girls from countries throughout the world for $150,000 in cash and prizes.
Stacey Burns is the tall, energetic host of a sports talk radio show on ESPN, a student, and of course a Hooters girl. This San Antonio resident describes herself as a tomboy who loves margaritas and explains that it takes only two drinks to get her hammered, "There’s a great bar in San Antonio that makes them with 75 percent Everclear,” she says.
The Hooters is a chain of 425 restaurants in 46 U.S. states and 19 other countries that targets male customers with an all female waitress staff.
The giant Bauer's Pure Rush Party on February 1st starting at The Havana Club at 200 South Biscayne Boulevard, 55th Floor with a buffet dinner and cigar bar from 8 PM to 10 PM, then moving to Brick's at 66 SW 6th Street at 10 PM and going on to 5 AM, is a collaboration between Baeur's Worldwide Limousines and Pure Rush, with Fox Sports Radio, The Havana Club, and Bricks.
Super Bowl Party: Bauer's Pure Rush - Miami Sexy VIP Party
This giant party on February 1st starting at The Havana Club at 200 South Biscayne Boulevard, 55th Floor with a buffet dinner and cigar bar from 8 PM to 10 PM, then moving to Brick's at 66 SW 6th Street at 10 PM and going on to 5 AM, is a collaboration between Baeur's Worldwide Limousines and Pure Rush, with Fox Sports Radio, The Havana Club, and Bricks. The website is http://www.purerushmiami.bl...
Expected Guests : Troy Aikman, Anquan Boldin, Ray Brown, Luis Castillo, Terrell Davis, Will Demps, Donnie Edwards, Rick Fox, Jeff Garcia, Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Ike Hilliard, Dhani Jones, Lennox Lewis, Kenny Mayne, Willie McGinest, Shawne Merriman, Chris Myers, Ephraim Salaam, Richard Seymour, Brandon Short, Osi Umenyiora, Venus Williams, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress, Troy Smith, Rich Eisen, Jeremy Schaap, Trey Wingo, Jesse Palmer.
Just a few celebrities and athletes that have attended Pure Rush parties include... Will Smith Lennox Lewis, Kid Rock, Roger Clemons, Ashton Kutcher, Barry Bonds, Brian McKnight, Carmen Electra, Carson Daly, Charlie O'Connell, Chris Myers, Chris Klein, Daisy Fuentes, David Wells, Emmitt Smith, Gena Lee Nolin, Gillian Barberie, Ian Ziering, Jamal Anderson, Jason Giambi, Jay-Z, Jerry O'Connell, Joe Namath, John Stamos, Jose Conseco, Kirstie Alley, LeAnn Rimes, Magic Johnson, Mark Mulder, Marcus Allen, Marc Anthony, Mariah Carey, MYA, Nelly, Nic Cage, NSync, Patti LaBelle, Paul Pierce, Penelope Cruz, P-Diddy, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Ray Romano, Shannon Elizabeth, SHAQ, Sheryl Crow, Tara Reid, Taylor Dayne, Tom Arnold, Tom Cruise, Rob Schneider, Run DMC, Star Jones, Warren Moon, Wyclef Jean, Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly, Jeff Gordon, Eddie George, Tony Dorsett, Ottis Anderson, Chuck Foreman, MC Hammer, Carl Eller, Thurman Thomas, Ricky Watters ... (less)
Expected Guests : Troy Aikman, Anquan Boldin, Ray Brown, Luis Castillo, Terrell Davis, Will Demps, Donnie Edwards, Rick Fox, Jeff Garcia, Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Ike Hilliard, Dhani Jones, Lennox Lewis, Kenny Mayne, Willie McGinest, Shawne Merriman, Chris Myers, Ephraim Salaam, Richard Seymour, Brandon Short, Osi Umenyiora, Venus Williams, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress, Troy Smith, Rich Eisen, Jeremy Schaap, Trey Wingo, Jesse Palmer.
Just a few celebrities and athletes that have attended Pure Rush parties include... Will Smith Lennox Lewis, Kid Rock, Roger Clemons, Ashton Kutcher, Barry Bonds, Brian McKnight, Carmen Electra, Carson Daly, Charlie O'Connell, Chris Myers, Chris Klein, Daisy Fuentes, David Wells, Emmitt Smith, Gena Lee Nolin, Gillian Barberie, Ian Ziering, Jamal Anderson, Jason Giambi, Jay-Z, Jerry O'Connell, Joe Namath, John Stamos, Jose Conseco, Kirstie Alley, LeAnn Rimes, Magic Johnson, Mark Mulder, Marcus Allen, Marc Anthony, Mariah Carey, MYA, Nelly, Nic Cage, NSync, Patti LaBelle, Paul Pierce, Penelope Cruz, P-Diddy, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Ray Romano, Shannon Elizabeth, SHAQ, Sheryl Crow, Tara Reid, Taylor Dayne, Tom Arnold, Tom Cruise, Rob Schneider, Run DMC, Star Jones, Warren Moon, Wyclef Jean, Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly, Jeff Gordon, Eddie George, Tony Dorsett, Ottis Anderson, Chuck Foreman, MC Hammer, Carl Eller, Thurman Thomas, Ricky Watters ... (less)
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Hooter Girls Are Coming To Bauer's Pure Rush Super Bowl Miami!
Yep. You saw it here! The Hooter Girls are coming to the Bauer's Pure Rush Super Bowl Party in Miami.
You can enjoy them, er, their look...Ah, the fact that they're around. If you come to Miami for the party. Makes logic to me!
Monday, January 22, 2007
ESPN's John Clayton: Lovie Smith, Tony Dungy Will make Classy Super Bowl
Smith, Dungy will make this a classy Super Bowl
By John Clayton
ESPN.com
Archive
CHICAGO -- On the Friday evening before the start of the AFC playoffs, Bears coach Lovie Smith had dinner in Indianapolis with his close friends, Tony Dungy and Herman Edwards, before the two squared off for their first-round playoff game between the Colts and Chiefs.
His Bears in a bye week, Smith sensed history. The three African-American coaches, devoted Christians and family men, were striving for the Super Bowl. Smith and Edwards learned NFL coaching from Dungy, their mentor when they worked for him with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a special moment.
NFL arrives
Lovie Smith taking on Tony Dungy marks only the second time in the four major sports that the championship has both teams led by a black head coach/manager. In 1975, Al Attles' Warriors defeated KC Jones' Bullets in the NBA Finals. Here's the list of black coaches in championships:
NBA
Year Coach Result
2006 Avery Johnson, Mavs Lost 4-2
2003 Byron Scott, Nets Lost 4-2
2002 Byron Scott, Nets Lost 4-0
1986 KC Jones, Celtics Won 4-2
1985 KC Jones, Celtics Lost 4-2
1984 KC Jones, Celtics Won 4-3
1979 Lenny Wilkens, Sonics Won 4-1
1978 Lenny Wilkens, Sonics Lost 4-3
1975 Al Attles, Warriors Won 4-0
1975 KC Jones, Bullets Lost 4-0
1969 Bill Russell, Celtics Won 4-3
1968 Bill Russell, Celtics Won 4-2
MLB
2002 Dusty Baker, Giants Lost 4-3
1993 Cito Gaston, Jays Won 4-2
1992 Cito Gaston, Jays Won 4-2
Super Bowl XLI will be even more special. Dungy's Colts, who beat the Patriots 38-34 in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, will meet Lovie's Bears. The NFL has been waiting 41 years for the first African-American head coach to patrol the sidelines at a Super Bowl. Now there will be two, and one will be the winner. Actually, the nation will be the winner in this one.
"You always talk about it,'' Dungy said of the chance to be the first African-American head coach in the Super Bowl. "When [Smith] took the job in Chicago, I said, 'I'm happy you are going to the NFC and maybe we can play against each other.' When we had dinner three weeks ago, he and I and Herm were still in it. We talked about maybe two of us will play against each other. You hope it happens. It's going to be great going against them. They are a great team.''
Hopefully, Edwards, the Chiefs' head coach, will make it to Miami. How can he miss it? This is history.
"We had a chance to visit for about two hours,'' Dungy said of the family dinner with Smith and Edwards before the playoffs. "We talked about how we really got started in 1996 in Tampa. Some things don't change, the things that Lovie, Herm and I believe in. That's the exciting thing for me. I'm so happy Lovie got there because he does things the right way. He's going to get there with a lot of class, no profanity, no intimidation, just helping his guys play the best that they can. That's the way I try to do it."
Super Bowl XLI will be all about class. Peyton Manning finally made it to his first Super Bowl after nine years. Manning's Colts are a seven-point favorite in a game that might be considered the biggest quarterback mismatch in a long time. Manning is the game's top quarterback. The Bears' Rex Grossman always seems to be a pass away from being benched in favor of Brian Griese.
This is the Super Bowl matchup that has defied the odds. The favorite could be the first Super Bowl winner since 1983 that didn't finish in the top 10 in scoring defense. Toward the end of the season, the Colts and Bears, both of whom have undersized Cover 2 defenses, were consistently gashed on the ground. The Colts are among the worst run defenses in NFL history.
"Everybody was thinking the 3-4 defenses were the best thing since sliced bread,'' Colts defensive tackle Anthony McFarland said. "In the end, you have two Tampa 2 or Minnesota Cover 2 or whatever you call it going against each other. Both teams are small. Both teams have fast linebackers and fast defensive linemen."
Dungy and Smith are all about simplicity. In an age of complexity, the Cover 2 relies on simplicity. Instead of getting lost in a playbook of zone blitzes and multiple reads and confusing coverages, Dungy and Smith devise schemes in which fast, quick linebackers simply make plays.
Dungy and Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin developed the Cover 2 when they were together in Minnesota working for Dennis Green. Dungy made the Cover 2 a staple when he brought Kiffin to Tampa Bay and turned the Bucs into a dominating defense. Players loved it. A middle linebacker might drop back into coverage to give a Cover 3 look, but Dungy set up the defense so players made plays.
In Super Bowl XLI, you will see fast, undersized players flying around the field as if they are in fast forward. Many doubted the Colts' ability to go to the Super Bowl because of their poor regular-season run defense. They figured Larry Johnson, Jamal Lewis and others would treat the Colts' defense like speed bumps.
Dungy didn't panic. He made minor adjustments. McFarland started to come on as the biggest defensive tackle. Linebacker Rob Morris helped out on the strong side. Safety Bob Sanders returned from a knee injury to charge up from the secondary to knock down backs.
"It's about attitude and intensity," defensive end Dwight Freeney said. "It's not always about X's and O's and perfect defense. Guys weren't making plays [during the Colts' slump]. That's why you see an 80- or a 60-yard run. Even if a guy doesn't happen to make a play now, another guy is there to help. We are doing the same thing we've always done. Now, guys finally got it in their heads that we've got to be accountable. ''
Super Bowl XLI is about simplicity. Playmakers make plays. That's the defensive philosophies of Dungy and Smith. They try to find the best athletes. Then they coach them up and let them loose on the field. On the sidelines, neither coach panics, something Manning appreciates.
"That's something I've said since Coach Dungy has been here," Manning said. "He's calm on opening kickoff, and he's calm when you're down 21-3. … He's just a cool customer. I think that really spreads through the rest of the team, that it cannot be a panic situation and you can't try to get it all back at once.''
Patience is a virtue, which translates into a matchup of two class people who meet as friends in Super Bowl XLI.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
By John Clayton
ESPN.com
Archive
CHICAGO -- On the Friday evening before the start of the AFC playoffs, Bears coach Lovie Smith had dinner in Indianapolis with his close friends, Tony Dungy and Herman Edwards, before the two squared off for their first-round playoff game between the Colts and Chiefs.
His Bears in a bye week, Smith sensed history. The three African-American coaches, devoted Christians and family men, were striving for the Super Bowl. Smith and Edwards learned NFL coaching from Dungy, their mentor when they worked for him with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a special moment.
NFL arrives
Lovie Smith taking on Tony Dungy marks only the second time in the four major sports that the championship has both teams led by a black head coach/manager. In 1975, Al Attles' Warriors defeated KC Jones' Bullets in the NBA Finals. Here's the list of black coaches in championships:
NBA
Year Coach Result
2006 Avery Johnson, Mavs Lost 4-2
2003 Byron Scott, Nets Lost 4-2
2002 Byron Scott, Nets Lost 4-0
1986 KC Jones, Celtics Won 4-2
1985 KC Jones, Celtics Lost 4-2
1984 KC Jones, Celtics Won 4-3
1979 Lenny Wilkens, Sonics Won 4-1
1978 Lenny Wilkens, Sonics Lost 4-3
1975 Al Attles, Warriors Won 4-0
1975 KC Jones, Bullets Lost 4-0
1969 Bill Russell, Celtics Won 4-3
1968 Bill Russell, Celtics Won 4-2
MLB
2002 Dusty Baker, Giants Lost 4-3
1993 Cito Gaston, Jays Won 4-2
1992 Cito Gaston, Jays Won 4-2
Super Bowl XLI will be even more special. Dungy's Colts, who beat the Patriots 38-34 in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, will meet Lovie's Bears. The NFL has been waiting 41 years for the first African-American head coach to patrol the sidelines at a Super Bowl. Now there will be two, and one will be the winner. Actually, the nation will be the winner in this one.
"You always talk about it,'' Dungy said of the chance to be the first African-American head coach in the Super Bowl. "When [Smith] took the job in Chicago, I said, 'I'm happy you are going to the NFC and maybe we can play against each other.' When we had dinner three weeks ago, he and I and Herm were still in it. We talked about maybe two of us will play against each other. You hope it happens. It's going to be great going against them. They are a great team.''
Hopefully, Edwards, the Chiefs' head coach, will make it to Miami. How can he miss it? This is history.
"We had a chance to visit for about two hours,'' Dungy said of the family dinner with Smith and Edwards before the playoffs. "We talked about how we really got started in 1996 in Tampa. Some things don't change, the things that Lovie, Herm and I believe in. That's the exciting thing for me. I'm so happy Lovie got there because he does things the right way. He's going to get there with a lot of class, no profanity, no intimidation, just helping his guys play the best that they can. That's the way I try to do it."
Super Bowl XLI will be all about class. Peyton Manning finally made it to his first Super Bowl after nine years. Manning's Colts are a seven-point favorite in a game that might be considered the biggest quarterback mismatch in a long time. Manning is the game's top quarterback. The Bears' Rex Grossman always seems to be a pass away from being benched in favor of Brian Griese.
This is the Super Bowl matchup that has defied the odds. The favorite could be the first Super Bowl winner since 1983 that didn't finish in the top 10 in scoring defense. Toward the end of the season, the Colts and Bears, both of whom have undersized Cover 2 defenses, were consistently gashed on the ground. The Colts are among the worst run defenses in NFL history.
"Everybody was thinking the 3-4 defenses were the best thing since sliced bread,'' Colts defensive tackle Anthony McFarland said. "In the end, you have two Tampa 2 or Minnesota Cover 2 or whatever you call it going against each other. Both teams are small. Both teams have fast linebackers and fast defensive linemen."
Dungy and Smith are all about simplicity. In an age of complexity, the Cover 2 relies on simplicity. Instead of getting lost in a playbook of zone blitzes and multiple reads and confusing coverages, Dungy and Smith devise schemes in which fast, quick linebackers simply make plays.
Dungy and Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin developed the Cover 2 when they were together in Minnesota working for Dennis Green. Dungy made the Cover 2 a staple when he brought Kiffin to Tampa Bay and turned the Bucs into a dominating defense. Players loved it. A middle linebacker might drop back into coverage to give a Cover 3 look, but Dungy set up the defense so players made plays.
In Super Bowl XLI, you will see fast, undersized players flying around the field as if they are in fast forward. Many doubted the Colts' ability to go to the Super Bowl because of their poor regular-season run defense. They figured Larry Johnson, Jamal Lewis and others would treat the Colts' defense like speed bumps.
Dungy didn't panic. He made minor adjustments. McFarland started to come on as the biggest defensive tackle. Linebacker Rob Morris helped out on the strong side. Safety Bob Sanders returned from a knee injury to charge up from the secondary to knock down backs.
"It's about attitude and intensity," defensive end Dwight Freeney said. "It's not always about X's and O's and perfect defense. Guys weren't making plays [during the Colts' slump]. That's why you see an 80- or a 60-yard run. Even if a guy doesn't happen to make a play now, another guy is there to help. We are doing the same thing we've always done. Now, guys finally got it in their heads that we've got to be accountable. ''
Super Bowl XLI is about simplicity. Playmakers make plays. That's the defensive philosophies of Dungy and Smith. They try to find the best athletes. Then they coach them up and let them loose on the field. On the sidelines, neither coach panics, something Manning appreciates.
"That's something I've said since Coach Dungy has been here," Manning said. "He's calm on opening kickoff, and he's calm when you're down 21-3. … He's just a cool customer. I think that really spreads through the rest of the team, that it cannot be a panic situation and you can't try to get it all back at once.''
Patience is a virtue, which translates into a matchup of two class people who meet as friends in Super Bowl XLI.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
NFL Bears Lovie Smith taking on Colts Tony Dungy Part Of History - Both Championship Teams Headed By Black Coaches - ESPN
Lovie Smith taking on Tony Dungy marks only the second time in the four major sports that the championship has both teams led by a black head coach/manager. In 1975, Al Attles' Warriors defeated KC Jones' Bullets in the NBA Finals. Here's the list of black coaches in championships:
NBA
Year Coach Result
2006 Avery Johnson, Mavs Lost 4-2
2003 Byron Scott, Nets Lost 4-2
2002 Byron Scott, Nets Lost 4-0
1986 KC Jones, Celtics Won 4-2
1985 KC Jones, Celtics Lost 4-2
1984 KC Jones, Celtics Won 4-3
1979 Lenny Wilkens, Sonics Won 4-1
1978 Lenny Wilkens, Sonics Lost 4-3
1975 Al Attles, Warriors Won 4-0
1975 KC Jones, Bullets Lost 4-0
1969 Bill Russell, Celtics Won 4-3
1968 Bill Russell, Celtics Won 4-2
MLB
2002 Dusty Baker, Giants Lost 4-3
1993 Cito Gaston, Jays Won 4-2
1992 Cito Gaston, Jays Won 4-2
Super Bowl XLI will be even more special. Dungy's Colts, who beat the Patriots 38-34 in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, will meet Lovie's Bears. The NFL has been waiting 41 years for the first African-American head coach to patrol the sidelines at a Super Bowl. Now there will be two, and one will be the winner. Actually, the nation will be the winner in this one.
"You always talk about it,'' Dungy said of the chance to be the first African-American head coach in the Super Bowl. "When [Smith] took the job in Chicago, I said, 'I'm happy you are going to the NFC and maybe we can play against each other.' When we had dinner three weeks ago, he and I and Herm were still in it. We talked about maybe two of us will play against each other. You hope it happens. It's going to be great going against them. They are a great team.''
Hopefully, Edwards, the Chiefs' head coach, will make it to Miami. How can he miss it? This is history.
"We had a chance to visit for about two hours,'' Dungy said of the family dinner with Smith and Edwards before the playoffs. "We talked about how we really got started in 1996 in Tampa. Some things don't change, the things that Lovie, Herm and I believe in. That's the exciting thing for me. I'm so happy Lovie got there because he does things the right way. He's going to get there with a lot of class, no profanity, no intimidation, just helping his guys play the best that they can. That's the way I try to do it."
Super Bowl XLI will be all about class. Peyton Manning finally made it to his first Super Bowl after nine years. Manning's Colts are a seven-point favorite in a game that might be considered the biggest quarterback mismatch in a long time. Manning is the game's top quarterback. The Bears' Rex Grossman always seems to be a pass away from being benched in favor of Brian Griese.
This is the Super Bowl matchup that has defied the odds. The favorite could be the first Super Bowl winner since 1983 that didn't finish in the top 10 in scoring defense. Toward the end of the season, the Colts and Bears, both of whom have undersized Cover 2 defenses, were consistently gashed on the ground. The Colts are among the worst run defenses in NFL history.
"Everybody was thinking the 3-4 defenses were the best thing since sliced bread,'' Colts defensive tackle Anthony McFarland said. "In the end, you have two Tampa 2 or Minnesota Cover 2 or whatever you call it going against each other. Both teams are small. Both teams have fast linebackers and fast defensive linemen."
Dungy and Smith are all about simplicity. In an age of complexity, the Cover 2 relies on simplicity. Instead of getting lost in a playbook of zone blitzes and multiple reads and confusing coverages, Dungy and Smith devise schemes in which fast, quick linebackers simply make plays.
Dungy and Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin developed the Cover 2 when they were together in Minnesota working for Dennis Green. Dungy made the Cover 2 a staple when he brought Kiffin to Tampa Bay and turned the Bucs into a dominating defense. Players loved it. A middle linebacker might drop back into coverage to give a Cover 3 look, but Dungy set up the defense so players made plays.
In Super Bowl XLI, you will see fast, undersized players flying around the field as if they are in fast forward. Many doubted the Colts' ability to go to the Super Bowl because of their poor regular-season run defense. They figured Larry Johnson, Jamal Lewis and others would treat the Colts' defense like speed bumps.
Dungy didn't panic. He made minor adjustments. McFarland started to come on as the biggest defensive tackle. Linebacker Rob Morris helped out on the strong side. Safety Bob Sanders returned from a knee injury to charge up from the secondary to knock down backs.
"It's about attitude and intensity," defensive end Dwight Freeney said. "It's not always about X's and O's and perfect defense. Guys weren't making plays [during the Colts' slump]. That's why you see an 80- or a 60-yard run. Even if a guy doesn't happen to make a play now, another guy is there to help. We are doing the same thing we've always done. Now, guys finally got it in their heads that we've got to be accountable. ''
Super Bowl XLI is about simplicity. Playmakers make plays. That's the defensive philosophies of Dungy and Smith. They try to find the best athletes. Then they coach them up and let them loose on the field. On the sidelines, neither coach panics, something Manning appreciates.
"That's something I've said since Coach Dungy has been here," Manning said. "He's calm on opening kickoff, and he's calm when you're down 21-3. … He's just a cool customer. I think that really spreads through the rest of the team, that it cannot be a panic situation and you can't try to get it all back at once.''
Patience is a virtue, which translates into a matchup of two class people who meet as friends in Super Bowl XLI.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
NBA
Year Coach Result
2006 Avery Johnson, Mavs Lost 4-2
2003 Byron Scott, Nets Lost 4-2
2002 Byron Scott, Nets Lost 4-0
1986 KC Jones, Celtics Won 4-2
1985 KC Jones, Celtics Lost 4-2
1984 KC Jones, Celtics Won 4-3
1979 Lenny Wilkens, Sonics Won 4-1
1978 Lenny Wilkens, Sonics Lost 4-3
1975 Al Attles, Warriors Won 4-0
1975 KC Jones, Bullets Lost 4-0
1969 Bill Russell, Celtics Won 4-3
1968 Bill Russell, Celtics Won 4-2
MLB
2002 Dusty Baker, Giants Lost 4-3
1993 Cito Gaston, Jays Won 4-2
1992 Cito Gaston, Jays Won 4-2
Super Bowl XLI will be even more special. Dungy's Colts, who beat the Patriots 38-34 in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, will meet Lovie's Bears. The NFL has been waiting 41 years for the first African-American head coach to patrol the sidelines at a Super Bowl. Now there will be two, and one will be the winner. Actually, the nation will be the winner in this one.
"You always talk about it,'' Dungy said of the chance to be the first African-American head coach in the Super Bowl. "When [Smith] took the job in Chicago, I said, 'I'm happy you are going to the NFC and maybe we can play against each other.' When we had dinner three weeks ago, he and I and Herm were still in it. We talked about maybe two of us will play against each other. You hope it happens. It's going to be great going against them. They are a great team.''
Hopefully, Edwards, the Chiefs' head coach, will make it to Miami. How can he miss it? This is history.
"We had a chance to visit for about two hours,'' Dungy said of the family dinner with Smith and Edwards before the playoffs. "We talked about how we really got started in 1996 in Tampa. Some things don't change, the things that Lovie, Herm and I believe in. That's the exciting thing for me. I'm so happy Lovie got there because he does things the right way. He's going to get there with a lot of class, no profanity, no intimidation, just helping his guys play the best that they can. That's the way I try to do it."
Super Bowl XLI will be all about class. Peyton Manning finally made it to his first Super Bowl after nine years. Manning's Colts are a seven-point favorite in a game that might be considered the biggest quarterback mismatch in a long time. Manning is the game's top quarterback. The Bears' Rex Grossman always seems to be a pass away from being benched in favor of Brian Griese.
This is the Super Bowl matchup that has defied the odds. The favorite could be the first Super Bowl winner since 1983 that didn't finish in the top 10 in scoring defense. Toward the end of the season, the Colts and Bears, both of whom have undersized Cover 2 defenses, were consistently gashed on the ground. The Colts are among the worst run defenses in NFL history.
"Everybody was thinking the 3-4 defenses were the best thing since sliced bread,'' Colts defensive tackle Anthony McFarland said. "In the end, you have two Tampa 2 or Minnesota Cover 2 or whatever you call it going against each other. Both teams are small. Both teams have fast linebackers and fast defensive linemen."
Dungy and Smith are all about simplicity. In an age of complexity, the Cover 2 relies on simplicity. Instead of getting lost in a playbook of zone blitzes and multiple reads and confusing coverages, Dungy and Smith devise schemes in which fast, quick linebackers simply make plays.
Dungy and Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin developed the Cover 2 when they were together in Minnesota working for Dennis Green. Dungy made the Cover 2 a staple when he brought Kiffin to Tampa Bay and turned the Bucs into a dominating defense. Players loved it. A middle linebacker might drop back into coverage to give a Cover 3 look, but Dungy set up the defense so players made plays.
In Super Bowl XLI, you will see fast, undersized players flying around the field as if they are in fast forward. Many doubted the Colts' ability to go to the Super Bowl because of their poor regular-season run defense. They figured Larry Johnson, Jamal Lewis and others would treat the Colts' defense like speed bumps.
Dungy didn't panic. He made minor adjustments. McFarland started to come on as the biggest defensive tackle. Linebacker Rob Morris helped out on the strong side. Safety Bob Sanders returned from a knee injury to charge up from the secondary to knock down backs.
"It's about attitude and intensity," defensive end Dwight Freeney said. "It's not always about X's and O's and perfect defense. Guys weren't making plays [during the Colts' slump]. That's why you see an 80- or a 60-yard run. Even if a guy doesn't happen to make a play now, another guy is there to help. We are doing the same thing we've always done. Now, guys finally got it in their heads that we've got to be accountable. ''
Super Bowl XLI is about simplicity. Playmakers make plays. That's the defensive philosophies of Dungy and Smith. They try to find the best athletes. Then they coach them up and let them loose on the field. On the sidelines, neither coach panics, something Manning appreciates.
"That's something I've said since Coach Dungy has been here," Manning said. "He's calm on opening kickoff, and he's calm when you're down 21-3. … He's just a cool customer. I think that really spreads through the rest of the team, that it cannot be a panic situation and you can't try to get it all back at once.''
Patience is a virtue, which translates into a matchup of two class people who meet as friends in Super Bowl XLI.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
New England Patriots Superbowl Vince Lombardi Trophy
Can you imagine the gall of just leaving the Vince Lombardi Trophy out there for someone to just steal. Look at the photo!! The damn thing's just out there for the taking. What are the Pats thinking?
A Colts victory will certainly quell any fears of future weirdness with the hardware.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Colts Tony Dungy, Bears Lovie Smith Can Be First Black coaches In Super Bowl
I hope this happens, as it would pave the way for major changes in society and for the better. Kids need to see this. They need to know they have a chance. Other kids, not Black, need to see that Blacks can lead on a national stage.
Dungy, Smith have chance to be first black coaches in Super Bowl
DAVE GOLDBERG
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS - Two weeks ago, Lovie Smith made the three-hour trip from Chicago to watch Tony Dungy's Colts take on Herman Edwards' Chiefs in a first-round NFL playoff game.
The night before, the three old friends and their wives dined at P.F. Chang's in downtown Indianapolis in what was as much a symbolic meeting as a gathering of old pals - three black coaches celebrating the arrival of their teams in the NFL playoffs.
"We talked about starting in '96 in Tampa and some of the things we remembered from then," Dungy recalled on Thursday. "How great it is that we are in the playoffs and that at least two of us have a chance to make it to the Super Bowl. You realized it would be awesome if it happened and, hopefully, it will."
It's officially one game from being awesome.
If the Colts beat the New England Patriots on Sunday and Smith's Bears beat the New Orleans Saints, it would put two black coaches in the NFL's marquee game for the first time in its 41 years. Even if just one of them wins, that, too, would be a first.
There were just three black head coaches in the NFL when Dungy started nearly a decade ago in Tampa, with Edwards and Smith on his staff. Back then, 70 percent of the league's players were black - a percentage that still holds.
This year, there were seven black coaches, including Dennis Green in Arizona and Art Shell in Oakland. Both men were fired after the season, although Shell will remain in the Raiders' front office. The others are Cincinnati's Marvin Lewis and Cleveland's Romeo Crennel.
Though he didn't coach this season, Ray Rhodes coached Philadelphia and Green Bay in the 1990s.
Despite the strides, no black head coach has ever taken the final step.
"Of course, it would be special if that happened," Smith said. "I hope for a day when it is unnoticed but that day isn't here. This is the first time, I think, two black men have led their teams to the final four. You have to acknowledge that. I do, we do. I realize the responsibility that comes with that."
So do black players.
"We're making progress slowly," says defensive tackle Anthony McFarland of the Colts, who played for both Dungy and Smith in Tampa Bay.
"I don't think players think of 'black players' and 'white players.' It shows that for Tony and Lovie to come this far that there are at least some organizations that have confidence that black men can be head coaches. I hope it goes beyond that so we don't have to think of their race," he said.
NFL leaders acknowledge that's in the future.
"We still have problems with the front office," said Pittsburgh's Dan Rooney, one of league's senior owners.
An example: When Jerry Reese was promoted to general manager of the New York Giants this week, he became just the third black man in that key position, joining Baltimore's Ozzie Newsome and Houston's Rick Smith.
The push for diversity actually came from outside the NFL five years ago.
Two lawyers, the late Johnny Cochran Jr. and Cyrus Mehri, released a study criticizing the league for ignoring black candidates for head coaching jobs.
Then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue, a staunch advocate of minority hiring, quickly appointed a committee headed by Rooney to study the problem.
From that emerged "the Rooney rule," requiring any team with a coaching vacancy to interview at least one minority candidate before making a decision. Rooney himself is currently considering Minnesota defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin, who is black, and Chicago assistant Ron Rivera, who is Hispanic, for his team's coaching vacancy.
That rule was a huge step forward.
As recently as 1987, when 200 league and team officials convened for their annual March meeting, there was just one black person among them. Two years later, Shell became the first black head coach of the modern era - there hadn't been one since Fritz Pollard in the barnstorming days of the early 1920s.
Few remember Pollard, although Dungy acknowledged him Thursday as "the Jackie Robinson of pro football."
Another positive sign: Some black coaches who have left their original teams have been hired again. Dungy, Shell and Rhodes all got second jobs after being fired, and Green and Edwards (who was with the New York Jets from 2001-2005) voluntarily left one team and were hired by another.
"That the black coaches are being fired and rehired show that they are becoming part of the system now - they're inside the 'old boy network' instead of out of it," Rooney said. "I don't think people look at their race but just that they're just good coaches. It's a big step from where we were."
Still, the NFL's numbers aren't close to the NBA's, another league with a large majority of black players. It currently has 11 black coaches for 30 teams, and there have been 56 in its history.
The NFL started a minority intern program nearly two decades ago for players and college coaches. It, in turn, has brought dozens of black assistant coaches into the league.
But a year ago, when there were nine vacancies, only Shell, who had been working in the league office, was hired.
It's no wonder they end up rooting for each other to succeed.
"Of course, Tony is a good friend," Smith said. "I'm a big Colts fan since they are on the AFC side of the football. But not if we play them in the Super Bowl."
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Michael Vick, The TSA's Gertrude Joseph, AirTrans, and The Water Bottle
Why in heck would Gertrude Joseph, a TSA screener, feel it necessary to dig through trash -- trash -- to smell a water bottle? Several reasons: first, she knew it was Michael Vick; second, he complained; third, and most important, she's black and he's black and some of us don't like others of us who have achieved any level of success. So she takes jock-sniffing to a new level -- water bottle sniffing -- in the process of trying to bring down the brother.
Why did she go through the effort, when people complain about the TSA liquid regulations all the time. She's certainly used to it. She hears complaints about this all the time. You think she digs through every trash can and sticks her nose in perfume bottles, cosmetics, and old medici bottles? I doubt it.
As for Vick, with the money he makes, why the hell is he flying AirTrans? He should take one of those private jet timeshares!
Geez.
Here's the story below...
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
NFL star's water bottle draws suspicion at MIA
Security screeners at Miami International Airport called police after Michael Vick left a water bottle that smelled of marijuana.
By EVAN S. BENN
ebenn@MiamiHerald.com
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was reluctant to throw away his water bottle at a Miami International Airport security checkpoint Wednesday morning.
The reason, police say: The 20-ounce plastic bottle had a secret compartment that had a dark residue and a pungent odor of marijuana. Vick boarded his 8:20 a.m. AirTran flight to Atlanta before screeners called police. Now, Miami-Dade police are examining the bottle and could charge him if it tests positive for drugs.
Police notified the National Football League about the investigation, Miami Herald news partner WFOR-CBS4 reported. Joel Segal, Vick's agent, declined to comment late Wednesday.
According to a Miami-Dade police report, here's what happened:
Vick, 26, balked when security at the Concourse G checkpoint asked him to surrender his water bottle, which had an Aquafina label. Security regulations prohibit travelers from carrying bottles with more than 3 ounces of liquid through checkpoints.
Eventually, Vick left the bottle behind and went to his gate. But his initial reluctance aroused the suspicion of Transportation Security Administration screener Gertrude Joseph. She pulled the bottle out of a recycle bin and notified her supervisor when she discovered its hidden compartment.
Screeners told police they recognized Vick as the pro football player, and they were certain it was his water bottle because they saw him throw it away and it was the only water bottle in the recycle bin.
Miami-Dade police reviewed surveillance video from the checkpoint and said it corroborated the screeners' version of events. They also confirmed Vick was a passenger on AirTran Flight 338 from Miami to Atlanta.
The bottle had a clear partition in the middle, separating the bottle into two compartments. An online spy-equipment retailer lists an Aquafina Water Bottle Diversion Safe for $15. ''It has room for more than just water,'' according to metrospysupply.com. ``Twist and pull the bottle in half to reveal a hidden compartment.''
In his report, Miami-Dade Det. Kevin Kozak wrote: ``The concealed compartment contained a small amount of dark particulate and a pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana. The top half contained a small amount of clear liquid. When held upright the bottle appeared to be half full of water.''
Vick, the top NFL draft pick in 2001, is the older brother of Miami Dolphins wide receiver Marcus Vick and second cousin of Oakland Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks.
Vick is known for his ability to elude defenders and make dazzling runs. He is third on the NFL's all-time rushing list for quarterbacks, running for more than 1,000 yards this past season.
Vick is two years into a 10-year, $130 million contract with the Falcons.
Vick made headlines when he flipped his middle finger to booing fans after a Nov. 26 home loss to the New Orleans Saints. The league fined him $10,000, and he agreed to give another $10,000 to charity.
Miami Herald staff writers Armando Salguero and Gladys Amador, and Brian Andrews, a reporter with Miami Herald news partner WFOR-CBS4, contributed to this report.
Why did she go through the effort, when people complain about the TSA liquid regulations all the time. She's certainly used to it. She hears complaints about this all the time. You think she digs through every trash can and sticks her nose in perfume bottles, cosmetics, and old medici bottles? I doubt it.
As for Vick, with the money he makes, why the hell is he flying AirTrans? He should take one of those private jet timeshares!
Geez.
Here's the story below...
MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
NFL star's water bottle draws suspicion at MIA
Security screeners at Miami International Airport called police after Michael Vick left a water bottle that smelled of marijuana.
By EVAN S. BENN
ebenn@MiamiHerald.com
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick was reluctant to throw away his water bottle at a Miami International Airport security checkpoint Wednesday morning.
The reason, police say: The 20-ounce plastic bottle had a secret compartment that had a dark residue and a pungent odor of marijuana. Vick boarded his 8:20 a.m. AirTran flight to Atlanta before screeners called police. Now, Miami-Dade police are examining the bottle and could charge him if it tests positive for drugs.
Police notified the National Football League about the investigation, Miami Herald news partner WFOR-CBS4 reported. Joel Segal, Vick's agent, declined to comment late Wednesday.
According to a Miami-Dade police report, here's what happened:
Vick, 26, balked when security at the Concourse G checkpoint asked him to surrender his water bottle, which had an Aquafina label. Security regulations prohibit travelers from carrying bottles with more than 3 ounces of liquid through checkpoints.
Eventually, Vick left the bottle behind and went to his gate. But his initial reluctance aroused the suspicion of Transportation Security Administration screener Gertrude Joseph. She pulled the bottle out of a recycle bin and notified her supervisor when she discovered its hidden compartment.
Screeners told police they recognized Vick as the pro football player, and they were certain it was his water bottle because they saw him throw it away and it was the only water bottle in the recycle bin.
Miami-Dade police reviewed surveillance video from the checkpoint and said it corroborated the screeners' version of events. They also confirmed Vick was a passenger on AirTran Flight 338 from Miami to Atlanta.
The bottle had a clear partition in the middle, separating the bottle into two compartments. An online spy-equipment retailer lists an Aquafina Water Bottle Diversion Safe for $15. ''It has room for more than just water,'' according to metrospysupply.com. ``Twist and pull the bottle in half to reveal a hidden compartment.''
In his report, Miami-Dade Det. Kevin Kozak wrote: ``The concealed compartment contained a small amount of dark particulate and a pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana. The top half contained a small amount of clear liquid. When held upright the bottle appeared to be half full of water.''
Vick, the top NFL draft pick in 2001, is the older brother of Miami Dolphins wide receiver Marcus Vick and second cousin of Oakland Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks.
Vick is known for his ability to elude defenders and make dazzling runs. He is third on the NFL's all-time rushing list for quarterbacks, running for more than 1,000 yards this past season.
Vick is two years into a 10-year, $130 million contract with the Falcons.
Vick made headlines when he flipped his middle finger to booing fans after a Nov. 26 home loss to the New Orleans Saints. The league fined him $10,000, and he agreed to give another $10,000 to charity.
Miami Herald staff writers Armando Salguero and Gladys Amador, and Brian Andrews, a reporter with Miami Herald news partner WFOR-CBS4, contributed to this report.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
An Interview with Bob Sanders NFLMedia.com
BOB SANDERS – Safety
Indianapolis Colts
Q&A – January 17, 2007
Q. Bob, what's been the difference with the defense in these last couple of games, especially against the run?
BOB SANDERS: I think it’s attitude, everyone being passionate about it, wanting to go out and win and wanting to be the team where we don't have to really rely on our offense. And I think everyone has done a great job. We know what type of
defense we are. We know we can play well. It's just when it was going to be the we'll step it up and actually just do the things we need to do. And I think we just kind of picked it up postseason.
Q. Did you guys ever get tired of hearing about how bad you were against the run and did it motivate you at all?
BOB SANDERS: We didn't really get tired of it. You just don't listen to it. You're going to get criticized if you are the last team in the league rush defense wise. And we didn't really worry about it. We knew that we just had to focus on getting better every week and practicing well and keep on preparing like we have been all year and things will turn around for us.
Q. Bob, after the Baltimore game, you mentioned that after the Baltimore game, last week, you said that maybe last year was set up too perfectly. Everybody thought you were going to win the conference and go on to the Super Bowl. What's your feeling now that things sort of fell into place to give you this home game? Is it too perfect now or are you still think it's a big battle?
BOB SANDERS: I think it's a battle. We definitely have some tough opponents, definitely a tough opponent this week and we've just got to keep working and get better. As long as we're in the details, everyone is doing their job. I definitely think we'll be fine.
Q. What adjustments do you think you've made on defense in the playoffs compared to what happened during the regular season?
BOB SANDERS: Like I said, one guy can't really come in and change things around. We have the same personnel that we had all season. A couple guys here and there changed up. But other than that, like I said, I just think it's all about attitude and everyone being passionate about it and wanting to win.
Q. Bob, how did you guys get that attitude back? How did you revise it?
BOB SANDERS: I mean just knowing in the playoffs it's do or die. If you lose you go home. You win, you keep going. And we know that. We came from last year like I said everything was set up perfectly for us. Everyone was saying and you know it just didn't work out. We know if we had ever gotten an opportunity again to say we have to make sure we do everything we can to
keep on winning, and we needed our defense to step up and guys to make plays and I think we've been able to do that.
Q. You weren't there for the '03 playoff but you were there for the '04 one with New England and two regular season games. Is this a special rivalry for the Colts and if so why do you think it is?
BOB SANDERS: It is. I think it's big for both sides. We're two competitive teams coming in. We're back and forth on a win-lose streak. And it's exciting knowing that they're going to come here, they're going to play tough. They're going to give us their A game and it will be a challenge for us. And we're looking forward to it. We're excited about it and I'm pretty sure they are as well.
Q. Bob, on facing Brady, can you tell a little bit how do you prepare for a quarterback like him?
BOB SANDERS: He's a great quarterback. Real poised. He doesn't panic at all. He makes a lot of plays down the field. He has good receivers to get the ball to him. He spreads the ball around. So he's not a selfish guy. They're not a selfish team. They all play together, and I think he's a great, great leader, and he takes his team and they follow behind him and he keeps it
moving.
Q. Do you feel because you have faced these guys many times in the past, in big playoff games, that you know what they're going to bring and you know what to expect and you know what you have to do to stop them?
BOB SANDERS: It's just like any other week. You can't really pinpoint anything to say you know they're going to do this. You just have to game plan as much as you can. Watch as much film as you can to get a good look at them. But you never know. They could come in with a totally different game plan.
So you just have to prepare for the worst and you know hope for the best that things turn out the way you planned it in the game plan is on point.
Q. Bob, do you guys feel you're a little bit different defense playing in the dome?
BOB SANDERS: Playing at home is, I mean you couldn't ask for a better opportunity to come back in and play at home with your fans, your crowd. That also helps. I think everything plays a big part into it. I think we are a little bit better in our record at home this year shows that we do play a little bit faster. We play better and we play well together.
It's just something that we won't worry about it. We're at home. We won't take them lightly. We've just got to make sure we continue to do the things we need to do.
Q. Bob, you're known as a player that's pretty quick to fill the hole at the line of scrimmage, can you talk about facing two different running backs in style like Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney this Sunday?
BOB SANDERS: They're both good runners. Maroney is a fast guy. Dillon has very deceptive speed. They're very strong, they both have great balance.
So you just have to -- they can run downhill, sometimes when they get outside they can run to the corner and get around you and break your leverage. We've just got to attack. We have to make sure we swarm the ball, you know, just try to get them down when we can. If we have opportunities to make great plays we've got to make those plays when they give us the
opportunity.
Q. Bob, what's it like to have Adam Vinatieri on your side. I saw Tony Dungy's lips on his last field goal saying "money, money, money," what does it mean to you as a team to have their kicker on your side?
BOB SANDERS: It's great. He's a guy who has been in this situation many times and has won games for his team. It's nothing new to him.
He's just a veteran. He's a leader. He's just a great guy to be around in the locker room and it's just good that we have him on our team now. And he's reliable. You can rely on him at any time.
Q. Bob, has gap discipline been a big thing? I know with Rob Morris being in there it's a little different and you being in and out of the lineup. On stopping the run like you guys had trouble earlier in the year has it been a big thing for you guys to play more disciplined in playing gap?
BOB SANDERS: You know, it's just everybody doing their job. I mean that's pretty much what it boils down to. It's simple. You know as long as you do what you have to do and coaches have us ready, have a great game plan for us this week. We just have to be what we need to be.
Q. Bob, do you sense that Peyton is due for a big game and that he hasn't played as well as he normally does in the playoffs thus far?
BOB SANDERS: They'll be ready. I'm not sure exactly what thegame plan will be. But they're going to be ready. We have to. It's a must this week. And we are just going to keep working. I'm pretty sure that they're excited about it on the other side.
And we're excited as well.
Q. Bob, you've missed quite a lot of games this year due to injuries. Can you talk about being injured and still stay focused and maintain your composure being on the side lines, wanting to get in there and do some hitting?
BOB SANDERS: Just never giving up, never losing faith. Knowing that things will get better. It's kind of hard to start off. But after a few weeks I kind of realize that it was going to be a thing that I was going to deal with all
season.
And I just had to be patient. Patience is the main thing. And I think I was able to be patient and now that I've worked myself back i n, I'm comfortable. And I feel good.
Q. Late in the season was the main focus to get you back on the field for the playoffs?
BOB SANDERS: Yes, I mean that was the main thing. It got sort of away with the Week 13, 14, 15. Got kind of around there and it was like, well, okay, do we continue to go this, up and down this roller coaster? Do we continue to do that or do we just say, okay, now we're in the playoffs and should we get him ready. And that was pretty much the plan and it worked so far.
Q. Bob, Daniel Graham talked about the fact that you're a free safety everybody has to be aware, where you are at all times is that something you try to do is be at different places where they don't know where you're going to be at all times?
BOB SANDERS: We just put our game plan in. We'll be working on it today. It's just doing, doing like you said, just doing what you have to do, just being where you need to be. It's not a mystery to us. It's just going out and making plays.
Q. There was a comparison made today about you and Rodney Harrison. Very similar within this league, the two guys that at that position that kind of sets a tone for the defense.
Is that a compliment to you and is that what you hope to do for your ball club?
BOB SANDERS: Definitely, man. He's definitely a great player and has made a lot of plays in this league and helped his team in many ways. So you know that's definitely a compliment for people to compare us and say we play alike, that's a good thing. He's a good player.
Q. Bob, how satisfying is it as a defensive player to win these games like 15 to 6 and 23 to 8 as opposed to maybe to a shoot-out like you might have had to do in the past?
BOB SANDERS: I mean, just knowing that your defense has stepped up and is really, if you can keep a team under, keep a team within 14 points, you got a great chance of winning every week. I mean that's our thing is to not rely on our offense to score 40, 30, 40 points a game. And we give up a lot. Just to try to focus on the things we need to focus on and that's keeping them out of the end zone and stopping the run.
Q. Patriots are known for mixing up their game plans on a weekly basis. How do you prepare for this game not knowing that they will definitely run the ball, definitely pass the ball?
BOB SANDERS: You watch as much as film as you can. You hope your game plan works the way you planned it out. But sometimes it's not that way. Sometimes they'll come up with a totally different scheme and you gotta adjust.
But I'm pretty sure we'll have a great game plan. And the coaches have done a great job this year making sure that we're ready and we know everything that's going on.
Q. Bob, you played your college ball under Kirk (Ferentz) in Iowa. Bill (Belichick) and Kirk are good friends, former assistant to Bill. Did he give you any insight into Belichick? Do you feel you know his styles playing under Kirk?
BOB SANDERS: No he has not, not really.
Q. Bob, LaDainian Tomlinson last week kind of accused the Patriots of being classless in their game last week. What are your thoughts on that and what do you think of when you play a Patriots team?
BOB SANDERS: I think they're all well coached. They're not selfish. They play hard. They know how to win. They have a lot of veteran guys who have been around a while. And it's up to a team to win a lot of games and a lot of championships. So I don't really have much to say about that. I think they are a good team and they're well coached.
Q. Bob, what's it going to take for the Colts to get over that hump and make it into the Super Bowl?
BOB SANDERS: Just doing what we do. Playing hard. Playing fast. Playing smart. And playing aggressive with a lot of passion.
Q. A lot of people have been talking about that. Is that in the back of your minds at all?
BOB SANDERS: We are taking it one game at a time, one week at a time, one day at a time. We have to take care of today first before we start looking to tomorrow. So we just keep working, practicing hard, studying hard and just keep moving forward.
Q. Bob, personal self-preservation seems to have gone out the window for you. You've had an injury and surgery, had to spend a lot of time out. What kind of personal sacrifice are you making this year with your health and your future. Do you ever think about that?
BOB SANDERS: It's nothing bad. I'm not sacrificing anything. I'm just doing -- I'm playing according to the way I feel and I feel great. I don't have any problems. There's nothing that's going to affect me future-wise or anything with this injury that I have. So I'm not really worried or focused about that at all.
Q. Can you talk a little bit about what Williams your defensive back coach have been, how he's influenced you and developed you as a player?
BOB SANDERS: I mean he's just a smart guy. He knows exactly where I'm supposed to be, where everyone is supposed to be on the field. He's a great coach. He's detail-oriented and he makes sure you're doing everything that you need to do.
And he goes way out of his way to really put in a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of work to make sure we know as much as we need to know about our opponent every week.
Q. Bob, what's your perception of the two franchises going, you've got Belichick and Brady who has won all the Super Bowls, and Coach Dungy and Peyton Manning, you've all been fighting and scraping to get there. That's the perception you have and what can you all do to correct that?
BOB SANDERS: You know, just stay focused in on the task at hand. Not really worry about what everyone says outside of our complex, just we're a team and we're going to play as a team and that's the only thing that we'll focus on and we'll worry about is ourselves and what we can control and that's the way we prepare and the way we play on Sunday.
Q. Bob, even though you guys have beaten them in the regular season, do you need to really beat them in the postseason to kind of get that monkey off your back? Is it appropriate that it's the Patriots that you're playing and you have to beat to get to the Super Bowl?
BOB SANDERS: Monkey on our back, we don't even worry about that. That's a lot of talk from everyone else saying it's a monkey on your back, because you need to beat them in the postseason, whatever. I mean it doesn't really matter. We don't worry about that. This is a great opportunity for us and we're just going to keep moving forward trying to get better and hopefully play well enough to win. But we're not really worried about getting a monkey off our back.
I mean every week is a tough week. So we just need to keep doing the things that we do.
Q. Bob, what are you seeing from Peyton this week, how is he handling himself and what do you expecting in terms of how he'll go into this game?
BOB SANDERS: I expect a lot of leadership. I know he's excited about it and he's been in this situation before. So it's nothing new. You know it's making sure everyone stays on the details. Everyone is doing their job and the leadership that we have around here is excellent. I mean we've got a lot of guys here who has been in the situation and know what it's like. So they're going to be, you know, the energy is going to come from them. Those guys are going to be moving around and making plays in practice and making sure everyone is doing what they're supposed to do. So the younger guys just have to follow their lead and keep moving forward.
Q. Do you sense a lot of pressure on him just because he's in the high profile position he's the quarterback and when you think how the defense has played the last couple of games, how have you guys done to kind of ease some pressure on him, from him?
BOB SANDERS: He might be getting pressure. I'm pretty sure he is. But I don't think it will bother him at all one bit. This is another game. This is another opportunity. This is a great opportunity. So I'm not sure the pressure will bother him at all. It's just, you know, how well you're play and it starts with practice and preparation.
Q. What do you see as the key to stopping the New England Patriots offense?
BOB SANDERS: Just being on the details. You know, they do a lot of things as far as if -- you know, if you give them opportunities or if you're not where you're supposed to be, if one guy is not here and one guy is not doing their job, I mean Brady is the type of guy where he can -- he can hurt you and he'll exposure weaknesses. So we just got to make sure we're on the details and we focus in on what we need to get done.
Q. How do you prepare yourself from stopping a player like Ben Watson?
BOB SANDERS: It also depends on what you're in, what coverages you're in and how you need to handle it. So I'm pretty sure our coaches will have a great game plan as far as that. And we'll look into it and get things done this week to make sure we know where we need to be.
Q. Bob, how impressed are you with Antoine Bethea for a rookie to come in and start as the playoffs have gotten underway really making some big plays, from one safety to another, what is it about his game that you like and have been impressed with this year?
BOB SANDERS: I mean all around he's just done a great job. He's handled the pressure well. I know coming in as a rookie is tough going out there and playing like right away and he came a nd ended up playing right away right after camp.
So I'm pretty sure it's been tough for him. But he's handled it as well as anybody that I know who has done it.
So he's done a great job, made a lot of plays. Helped us out, made it a lot better this year.
Q. What's the toughest thing for him to have to deal with coming in and playing that position?
BOB SANDERS: I mean just listening to the things from the past, the past years, it's been they talked about, you know, our safeties and our corners and just bad talked us. Him stepping in there, taking the role after Mike (Doss) ended up going down, he's done a great job so far. And I'm pretty sure he'll continue to work and he'll be a great player in the near future.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
Indianapolis Colts
Q&A – January 17, 2007
Q. Bob, what's been the difference with the defense in these last couple of games, especially against the run?
BOB SANDERS: I think it’s attitude, everyone being passionate about it, wanting to go out and win and wanting to be the team where we don't have to really rely on our offense. And I think everyone has done a great job. We know what type of
defense we are. We know we can play well. It's just when it was going to be the we'll step it up and actually just do the things we need to do. And I think we just kind of picked it up postseason.
Q. Did you guys ever get tired of hearing about how bad you were against the run and did it motivate you at all?
BOB SANDERS: We didn't really get tired of it. You just don't listen to it. You're going to get criticized if you are the last team in the league rush defense wise. And we didn't really worry about it. We knew that we just had to focus on getting better every week and practicing well and keep on preparing like we have been all year and things will turn around for us.
Q. Bob, after the Baltimore game, you mentioned that after the Baltimore game, last week, you said that maybe last year was set up too perfectly. Everybody thought you were going to win the conference and go on to the Super Bowl. What's your feeling now that things sort of fell into place to give you this home game? Is it too perfect now or are you still think it's a big battle?
BOB SANDERS: I think it's a battle. We definitely have some tough opponents, definitely a tough opponent this week and we've just got to keep working and get better. As long as we're in the details, everyone is doing their job. I definitely think we'll be fine.
Q. What adjustments do you think you've made on defense in the playoffs compared to what happened during the regular season?
BOB SANDERS: Like I said, one guy can't really come in and change things around. We have the same personnel that we had all season. A couple guys here and there changed up. But other than that, like I said, I just think it's all about attitude and everyone being passionate about it and wanting to win.
Q. Bob, how did you guys get that attitude back? How did you revise it?
BOB SANDERS: I mean just knowing in the playoffs it's do or die. If you lose you go home. You win, you keep going. And we know that. We came from last year like I said everything was set up perfectly for us. Everyone was saying and you know it just didn't work out. We know if we had ever gotten an opportunity again to say we have to make sure we do everything we can to
keep on winning, and we needed our defense to step up and guys to make plays and I think we've been able to do that.
Q. You weren't there for the '03 playoff but you were there for the '04 one with New England and two regular season games. Is this a special rivalry for the Colts and if so why do you think it is?
BOB SANDERS: It is. I think it's big for both sides. We're two competitive teams coming in. We're back and forth on a win-lose streak. And it's exciting knowing that they're going to come here, they're going to play tough. They're going to give us their A game and it will be a challenge for us. And we're looking forward to it. We're excited about it and I'm pretty sure they are as well.
Q. Bob, on facing Brady, can you tell a little bit how do you prepare for a quarterback like him?
BOB SANDERS: He's a great quarterback. Real poised. He doesn't panic at all. He makes a lot of plays down the field. He has good receivers to get the ball to him. He spreads the ball around. So he's not a selfish guy. They're not a selfish team. They all play together, and I think he's a great, great leader, and he takes his team and they follow behind him and he keeps it
moving.
Q. Do you feel because you have faced these guys many times in the past, in big playoff games, that you know what they're going to bring and you know what to expect and you know what you have to do to stop them?
BOB SANDERS: It's just like any other week. You can't really pinpoint anything to say you know they're going to do this. You just have to game plan as much as you can. Watch as much film as you can to get a good look at them. But you never know. They could come in with a totally different game plan.
So you just have to prepare for the worst and you know hope for the best that things turn out the way you planned it in the game plan is on point.
Q. Bob, do you guys feel you're a little bit different defense playing in the dome?
BOB SANDERS: Playing at home is, I mean you couldn't ask for a better opportunity to come back in and play at home with your fans, your crowd. That also helps. I think everything plays a big part into it. I think we are a little bit better in our record at home this year shows that we do play a little bit faster. We play better and we play well together.
It's just something that we won't worry about it. We're at home. We won't take them lightly. We've just got to make sure we continue to do the things we need to do.
Q. Bob, you're known as a player that's pretty quick to fill the hole at the line of scrimmage, can you talk about facing two different running backs in style like Corey Dillon and Laurence Maroney this Sunday?
BOB SANDERS: They're both good runners. Maroney is a fast guy. Dillon has very deceptive speed. They're very strong, they both have great balance.
So you just have to -- they can run downhill, sometimes when they get outside they can run to the corner and get around you and break your leverage. We've just got to attack. We have to make sure we swarm the ball, you know, just try to get them down when we can. If we have opportunities to make great plays we've got to make those plays when they give us the
opportunity.
Q. Bob, what's it like to have Adam Vinatieri on your side. I saw Tony Dungy's lips on his last field goal saying "money, money, money," what does it mean to you as a team to have their kicker on your side?
BOB SANDERS: It's great. He's a guy who has been in this situation many times and has won games for his team. It's nothing new to him.
He's just a veteran. He's a leader. He's just a great guy to be around in the locker room and it's just good that we have him on our team now. And he's reliable. You can rely on him at any time.
Q. Bob, has gap discipline been a big thing? I know with Rob Morris being in there it's a little different and you being in and out of the lineup. On stopping the run like you guys had trouble earlier in the year has it been a big thing for you guys to play more disciplined in playing gap?
BOB SANDERS: You know, it's just everybody doing their job. I mean that's pretty much what it boils down to. It's simple. You know as long as you do what you have to do and coaches have us ready, have a great game plan for us this week. We just have to be what we need to be.
Q. Bob, do you sense that Peyton is due for a big game and that he hasn't played as well as he normally does in the playoffs thus far?
BOB SANDERS: They'll be ready. I'm not sure exactly what thegame plan will be. But they're going to be ready. We have to. It's a must this week. And we are just going to keep working. I'm pretty sure that they're excited about it on the other side.
And we're excited as well.
Q. Bob, you've missed quite a lot of games this year due to injuries. Can you talk about being injured and still stay focused and maintain your composure being on the side lines, wanting to get in there and do some hitting?
BOB SANDERS: Just never giving up, never losing faith. Knowing that things will get better. It's kind of hard to start off. But after a few weeks I kind of realize that it was going to be a thing that I was going to deal with all
season.
And I just had to be patient. Patience is the main thing. And I think I was able to be patient and now that I've worked myself back i n, I'm comfortable. And I feel good.
Q. Late in the season was the main focus to get you back on the field for the playoffs?
BOB SANDERS: Yes, I mean that was the main thing. It got sort of away with the Week 13, 14, 15. Got kind of around there and it was like, well, okay, do we continue to go this, up and down this roller coaster? Do we continue to do that or do we just say, okay, now we're in the playoffs and should we get him ready. And that was pretty much the plan and it worked so far.
Q. Bob, Daniel Graham talked about the fact that you're a free safety everybody has to be aware, where you are at all times is that something you try to do is be at different places where they don't know where you're going to be at all times?
BOB SANDERS: We just put our game plan in. We'll be working on it today. It's just doing, doing like you said, just doing what you have to do, just being where you need to be. It's not a mystery to us. It's just going out and making plays.
Q. There was a comparison made today about you and Rodney Harrison. Very similar within this league, the two guys that at that position that kind of sets a tone for the defense.
Is that a compliment to you and is that what you hope to do for your ball club?
BOB SANDERS: Definitely, man. He's definitely a great player and has made a lot of plays in this league and helped his team in many ways. So you know that's definitely a compliment for people to compare us and say we play alike, that's a good thing. He's a good player.
Q. Bob, how satisfying is it as a defensive player to win these games like 15 to 6 and 23 to 8 as opposed to maybe to a shoot-out like you might have had to do in the past?
BOB SANDERS: I mean, just knowing that your defense has stepped up and is really, if you can keep a team under, keep a team within 14 points, you got a great chance of winning every week. I mean that's our thing is to not rely on our offense to score 40, 30, 40 points a game. And we give up a lot. Just to try to focus on the things we need to focus on and that's keeping them out of the end zone and stopping the run.
Q. Patriots are known for mixing up their game plans on a weekly basis. How do you prepare for this game not knowing that they will definitely run the ball, definitely pass the ball?
BOB SANDERS: You watch as much as film as you can. You hope your game plan works the way you planned it out. But sometimes it's not that way. Sometimes they'll come up with a totally different scheme and you gotta adjust.
But I'm pretty sure we'll have a great game plan. And the coaches have done a great job this year making sure that we're ready and we know everything that's going on.
Q. Bob, you played your college ball under Kirk (Ferentz) in Iowa. Bill (Belichick) and Kirk are good friends, former assistant to Bill. Did he give you any insight into Belichick? Do you feel you know his styles playing under Kirk?
BOB SANDERS: No he has not, not really.
Q. Bob, LaDainian Tomlinson last week kind of accused the Patriots of being classless in their game last week. What are your thoughts on that and what do you think of when you play a Patriots team?
BOB SANDERS: I think they're all well coached. They're not selfish. They play hard. They know how to win. They have a lot of veteran guys who have been around a while. And it's up to a team to win a lot of games and a lot of championships. So I don't really have much to say about that. I think they are a good team and they're well coached.
Q. Bob, what's it going to take for the Colts to get over that hump and make it into the Super Bowl?
BOB SANDERS: Just doing what we do. Playing hard. Playing fast. Playing smart. And playing aggressive with a lot of passion.
Q. A lot of people have been talking about that. Is that in the back of your minds at all?
BOB SANDERS: We are taking it one game at a time, one week at a time, one day at a time. We have to take care of today first before we start looking to tomorrow. So we just keep working, practicing hard, studying hard and just keep moving forward.
Q. Bob, personal self-preservation seems to have gone out the window for you. You've had an injury and surgery, had to spend a lot of time out. What kind of personal sacrifice are you making this year with your health and your future. Do you ever think about that?
BOB SANDERS: It's nothing bad. I'm not sacrificing anything. I'm just doing -- I'm playing according to the way I feel and I feel great. I don't have any problems. There's nothing that's going to affect me future-wise or anything with this injury that I have. So I'm not really worried or focused about that at all.
Q. Can you talk a little bit about what Williams your defensive back coach have been, how he's influenced you and developed you as a player?
BOB SANDERS: I mean he's just a smart guy. He knows exactly where I'm supposed to be, where everyone is supposed to be on the field. He's a great coach. He's detail-oriented and he makes sure you're doing everything that you need to do.
And he goes way out of his way to really put in a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of work to make sure we know as much as we need to know about our opponent every week.
Q. Bob, what's your perception of the two franchises going, you've got Belichick and Brady who has won all the Super Bowls, and Coach Dungy and Peyton Manning, you've all been fighting and scraping to get there. That's the perception you have and what can you all do to correct that?
BOB SANDERS: You know, just stay focused in on the task at hand. Not really worry about what everyone says outside of our complex, just we're a team and we're going to play as a team and that's the only thing that we'll focus on and we'll worry about is ourselves and what we can control and that's the way we prepare and the way we play on Sunday.
Q. Bob, even though you guys have beaten them in the regular season, do you need to really beat them in the postseason to kind of get that monkey off your back? Is it appropriate that it's the Patriots that you're playing and you have to beat to get to the Super Bowl?
BOB SANDERS: Monkey on our back, we don't even worry about that. That's a lot of talk from everyone else saying it's a monkey on your back, because you need to beat them in the postseason, whatever. I mean it doesn't really matter. We don't worry about that. This is a great opportunity for us and we're just going to keep moving forward trying to get better and hopefully play well enough to win. But we're not really worried about getting a monkey off our back.
I mean every week is a tough week. So we just need to keep doing the things that we do.
Q. Bob, what are you seeing from Peyton this week, how is he handling himself and what do you expecting in terms of how he'll go into this game?
BOB SANDERS: I expect a lot of leadership. I know he's excited about it and he's been in this situation before. So it's nothing new. You know it's making sure everyone stays on the details. Everyone is doing their job and the leadership that we have around here is excellent. I mean we've got a lot of guys here who has been in the situation and know what it's like. So they're going to be, you know, the energy is going to come from them. Those guys are going to be moving around and making plays in practice and making sure everyone is doing what they're supposed to do. So the younger guys just have to follow their lead and keep moving forward.
Q. Do you sense a lot of pressure on him just because he's in the high profile position he's the quarterback and when you think how the defense has played the last couple of games, how have you guys done to kind of ease some pressure on him, from him?
BOB SANDERS: He might be getting pressure. I'm pretty sure he is. But I don't think it will bother him at all one bit. This is another game. This is another opportunity. This is a great opportunity. So I'm not sure the pressure will bother him at all. It's just, you know, how well you're play and it starts with practice and preparation.
Q. What do you see as the key to stopping the New England Patriots offense?
BOB SANDERS: Just being on the details. You know, they do a lot of things as far as if -- you know, if you give them opportunities or if you're not where you're supposed to be, if one guy is not here and one guy is not doing their job, I mean Brady is the type of guy where he can -- he can hurt you and he'll exposure weaknesses. So we just got to make sure we're on the details and we focus in on what we need to get done.
Q. How do you prepare yourself from stopping a player like Ben Watson?
BOB SANDERS: It also depends on what you're in, what coverages you're in and how you need to handle it. So I'm pretty sure our coaches will have a great game plan as far as that. And we'll look into it and get things done this week to make sure we know where we need to be.
Q. Bob, how impressed are you with Antoine Bethea for a rookie to come in and start as the playoffs have gotten underway really making some big plays, from one safety to another, what is it about his game that you like and have been impressed with this year?
BOB SANDERS: I mean all around he's just done a great job. He's handled the pressure well. I know coming in as a rookie is tough going out there and playing like right away and he came a nd ended up playing right away right after camp.
So I'm pretty sure it's been tough for him. But he's handled it as well as anybody that I know who has done it.
So he's done a great job, made a lot of plays. Helped us out, made it a lot better this year.
Q. What's the toughest thing for him to have to deal with coming in and playing that position?
BOB SANDERS: I mean just listening to the things from the past, the past years, it's been they talked about, you know, our safeties and our corners and just bad talked us. Him stepping in there, taking the role after Mike (Doss) ended up going down, he's done a great job so far. And I'm pretty sure he'll continue to work and he'll be a great player in the near future.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
Vikings Defensive Coordinator Mike Tomlin Favorite For Pittsburgh Steelers Job
Profootballtalk.com - Mike Florio
TOMLIN TO TAKE GRIMM'S GIG?
At a time when pretty much everyone in the league and the media believe that the Steelers will promote offensive line coach Russ Grimm to the position vacated by Coach Chin, don't rule out Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin.
Though some in the organization also believe that Grimm will be the guy, the reality is that the decision will be made, in the end, by Steelers chairman Dan Rooney and team president Art Rooney II, who are being very tight-lipped (we're told) about their plans.
Tomlin is regarded by the organization as a great candidate, but his lack of experience is a concern. Due to the Buccaneers' standard refusal to allow assistant coaches under contract to leave for bigger jobs other than head coach, Tomlin was stuck in Tampa until his deal expired, and he has worked as a defensive coordinator for only one year.
The Steelers conducted a second interview of Tomlin on Tuesday, meeting with him for several hours before taking him to a Penguins game at Mellon Arena.
And unless Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was merely looking for filler for his Wednesday item, the fact that he spent a full article getting the locals ready for the changes that would come if Tomlin gets the job could be a strong hint that Grimm might not be the guy who gets the gig.
We've said it before and we'll say it again -- we'd hire Tomlin. In a heartbeat. He instantly energized a Vikings defense that had played soft and loose and weak for most of the past decade. Sure, he's young; so were Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll.
And there's something to be said for learning on the job. Tomlin will improve, and the team that is employing him when he peaks will be a team that is annually in the conversation for the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
AFC and NFC Championship Weekend Game Capsules - NFLMedia.com
FOR USE AS DESIRED
NFL-POST-3 1/16/07
FINAL STEP TO SOUTH FLORIDA! SAINTS CONFRONT BEARS,
PATRIOTS TAKE ON COLTS IN CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
“Two wins away from having a ring on my finger for the rest of my life.”
That’s what quarterback REX GROSSMAN exulted after leading the Chicago Bears to victory last Sunday. And that’s
where every player on the four teams competing this weekend in the AFC and NFC Championship Games find themselves –
one win away from Super Bowl XLI in South Florida on February 4 and another victory away from wearing a Super Bowl
championship ring “for the rest of their lives.”
The four teams going for those “two wins”:
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
3:00 PM ET New Orleans Saints (11-6) at Chicago Bears (14-3) (FOX-TV)
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
6:30 PM ET New England Patriots (14-4) at Indianapolis Colts (14-4) (CBS-TV)
The 2006 playoffs through the first two rounds have been the most competitive since the NFL went to the 12-team
format in 1990. The average margin of victory in the eight Wild Card and Divisional games was 7.3 points per game. That is
the lowest point margin since 1990. The previous low was a 9.8-point average in 2003.
The AFC-NFC Championship lineup is an impressive one:
· New England plays in its third championship game in the past four years. Indianapolis plays in its second in that
span.
· The combined winning percentage of the championship teams is .757 (53-17).
· They are a resilient bunch. They come off a Divisional Playoff weekend in which all four games were decided by a
total of 18 points – the fewest since the divisional round began in 1970. Three of the four games were decided by
three points or less – the first time ever in the Divisionals.
· The top two passing offenses of 2006 are featured, led by the two starting Pro Bowl quarterbacks – New Orleans,
No. 1 (DREW BREES) and Indianapolis, No. 2 (PEYTON MANNING).
· The Saints are a resurrected team. In addition to going from “worst to first” in their division, winning it one year after
finishing in last place the year before, they are the first team in history to go to a championship game after losing 13
or more games the year before.
A rundown of the AFC and NFC Championship Games:
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FACTOID
DUNGY & SMITH A FIRST: An NFL milestone will be reached in this Sunday’s championship games.
Two of the four head coaches – TONY DUNGY of Indianapolis and LOVIE SMITH -- are African-Americans. It will mark the
first time in championship game history that African-American head coaches led two of the four teams involved. African-
American head coaches in AFC-NFC Championship Games: Dungy (1999, 2003), DENNIS GREEN (1998, 2000) and ART
SHELL (1990). No African-American head coach has coached in a Super Bowl.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (11-6) at CHICAGO BEARS (14-3) (Sunday, 3:00 PM ET, FOX)
STORYLINE: Top two seeds go at it.
And that’s just the way the No. 1 Bears want it. “This is the matchup we wanted,” says Chicago CB NATHAN VASHER.
“It’s great for us, great for TV, everything. We wanted to see the highest-seeded team and beat the best.”
It’s January at Soldier Field, so the running game should play a big part in this one. Both teams come equipped with RB
tandems. The Saints bring in “the big guy,” as Bears LB BRIAN URLACHER calls him – 6-1, 232-pound DEUCE
MC ALLISTER – and fleet rookie REGGIE BUSH. The pile-moving McAllister rumbled for a Saints playoff-record 143 yards
and two TDs in the Divisional. Bush produced some spectacular moves, including a four-yard TD scamper and a 25-yard run
that set up a field goal.
The Bears have their own ground-eating tandem in THOMAS JONES and CEDRIC BENSON, the second-year runner who
has been worked into the rotation more and more recently. The two combined for 1,857 yards this year and 111 yards (with
two Jones TDs) in the Divisionals.
New Orleans – 6-2 on the road this season – arrives with the league’s No. 1 offense, controlled by the ’06 passing yardage
leader DREW BREES (4,418). His key targets have been WRs MARQUES COLSTON and DEVERY HENDERSON, but the
Bears also will have to keep an eye on TE BILLY MILLER, who, after 129 yards this season, led Saints receivers last
Saturday with 64 yards.
And for all the attention Chicago QB REX GROSSMAN has received – “he’s taken us to 14 wins,” says head coach LOVIE
SMITH -- one stat is overlooked. Grossman’s seven games of 100.0 passer ratings tied PEYTON MANNING for second
most this year in the NFL behind St. Louis’ MARC BULGER with eight.
Grossman’s WR targets are as potent as New Orleans’ – BERNARD BERRIAN (105 yards in the Divisional with a 68-yard
TD catch) and MUHSIN MUHAMMAD.
Championship tidbit: Saints RB REGGIE BUSH can become the fourth Heisman Trophy winner to play in a Super Bowl in
his rookie year, following RB MIKE GARRETT, Kansas City, 1966 season; RB TONY DORSETT, Dallas, 1977; and RB RON
DAYNE, NY Giants, 2000. Only Dorsett won a Super Bowl ring.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (14-4) at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (14-4) (Sunday, 6:30 PM ET, CBS)
STORYLINE: Here we go again!
For the third time in the past four years, the former AFC East rivals – with identical records -- will meet in the playoffs. The
game also marks the seventh time since realignment in 2002 that the clubs have met, including for the second time this
season (27-20 Colts win on November 5). Overall leader during that span? The Patriots, 4-2, including both playoff meetings
(2003 AFC Championship and 2004 AFC Divisional).
What does the Colts quarterback who has started all those games (vs. New England’s TOM BRADY) have to say about
Sunday’s opponent? “The Patriots,” says PEYTON MANNING simply, “are as great a team as there is…ever.”
But the Colts have two things going for them right off: they have won the past two meetings, so they know the winners of
three of the past five Super Bowls are not invincible…and they finally have a home playoff game against New England. It will
be the first AFC Championship contested in a dome.
The meeting will be one full of great positional matchups.
There’s Brady vs. Manning – pitting two of the most-recognized NFL quarterbacks, and the most successful since
realignment in 2002. Manning has won 60 regular-season games since 2002, the most in that span, with Brady at No. 2 with
59. But Brady also comes equipped with a 12-1 playoff record and three Super Bowl titles.
Then there’s the combo running backs. New England has basically split time between COREY DILLON and rookie
LAURENCE MARONEY the whole year. Colts RB DOMINIC RHODES started every game, but JOSEPH ADDAI became the
first rookie in history to rush for 1,000 yards without starting a regular-season game.
Next comes the well-known/getting-to-be-well-known wide receivers. Indy’s MARVIN HARRISON and REGGIE WAYNE
turned in their usual 1,000-yard seasons. New Patriots JABAR GAFFNEY and RECHE CALDWELL have really come on in
the playoffs, with 18 (1 TD) and 12 catches (1 TD), respectively.
Finally, there’s the big question: can the reenergized Colts defense, which finished 32nd against the rush this season, yet
has allowed only 44 and 83 rush yards in two playoff games, replicate this performance against Dillon/Maroney?
Championship tidbit: Patriots QB TOM BRADY has six game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime in the playoffs
since he became a starter in 2001 – the most of any quarterback in that time.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2006 PLAYOFFS
(Home team in CAPS)
WILD CARD WEEKEND
AFC: INDIANAPOLIS 23, Kansas City 8, January 6
NFC: SEATTLE 21, Dallas 20, January 6
AFC: NEW ENGLAND 37, N.Y. Jets 16, January 7
NFC: PHILADELPHIA 23, N.Y. Giants 20, January 7
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS
AFC: Indianapolis 15, BALTIMORE 6, January 13
NFC: NEW ORLEANS 27, Philadelphia 24, January 13
NFC: CHICAGO 27, Seattle 24 (OT), January 14
AFC: New England 24, SAN DIEGO 21, January 14
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sunday, January 21:
NFC: New Orleans Saints (11-6) at Chicago Bears (14-3), 3:00 PM ET (FOX)
AFC: New England Patriots (14-4) at Indianapolis Colts (14-4), 6:30 PM ET (CBS)
SUPER BOWL XLI: Sunday, February 4 at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida, 6:30 PM ET (CBS)
PRO BOWL: Saturday, February 10 at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii, 6:00 PM ET (CBS)
TEAMS MEET in AFC Championship Game for 2nd time in past 4 years & for 3rd time in postseason play. New England is
2-0 against Colts in postseason. This marks 1st time in AFC history that neither top seed has advanced to conference title
game as Indianapolis is 3rd seed & New England is 4th. Since 1970, home teams are 47-25 (.653) in conference
championship games.
PATRIOTS: Team is 5-0 all-time in Conference Championship games since 1970…Among NFL teams w/ at least 10 playoff
games played, NE has 2nd-highest win pct. of .633 (19-11)…Head coach BILL BELICHICK is 13-2 (.867) in career playoff
games, 2nd-best win pct. all-time behind HOFer VINCE LOMBARDI (9-1, .900)…QB TOM BRADY is 12-1 (.923) in career
playoff starts, including 3-0 in Super Bowl. Brady is 1st QB in NFL history to win 12 of his 1st 13 playoff games. Brady has
100+ passer rating in 4 of last 6 playoff games – all 4 were wins. Brady has TD pass in 11 consec. playoff games, 3rdlongest
such streak in NFL history (BRETT FAVRE, 16; HOFer DAN MARINO 13). Brady has started 13 postseason
games & has thrown 0 INTs in 8 of those contests. Only HOFer JOE MONTANA has more postseason starts w/ 0 INTs (9
of 23 career playoff starts). Brady threw 51 times last week vs . SD, becoming 1st player to pass 50+ times in non-OT
postseason game & win (26 previous times resulted in a loss). In two career postseason games indoors, Brady is 2-0 w/ 48
of 75 passing for 499 yards & 4 TDs vs. 1 INT (95.4 passer rating)…RB COREY DILLON has 3 career postseason rushing
TDs for NE, 2 shy of franchise record held by CURTIS MARTIN (5). NE is 36-8 (.818) in games he’s played & 1-4 (.200) in
games he has missed since he joined team in 2004. RB KEVIN FAULK has played in 13 career playoff games, most by RB
in team history…WR JABAR GAFFNEY has 18 catches for 207 yards in two playoff games this season, including 1st two
career 100-yard playoff receiving games, after finishing ’06 regular season w/ 11 receptions for 142 yards. WR RECHE
CALDWELL led team with career-high 65 receptions in regular season…CB ASANTE SMAUEL (10) tied for NFL lead in INTs
in regular season & has INT in 3 of last 4 playoff games, 2 resulting in TDs. Samuel is 1st player in NFL history to score
postseason TDs on interceptions in consecutive seasons. S RODNEY HARRISON is only player in history w/ 25+ sacks
(28.5) & 30+ INTs…Rookie K STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI is 6 of 6 in FG tries in 2 career playoff games. Gostkowski
became 1st rookie to kick a 4th-quarter game-winning FG in postseason since former Baltimore Colts K JIM O’BRIEN
defeated the Dallas Cowboys on last-second FG in Super Bowl V.
COLTS: Team advances to AFC Championship Game for 3rd time in past 12 years. Colts are 2nd AFC team & 6th team
overall since 1970 to advance to conference title game with 4,000-yard passer (QB PEYTON MANNING, 4,397), 1,000-yard
rusher (rookie RB JOSEPH ADDAI, 1,081) & 2 1,000-yard receivers (WR MARVIN HARRISON, 1,366; WR REGGIE
WAYNE, 1,310). Team is 1st No. 3 seed to host conference title game since 3rd-seeded Washington Redskins hosted 5thseeded Minnesota Vikings in 1987. Over past 35 years, Redskins were only other team to hosted postseason game after
road playoff game in previous week. Colts (12-4, 2006; 14-2, 2005; 12-4, 2004; 12-4, 2003) join Dallas (1992-95) as only NFL teams to win 12+ games in 4 consecutive seasons. Defense has allowed just 14 points total in 1st 2 playoff games…
Head coach TONY DUNGY aims to join HOFer MIKE DITKA & TOM FLORES as 3rd person to win Super Bowl as player & head
coach. Dungy has led his teams to playoffs in 8 consecutive seasons…In 2 career playoff games vs. NE, Manning has
thrown 42+ passes in each contest, including a career-postseason high 47 times in 2003 AFC Championship. Manning
owns 5-6 (.455) career record in postseason & looks to advance to his 1st Super Bowl. Manning has posted passer rating of
90.0+ in 3 of last 4 vs. NE. In 5 career games at home vs. NE, has passed for 1,345 yards with 12 TDs & 3 INTs for 99.8
passer rating…Addai is 7th rookie running back in AFC history to rush for over 1,000 yards & lead his team to conference
title game & 1st since JAMAL LEWIS in 2000. He led all rookies w/ 1,081 rush yds, averaging 4.8 yds per carry w/ 7 rush
TDs. Addai finished with 48 rushing yds & 1 TD in regular-season game vs . NE in 2006 mtg…Harrison has 10+ TD catches
in NFL-record 8 consecutive seasons. Manning & Harrison have connected for 106 TD receptions – most in NFL history by
any tandem. Harrison has nine 10+ reception games in 18 career matchups vs . NE & has 7 100-yard receiving games,
including past 2. He finished with 145 yds receiving & 2 TDs in Week 9 victory at NE. Wayne has 15 receptions for 214 rec.
yds in last 2 regular-season games vs . NE…DE DWIGHT FREENEY has 4.0 sacks in his last 4 postseason games. S
ANTOINE BETHEA has 2 INTs in his 1st 2 playoff games…K ADAM VINATIERI has made 34 playoff FGs, most in NFL
postseason history. He has scored in 19 consecutive postseason games, tied for 1st on NFL’s all-time list with HOFer
GEORGE BLANDA. Vinatieri booted 5 FGs last week at Bal., becoming 1st player to kick 5 FGs in 2 postseason games in
a career (2003 AFC Championship Game vs. Ind.).
# # #
GAME FEATURES NFC’s top 2 seeds. Bears (No. 1) won NFC North & Saints (No. 2) won NFC South…Teams meet in
playoffs for 2nd time – Bears defeated Saints 16-6 at Soldier Field on 1/6/91.
SAINTS: Play in 1st Championship Game in team history. Head coach SEAN PAYTON was named AP Coach of Year.
Club has 10-3 (.769) mark in conference, including last week’s win over Eagles. Saints are 1st team in NFL history to reach
Championship Game year after finishing with 13 or more losses…All-Star QB DREW BREES set team records with 4,418
yards & 96.2 passer rating. Had 8 300-yard games, including 510-yard performance. In 2 career playoff games, Brees has
99.0 passer rating with 3 TDs vs. 1 INT, 562 yards & 68.9 comp. pct. (51 of 74). Offense led NFL with 65 plays of 20+ yards.
Team tied for 1st with 16 pass TDs of 20+ yards & 18 total offensive TDs of 20+ yards…RB DEUCE MC ALLISTER led club
with 1,057 rushing yards, his 4th 1,000-yard season in past 5 years. Last week, McAllister rushed for team-postseason
record 143 yards & scored 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.). McAllister is 3rd player in NFL history to rush for 140+ yards & score rush
& rec. TD in playoff game. Last player to accomplish feat was TONY DORSETT (12/28/80). McAllister rushed for 116 yards
in last meeting (10/12/03). Rookie RB REGGIE BUSH had team-best 88 receptions, most in NFL history for rookie RB.
Former Saint CHAD MORTON holds NFL record for most catches in postseason by rookie RB with 15. Bush recorded 2
100-yard receiving games & 100-yard rushing game in season’s final month. Scored on 4-yard rush TD in 1st playoff game.
T JAMMAL BROWN was selected to start in his 1st Pro Bowl… WR MARQUES COLSTON led team with 1,038 yards & is
1st player drafted in 7th round or later to record 1,000 yards in rookie season & had team-best 8 TDs. WR DEVERY
HENDERSON led NFL with 23.3 yards-per-catch avg. (32-745). WR JOE HORN has 4 TD catches in past 4 games vs.
Bears…Pro Bowl DE WILL SMITH led team with career-best 10.5 sacks. DE CHARLES GRANT has recorded sack in 6
games this year & Saints have posted 6-0 mark. Has 2.0 sacks & 2 FFs in past 2 vs. Chi. LB SCOTT FUJITA had 1 INT in
only game vs. Bears (12/28/03 w/ KC). CB FRED THOMAS had INT in last meeting…
BEARS: Team has won 9 NFL championships, most among 2006 playoff participants. Club makes 24th postseason
appearance, tied for 4th-most in NFL history. Head coach LOVIE SMITH earned 1st career playoff victory last weekend.
Smith has guided team to wins in 24 of past 30 games, including playoffs. Smith is 1st head coach to lead Bears to
consecutive division titles since MIKE DITKA. Club posted 12-1 (.923) conference record this season, including
playoffs...Team placed NFC-best 7 players on Pro Bowl team, most by franchise since club had 7 All-Stars in 1986: ST
BRENDON AYANBADEJO (1st), LB LANCE BRIGGS (2nd), K ROBBIE GOULD (1st), DT TOMMIE HARRIS (2nd), rookie
CB-KR-PR DEVIN HESTER (1st), C OLIN KREUTZ (6th) & LB BRIAN URLACHER (6th)…QB REX GROSSMAN’s 282
yards passing vs. Seahawks was 2nd highest total in franchise playoff history (SID LUCKMAN, 286 vs. Wash., 12/26/43).
Grossman has won 17 of 1st 23 career starts & is 14-3 (.824) in past 17…RB THOMAS JONES became 1st Bears RB to
register 2 rushing TDs (9, 7) in playoff game since HOFer WALTER PAYTON in 1979 Wild Card game vs. Eagles. Led club
with 1,210 yards, his 2nd consecutive 1,200-yard season. Jones is 1st Bear since Payton to post back-to-back 1,200-yard
seasons. In past 15 when Jones has more than 20 attempts, club is 14-1 (.933) …WR BERNARD BERRIAN’s 68 yard TD
reception last weekend was 2nd longest playoff reception in club annals (WILLIE GAULT, 75t, at Wash.,12/30/84). WR
MUHSIN MUHAMMAD has posted career (192, 9/13/98) and 3rd highest (179, 12/5/04) single-game receiving totals vs.
Saints. Has 2 100-yard games in postseason career. LB Urlacher is 1st Bear LB since HOFer MIKE SINGLETARY (10) to
be named to 6 Pro Bowls. DE MARK ANDERSON led rookies with 12.0 sacks & set club rookie record. CB-KR-PR Hester
set NFL record with 6 return TDs in season, including 108-yard return of missed field goal to tie longest play in NFL history.
CB RICKY MANNING JR.’s 5 career postseason interceptions currently stands 3rd among active players (RODNEY
HARRISON & TY LAW, 6)…K Gould’s 49-yard OT game-winner ranks as 2nd longest such FG in NFL Playoff history (GARY
ANDERSON at Hou., 12/31/89). Set team record with 32 FGs, converting 88.9 pct. & leading NFL with 143 points.
# # #
NFL-POST-3 1/16/07
FINAL STEP TO SOUTH FLORIDA! SAINTS CONFRONT BEARS,
PATRIOTS TAKE ON COLTS IN CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
“Two wins away from having a ring on my finger for the rest of my life.”
That’s what quarterback REX GROSSMAN exulted after leading the Chicago Bears to victory last Sunday. And that’s
where every player on the four teams competing this weekend in the AFC and NFC Championship Games find themselves –
one win away from Super Bowl XLI in South Florida on February 4 and another victory away from wearing a Super Bowl
championship ring “for the rest of their lives.”
The four teams going for those “two wins”:
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
3:00 PM ET New Orleans Saints (11-6) at Chicago Bears (14-3) (FOX-TV)
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
6:30 PM ET New England Patriots (14-4) at Indianapolis Colts (14-4) (CBS-TV)
The 2006 playoffs through the first two rounds have been the most competitive since the NFL went to the 12-team
format in 1990. The average margin of victory in the eight Wild Card and Divisional games was 7.3 points per game. That is
the lowest point margin since 1990. The previous low was a 9.8-point average in 2003.
The AFC-NFC Championship lineup is an impressive one:
· New England plays in its third championship game in the past four years. Indianapolis plays in its second in that
span.
· The combined winning percentage of the championship teams is .757 (53-17).
· They are a resilient bunch. They come off a Divisional Playoff weekend in which all four games were decided by a
total of 18 points – the fewest since the divisional round began in 1970. Three of the four games were decided by
three points or less – the first time ever in the Divisionals.
· The top two passing offenses of 2006 are featured, led by the two starting Pro Bowl quarterbacks – New Orleans,
No. 1 (DREW BREES) and Indianapolis, No. 2 (PEYTON MANNING).
· The Saints are a resurrected team. In addition to going from “worst to first” in their division, winning it one year after
finishing in last place the year before, they are the first team in history to go to a championship game after losing 13
or more games the year before.
A rundown of the AFC and NFC Championship Games:
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FACTOID
DUNGY & SMITH A FIRST: An NFL milestone will be reached in this Sunday’s championship games.
Two of the four head coaches – TONY DUNGY of Indianapolis and LOVIE SMITH -- are African-Americans. It will mark the
first time in championship game history that African-American head coaches led two of the four teams involved. African-
American head coaches in AFC-NFC Championship Games: Dungy (1999, 2003), DENNIS GREEN (1998, 2000) and ART
SHELL (1990). No African-American head coach has coached in a Super Bowl.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (11-6) at CHICAGO BEARS (14-3) (Sunday, 3:00 PM ET, FOX)
STORYLINE: Top two seeds go at it.
And that’s just the way the No. 1 Bears want it. “This is the matchup we wanted,” says Chicago CB NATHAN VASHER.
“It’s great for us, great for TV, everything. We wanted to see the highest-seeded team and beat the best.”
It’s January at Soldier Field, so the running game should play a big part in this one. Both teams come equipped with RB
tandems. The Saints bring in “the big guy,” as Bears LB BRIAN URLACHER calls him – 6-1, 232-pound DEUCE
MC ALLISTER – and fleet rookie REGGIE BUSH. The pile-moving McAllister rumbled for a Saints playoff-record 143 yards
and two TDs in the Divisional. Bush produced some spectacular moves, including a four-yard TD scamper and a 25-yard run
that set up a field goal.
The Bears have their own ground-eating tandem in THOMAS JONES and CEDRIC BENSON, the second-year runner who
has been worked into the rotation more and more recently. The two combined for 1,857 yards this year and 111 yards (with
two Jones TDs) in the Divisionals.
New Orleans – 6-2 on the road this season – arrives with the league’s No. 1 offense, controlled by the ’06 passing yardage
leader DREW BREES (4,418). His key targets have been WRs MARQUES COLSTON and DEVERY HENDERSON, but the
Bears also will have to keep an eye on TE BILLY MILLER, who, after 129 yards this season, led Saints receivers last
Saturday with 64 yards.
And for all the attention Chicago QB REX GROSSMAN has received – “he’s taken us to 14 wins,” says head coach LOVIE
SMITH -- one stat is overlooked. Grossman’s seven games of 100.0 passer ratings tied PEYTON MANNING for second
most this year in the NFL behind St. Louis’ MARC BULGER with eight.
Grossman’s WR targets are as potent as New Orleans’ – BERNARD BERRIAN (105 yards in the Divisional with a 68-yard
TD catch) and MUHSIN MUHAMMAD.
Championship tidbit: Saints RB REGGIE BUSH can become the fourth Heisman Trophy winner to play in a Super Bowl in
his rookie year, following RB MIKE GARRETT, Kansas City, 1966 season; RB TONY DORSETT, Dallas, 1977; and RB RON
DAYNE, NY Giants, 2000. Only Dorsett won a Super Bowl ring.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (14-4) at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (14-4) (Sunday, 6:30 PM ET, CBS)
STORYLINE: Here we go again!
For the third time in the past four years, the former AFC East rivals – with identical records -- will meet in the playoffs. The
game also marks the seventh time since realignment in 2002 that the clubs have met, including for the second time this
season (27-20 Colts win on November 5). Overall leader during that span? The Patriots, 4-2, including both playoff meetings
(2003 AFC Championship and 2004 AFC Divisional).
What does the Colts quarterback who has started all those games (vs. New England’s TOM BRADY) have to say about
Sunday’s opponent? “The Patriots,” says PEYTON MANNING simply, “are as great a team as there is…ever.”
But the Colts have two things going for them right off: they have won the past two meetings, so they know the winners of
three of the past five Super Bowls are not invincible…and they finally have a home playoff game against New England. It will
be the first AFC Championship contested in a dome.
The meeting will be one full of great positional matchups.
There’s Brady vs. Manning – pitting two of the most-recognized NFL quarterbacks, and the most successful since
realignment in 2002. Manning has won 60 regular-season games since 2002, the most in that span, with Brady at No. 2 with
59. But Brady also comes equipped with a 12-1 playoff record and three Super Bowl titles.
Then there’s the combo running backs. New England has basically split time between COREY DILLON and rookie
LAURENCE MARONEY the whole year. Colts RB DOMINIC RHODES started every game, but JOSEPH ADDAI became the
first rookie in history to rush for 1,000 yards without starting a regular-season game.
Next comes the well-known/getting-to-be-well-known wide receivers. Indy’s MARVIN HARRISON and REGGIE WAYNE
turned in their usual 1,000-yard seasons. New Patriots JABAR GAFFNEY and RECHE CALDWELL have really come on in
the playoffs, with 18 (1 TD) and 12 catches (1 TD), respectively.
Finally, there’s the big question: can the reenergized Colts defense, which finished 32nd against the rush this season, yet
has allowed only 44 and 83 rush yards in two playoff games, replicate this performance against Dillon/Maroney?
Championship tidbit: Patriots QB TOM BRADY has six game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime in the playoffs
since he became a starter in 2001 – the most of any quarterback in that time.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2006 PLAYOFFS
(Home team in CAPS)
WILD CARD WEEKEND
AFC: INDIANAPOLIS 23, Kansas City 8, January 6
NFC: SEATTLE 21, Dallas 20, January 6
AFC: NEW ENGLAND 37, N.Y. Jets 16, January 7
NFC: PHILADELPHIA 23, N.Y. Giants 20, January 7
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS
AFC: Indianapolis 15, BALTIMORE 6, January 13
NFC: NEW ORLEANS 27, Philadelphia 24, January 13
NFC: CHICAGO 27, Seattle 24 (OT), January 14
AFC: New England 24, SAN DIEGO 21, January 14
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sunday, January 21:
NFC: New Orleans Saints (11-6) at Chicago Bears (14-3), 3:00 PM ET (FOX)
AFC: New England Patriots (14-4) at Indianapolis Colts (14-4), 6:30 PM ET (CBS)
SUPER BOWL XLI: Sunday, February 4 at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida, 6:30 PM ET (CBS)
PRO BOWL: Saturday, February 10 at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii, 6:00 PM ET (CBS)
TEAMS MEET in AFC Championship Game for 2nd time in past 4 years & for 3rd time in postseason play. New England is
2-0 against Colts in postseason. This marks 1st time in AFC history that neither top seed has advanced to conference title
game as Indianapolis is 3rd seed & New England is 4th. Since 1970, home teams are 47-25 (.653) in conference
championship games.
PATRIOTS: Team is 5-0 all-time in Conference Championship games since 1970…Among NFL teams w/ at least 10 playoff
games played, NE has 2nd-highest win pct. of .633 (19-11)…Head coach BILL BELICHICK is 13-2 (.867) in career playoff
games, 2nd-best win pct. all-time behind HOFer VINCE LOMBARDI (9-1, .900)…QB TOM BRADY is 12-1 (.923) in career
playoff starts, including 3-0 in Super Bowl. Brady is 1st QB in NFL history to win 12 of his 1st 13 playoff games. Brady has
100+ passer rating in 4 of last 6 playoff games – all 4 were wins. Brady has TD pass in 11 consec. playoff games, 3rdlongest
such streak in NFL history (BRETT FAVRE, 16; HOFer DAN MARINO 13). Brady has started 13 postseason
games & has thrown 0 INTs in 8 of those contests. Only HOFer JOE MONTANA has more postseason starts w/ 0 INTs (9
of 23 career playoff starts). Brady threw 51 times last week vs . SD, becoming 1st player to pass 50+ times in non-OT
postseason game & win (26 previous times resulted in a loss). In two career postseason games indoors, Brady is 2-0 w/ 48
of 75 passing for 499 yards & 4 TDs vs. 1 INT (95.4 passer rating)…RB COREY DILLON has 3 career postseason rushing
TDs for NE, 2 shy of franchise record held by CURTIS MARTIN (5). NE is 36-8 (.818) in games he’s played & 1-4 (.200) in
games he has missed since he joined team in 2004. RB KEVIN FAULK has played in 13 career playoff games, most by RB
in team history…WR JABAR GAFFNEY has 18 catches for 207 yards in two playoff games this season, including 1st two
career 100-yard playoff receiving games, after finishing ’06 regular season w/ 11 receptions for 142 yards. WR RECHE
CALDWELL led team with career-high 65 receptions in regular season…CB ASANTE SMAUEL (10) tied for NFL lead in INTs
in regular season & has INT in 3 of last 4 playoff games, 2 resulting in TDs. Samuel is 1st player in NFL history to score
postseason TDs on interceptions in consecutive seasons. S RODNEY HARRISON is only player in history w/ 25+ sacks
(28.5) & 30+ INTs…Rookie K STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI is 6 of 6 in FG tries in 2 career playoff games. Gostkowski
became 1st rookie to kick a 4th-quarter game-winning FG in postseason since former Baltimore Colts K JIM O’BRIEN
defeated the Dallas Cowboys on last-second FG in Super Bowl V.
COLTS: Team advances to AFC Championship Game for 3rd time in past 12 years. Colts are 2nd AFC team & 6th team
overall since 1970 to advance to conference title game with 4,000-yard passer (QB PEYTON MANNING, 4,397), 1,000-yard
rusher (rookie RB JOSEPH ADDAI, 1,081) & 2 1,000-yard receivers (WR MARVIN HARRISON, 1,366; WR REGGIE
WAYNE, 1,310). Team is 1st No. 3 seed to host conference title game since 3rd-seeded Washington Redskins hosted 5thseeded Minnesota Vikings in 1987. Over past 35 years, Redskins were only other team to hosted postseason game after
road playoff game in previous week. Colts (12-4, 2006; 14-2, 2005; 12-4, 2004; 12-4, 2003) join Dallas (1992-95) as only NFL teams to win 12+ games in 4 consecutive seasons. Defense has allowed just 14 points total in 1st 2 playoff games…
Head coach TONY DUNGY aims to join HOFer MIKE DITKA & TOM FLORES as 3rd person to win Super Bowl as player & head
coach. Dungy has led his teams to playoffs in 8 consecutive seasons…In 2 career playoff games vs. NE, Manning has
thrown 42+ passes in each contest, including a career-postseason high 47 times in 2003 AFC Championship. Manning
owns 5-6 (.455) career record in postseason & looks to advance to his 1st Super Bowl. Manning has posted passer rating of
90.0+ in 3 of last 4 vs. NE. In 5 career games at home vs. NE, has passed for 1,345 yards with 12 TDs & 3 INTs for 99.8
passer rating…Addai is 7th rookie running back in AFC history to rush for over 1,000 yards & lead his team to conference
title game & 1st since JAMAL LEWIS in 2000. He led all rookies w/ 1,081 rush yds, averaging 4.8 yds per carry w/ 7 rush
TDs. Addai finished with 48 rushing yds & 1 TD in regular-season game vs . NE in 2006 mtg…Harrison has 10+ TD catches
in NFL-record 8 consecutive seasons. Manning & Harrison have connected for 106 TD receptions – most in NFL history by
any tandem. Harrison has nine 10+ reception games in 18 career matchups vs . NE & has 7 100-yard receiving games,
including past 2. He finished with 145 yds receiving & 2 TDs in Week 9 victory at NE. Wayne has 15 receptions for 214 rec.
yds in last 2 regular-season games vs . NE…DE DWIGHT FREENEY has 4.0 sacks in his last 4 postseason games. S
ANTOINE BETHEA has 2 INTs in his 1st 2 playoff games…K ADAM VINATIERI has made 34 playoff FGs, most in NFL
postseason history. He has scored in 19 consecutive postseason games, tied for 1st on NFL’s all-time list with HOFer
GEORGE BLANDA. Vinatieri booted 5 FGs last week at Bal., becoming 1st player to kick 5 FGs in 2 postseason games in
a career (2003 AFC Championship Game vs. Ind.).
# # #
GAME FEATURES NFC’s top 2 seeds. Bears (No. 1) won NFC North & Saints (No. 2) won NFC South…Teams meet in
playoffs for 2nd time – Bears defeated Saints 16-6 at Soldier Field on 1/6/91.
SAINTS: Play in 1st Championship Game in team history. Head coach SEAN PAYTON was named AP Coach of Year.
Club has 10-3 (.769) mark in conference, including last week’s win over Eagles. Saints are 1st team in NFL history to reach
Championship Game year after finishing with 13 or more losses…All-Star QB DREW BREES set team records with 4,418
yards & 96.2 passer rating. Had 8 300-yard games, including 510-yard performance. In 2 career playoff games, Brees has
99.0 passer rating with 3 TDs vs. 1 INT, 562 yards & 68.9 comp. pct. (51 of 74). Offense led NFL with 65 plays of 20+ yards.
Team tied for 1st with 16 pass TDs of 20+ yards & 18 total offensive TDs of 20+ yards…RB DEUCE MC ALLISTER led club
with 1,057 rushing yards, his 4th 1,000-yard season in past 5 years. Last week, McAllister rushed for team-postseason
record 143 yards & scored 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.). McAllister is 3rd player in NFL history to rush for 140+ yards & score rush
& rec. TD in playoff game. Last player to accomplish feat was TONY DORSETT (12/28/80). McAllister rushed for 116 yards
in last meeting (10/12/03). Rookie RB REGGIE BUSH had team-best 88 receptions, most in NFL history for rookie RB.
Former Saint CHAD MORTON holds NFL record for most catches in postseason by rookie RB with 15. Bush recorded 2
100-yard receiving games & 100-yard rushing game in season’s final month. Scored on 4-yard rush TD in 1st playoff game.
T JAMMAL BROWN was selected to start in his 1st Pro Bowl… WR MARQUES COLSTON led team with 1,038 yards & is
1st player drafted in 7th round or later to record 1,000 yards in rookie season & had team-best 8 TDs. WR DEVERY
HENDERSON led NFL with 23.3 yards-per-catch avg. (32-745). WR JOE HORN has 4 TD catches in past 4 games vs.
Bears…Pro Bowl DE WILL SMITH led team with career-best 10.5 sacks. DE CHARLES GRANT has recorded sack in 6
games this year & Saints have posted 6-0 mark. Has 2.0 sacks & 2 FFs in past 2 vs. Chi. LB SCOTT FUJITA had 1 INT in
only game vs. Bears (12/28/03 w/ KC). CB FRED THOMAS had INT in last meeting…
BEARS: Team has won 9 NFL championships, most among 2006 playoff participants. Club makes 24th postseason
appearance, tied for 4th-most in NFL history. Head coach LOVIE SMITH earned 1st career playoff victory last weekend.
Smith has guided team to wins in 24 of past 30 games, including playoffs. Smith is 1st head coach to lead Bears to
consecutive division titles since MIKE DITKA. Club posted 12-1 (.923) conference record this season, including
playoffs...Team placed NFC-best 7 players on Pro Bowl team, most by franchise since club had 7 All-Stars in 1986: ST
BRENDON AYANBADEJO (1st), LB LANCE BRIGGS (2nd), K ROBBIE GOULD (1st), DT TOMMIE HARRIS (2nd), rookie
CB-KR-PR DEVIN HESTER (1st), C OLIN KREUTZ (6th) & LB BRIAN URLACHER (6th)…QB REX GROSSMAN’s 282
yards passing vs. Seahawks was 2nd highest total in franchise playoff history (SID LUCKMAN, 286 vs. Wash., 12/26/43).
Grossman has won 17 of 1st 23 career starts & is 14-3 (.824) in past 17…RB THOMAS JONES became 1st Bears RB to
register 2 rushing TDs (9, 7) in playoff game since HOFer WALTER PAYTON in 1979 Wild Card game vs. Eagles. Led club
with 1,210 yards, his 2nd consecutive 1,200-yard season. Jones is 1st Bear since Payton to post back-to-back 1,200-yard
seasons. In past 15 when Jones has more than 20 attempts, club is 14-1 (.933) …WR BERNARD BERRIAN’s 68 yard TD
reception last weekend was 2nd longest playoff reception in club annals (WILLIE GAULT, 75t, at Wash.,12/30/84). WR
MUHSIN MUHAMMAD has posted career (192, 9/13/98) and 3rd highest (179, 12/5/04) single-game receiving totals vs.
Saints. Has 2 100-yard games in postseason career. LB Urlacher is 1st Bear LB since HOFer MIKE SINGLETARY (10) to
be named to 6 Pro Bowls. DE MARK ANDERSON led rookies with 12.0 sacks & set club rookie record. CB-KR-PR Hester
set NFL record with 6 return TDs in season, including 108-yard return of missed field goal to tie longest play in NFL history.
CB RICKY MANNING JR.’s 5 career postseason interceptions currently stands 3rd among active players (RODNEY
HARRISON & TY LAW, 6)…K Gould’s 49-yard OT game-winner ranks as 2nd longest such FG in NFL Playoff history (GARY
ANDERSON at Hou., 12/31/89). Set team record with 32 FGs, converting 88.9 pct. & leading NFL with 143 points.
# # #
LONDON TO HOST NFL REGULAR-SEASON GAME - NFLMedia.com
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
280 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
(212) 450-2000 * FAX (212) 681-7573
WWW.NFLMedia.com
Joe Browne, Executive Vice President-Communications
Greg Aiello, Vice President-Public Relations
LONDON TO HOST NFL REGULAR-SEASON GAME
London will be the venue for the first regular-season NFL game to be played outside North America, the National Football League announced today.
The NFL will stage the first in its new series of international regular-season games in the United Kingdom’s capital city in the fall of 2007. NFL owners voted in October to play up to two games outside the United States every year for the next five years, with the series kicking off with a single game in 2007.
“There is great interest in the NFL around the world,” said NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL. “Playing a limited number of regular-season games outside the United States is the next step for us in serving that interest. This is what our international fans, media partners, and sponsors want. There is no better place to begin this initiative than London. It is one of the
great cities of the world with an established and growing fan base for our game. We are thrilled to bring the excitement of the NFL regular season to the United Kingdom.”
London’s effort to secure the game was supported by Mayor of London KEN LIVINGSTONE, who visited Commissioner Goodell in New York to state the city’s case for staging an NFL game.
“London is proud to host the first competitive NFL game held outside the North American continent,” Mayor Livingstone said. “There are many NFL fans in London – both American and non-American – and this will be a spectacular sporting occasion. The Super Bowl is followed by almost five-million people in the UK. Hosting an NFL game in London will bring more than
10,000 international visitors to the city. London will be working with the NFL to build on this success to ensure that Londoners, NFL fans, international visitors, and the tens of millions who will watch the game on television have a great day of sport and experience London at its best."
London was selected based upon several factors, including general fan interest, current NFL visibility through existing media agreements, the range and quality of large, world-class stadia, including Wembley and Twickenham, the size and value of the overall sports and entertainment market and the potential to build year-round marketing, sponsorship and fan engagement.
More details about the London game – including the venue and participating teams – are expected to be confirmed during Super Bowl week (January 29-February 4) in South Florida.
The NFL staged its first regular-season game outside of the United States in 2005 when 103,467 people saw the Arizona Cardinals play the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City on October 2 – the largest crowd for a regular-season game in NFL history.
# # #
280 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
(212) 450-2000 * FAX (212) 681-7573
WWW.NFLMedia.com
Joe Browne, Executive Vice President-Communications
Greg Aiello, Vice President-Public Relations
LONDON TO HOST NFL REGULAR-SEASON GAME
London will be the venue for the first regular-season NFL game to be played outside North America, the National Football League announced today.
The NFL will stage the first in its new series of international regular-season games in the United Kingdom’s capital city in the fall of 2007. NFL owners voted in October to play up to two games outside the United States every year for the next five years, with the series kicking off with a single game in 2007.
“There is great interest in the NFL around the world,” said NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL. “Playing a limited number of regular-season games outside the United States is the next step for us in serving that interest. This is what our international fans, media partners, and sponsors want. There is no better place to begin this initiative than London. It is one of the
great cities of the world with an established and growing fan base for our game. We are thrilled to bring the excitement of the NFL regular season to the United Kingdom.”
London’s effort to secure the game was supported by Mayor of London KEN LIVINGSTONE, who visited Commissioner Goodell in New York to state the city’s case for staging an NFL game.
“London is proud to host the first competitive NFL game held outside the North American continent,” Mayor Livingstone said. “There are many NFL fans in London – both American and non-American – and this will be a spectacular sporting occasion. The Super Bowl is followed by almost five-million people in the UK. Hosting an NFL game in London will bring more than
10,000 international visitors to the city. London will be working with the NFL to build on this success to ensure that Londoners, NFL fans, international visitors, and the tens of millions who will watch the game on television have a great day of sport and experience London at its best."
London was selected based upon several factors, including general fan interest, current NFL visibility through existing media agreements, the range and quality of large, world-class stadia, including Wembley and Twickenham, the size and value of the overall sports and entertainment market and the potential to build year-round marketing, sponsorship and fan engagement.
More details about the London game – including the venue and participating teams – are expected to be confirmed during Super Bowl week (January 29-February 4) in South Florida.
The NFL staged its first regular-season game outside of the United States in 2005 when 103,467 people saw the Arizona Cardinals play the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City on October 2 – the largest crowd for a regular-season game in NFL history.
# # #
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
"Tom Cruise Coming?" Anatomy Of A Super Bowl Party - Baeur's Hosts "Pure Rush" The Miami Party 2007
BAUER'S PURE RUSH UPDATE - TICKET DISCOUNT. Celebrities from the NFL and Hollywood like The Black Eyed Peas, Troy Aikman and Serena Williams are officially comfirmed for this dual-site party to be held at The Havana Club in Miami at 200 South Biscayne Boulevard, 55th Floor, Miami City Club, Miami, Florida and from 8 PM to 10 PM. This is a TWO SITE PARTY!
The second site for the party is at BRICKS, located at 66 SW 6th Street, Miami. The Premier VIP ticket is $600, but you can buy it for $550 here by clicking on "BAUER'S PURE RUSH SUPER BOWL PARTY" and using the promotional code "sportsbiz".
Last year, my friend Gary Bauer, who owns Bauer’s Limousine based in San Francisco, was a spectator at Super Bowl XL. I should know; he was sitting with me. This year, he worked to "up his game" and become one of the producers of a Super Bowl Party. He's teaming up with the "Pure Rush" party planners to bring about "Baeur's Hosts 'Pure Rush' The Miami Party 2007."
A party of this size calls for one thing: major sponsors. To land them, you have to hype the event and imply that stars like Tom Cruise will be there in full effect. As such, the organizers of the event have put together a cool PDF file that "sells" the event, and even mentions...Tom Cruise. My good friend Beth, who met Gary through me when we all worked on the bid to bring the Super Bowl to Oakland, got an email about sponsorship for the party and forwarded it to me. The PDF starts with this page:
Touted by sports anchor, Andrew Siciliano, Fox
Sports/Radio, "Pure Rush hosted the BEST party at super
Bowl! The hottest girls and best party scene!"
PURE RUSH, known to Athletes, Celebrities, and Media, as some of the greatest producers
of high-profile events, will again host one of its LEGENDARY evenings, in conjunction with
Bauer’s Limousine, Thursday, February 1st, 2007!
The opening event of Super Bowl
weekend, BAUER’s and PURE RUSH will treat the city, athletes, entertainers, corporate
clients, and the media, to a truly unique party experience! Like every PURE RUSH event, a
great mix of superstar athletes and celebrities will be on hand to get the party and Super
Bowl weekend started in style!
"PURE RUSH was by far the best party at Super Bowl," Tony
Bruno, Sporting News Radio.
It's basically a look at the anatomy of a Super Bowl party. (Ok, excuse the pun, but the pict of the party girls came with the sponsorship document I got. I guess they'll be there.) Here's the email below, but note that I've left out full names to protect the participants.
Beth,
Sorry for catching you off guard like that...thanks so much for your help with this!!!
We are thrilled to have BNC PR as our PR firm handling all of our media strategies. With the strength of both our events, Bauer's and Maxim, we know the media coverage will be incredible.
We also have Global Sports securing the celebrities and athletes and ensuring that the VIP experience is first rate.
Listed below are attending guests recap from the Agency after the party in Jacksonville.
Let me know if there is anything else I can get you to help with this... Happy Holidays and we can visit when you get back.
Warmest
Michelle T
Attending Athletes, Celebrities, Guests and Media
The following list includes a sampling of legendary athletes, celebrities, media and guests who attended the event in Jacksonville, Florida.
ATHLETES
Anderson, Alfred NFL (Steelers)
Anderson Cadillac #1 Draft Pick
Anderson, Ottis NFL (Cardinals, Giants) HOST
Augustyniak, Mike NFL (Jets)
AyodeleAkin, NFL (Jaguars)
Bascak, Cris MLB (Mets)
Bettis, Jerome NFL (Steelers)
Brodeur, Martin NHL (Devils)
Brown, Larry NFL (Cowboys)
Brown, Ray NFL (Redskins)
Brown, Troy NFL (Super Bowl Patriots)
Clayton, Mark NFL Draft WR Oklahoma
Crockett, Ray NFL (Broncos)
Culpepper, Daunte NFL (Vikings)
Dennis, Al NFL AD (Seahawks)
Dorsett, Tony NFL(Cowboy's, Bronco's)
Duper, Mark NFL (Dolphins)
Edwards, Braylon NFL projected #4 pick in Draft
Esiason, Boomer NFL (Bengals)
Eller Car lNFL (Vikings)
Elway, John NFL (Broncos)
Faulkner, Len NFL (Seahawks)
Foreman, Chuck NFL (Vikings) (HOST)
Gatling, Chris NBA (Miami Heat)
George, Eddie NFL (Oilers, Titans)
Givens, Drew NFL (Broncos)
Gonzalez, Tony NFL (Chiefs)
Gordon, Jeff NASCAR
Green, David NFL Draft QB Georgia
Hartwell, Ed NFL (Ravens)
Irons, Grant NFL (Raiders)
Jefferson, Roy NFL (Steelers, Redskins)
John-Baptiste, Peter NFL (Giants)
Johnson, Billy "White Shoes" NFL (Oilers)
Jones, Joe "Turkey" NFL (Steelers)
Jones, Julius NFL (Cowboys)
Kelsey, Chris NFL (Bills)
Kennedy, Lincoln NFL (Seahawks)
Lankford, Paul NFL (Dolphins)
Law, Ty NFL (Super Bowl Patriots)
Lee, Larry NFL (Lion's)
Marshall, Grant NHL (Devils)
Martin, Curtis NFL (Jets)
Martin, Kelvin NFL (Cowboys)
May, Ted MLB (Yankee's)
McGruger, “Scooter” Mike NFL (Patriots)
Mecklenburg, Karl NFL (Broncos)
Merriweather, Mike NFL (Vikings)
Moore, Nat NFL (Dolphins)
Mooreman, Brian NFL (Bills)
Morris, Mercury NFL(Dolphins)
Oates, Bart NFL (Giants)
Orton, Kyle NFL Draft QB Purdue
Payton, Eddie NFL (Lion's)
Pisarick, Joe NFL (Eagles)
Pressley, Josh MLB (Royals)
Rein, John NFL (Lion's)
Rogers, Aaron NFL, #1 Draft Pick
Sanders, Dion NFL (Ravens)
Sharpe, Shannon NFL (Broncos)
Sherrard, Mike NFL (49er's)
Smith, Lance NFL (Giants)
Smith, Rod NFL (Broncos)
Smith, Terrelle NFL (Browns)
Stevens, Scott NHL (Devils)
Stewart, Shannon MLB (Twins)
Stinson, Lemuel NFL (Bear's)
Strahan, Michael NFL (Giants)
Swann, Lynn NFL (Steelers)
Taylor, Charlie NFL (Redskins)
Taylor, Lawrence NFL (Giants)
Thomas, Thurman NFL (Bill's, Dolphins)
Vanderjerk, Mike NFL (Colts)
Watters, Ricky NFL (49's, Eagles, Seahawks)
Webb, Spud NBA (Hawks)
White, Jason NFL (Steelers)
Williams, Byron NFL (Giants)
Williams, Doug NFL (Bucs)
Williams, Roland NFL (Raiders)
Woodson, Darrion NFL (Cowboys)
Woodson, Rob NFL (Steelers)
Wright, Eric NFL (49's)
**HONOREE'S**
MEDIA
Berlin, David Fox Sports Net
Acampora, Anthony Sporting News Radio
Allegre, Raul NFL, ESPN
Berman, Chris ESPN
Betesh, Sam Sportscaster, Fox Sports
Calufetti, Larry Sporting News Radio
Cox, Brian NFL/Fox
Dickerson, Greg Fox Sports
Galanty, Katherine Westwood One Radio
Hagen, David Sirus Radio
Holzman, Tami Spike TV/Universal
Kaze, Benji Fox Sports Net
Kucko John Sportscaster
Mammeli, David Fox Sports Net
Martin, Alvaro ESPN
McDowell, Rachel Fox Sports Net
Meyers, Chris Fox Sports
Pavlotis, Nick Sirus Radio
Pilger, Andrew Fox Sports Net
Pressley, Buddy Sporting News Radio
Pressley, Ed Sporting News Radio
Pressley, Howard Sporting News Radio
Rosario, Andrew NY Beacon
Schein, Adam Sirus Radio
Siciliano, Andrew Sportscaster, Fox Sports
Thomas, Cat WAPE-FM
Walker, Doc Pro Preview
White, Joe Jacksonville Magazine
Zimmerman, John Sporting News Radio
COVERAGE
Entertainment Tonight
ABC Affiliate
CBS Affiliate
Detroit Free Press
ESPN
Florida Times Union
Fox 25 News
Inside Edition
Miami Herald
NBC Affiliate
NECN
NFL Network
People Magazine
WBZ-5 Boston
SPECIAL GUESTS
Banner, Joe President, (Eagles)
Baxter, David President, Reebok
Borojevic, Sarita National Football League
Dupree, Mark National Football League
Gabriel, Roman National Football League
Glanzman, Amy National Football League ALUMNI
Goodson, Michael Sports Agent
Jones, Dan Sports Agent, Intersport
Judge, Clayton National Football League
Kurek, Ken Jacksonville 39
Michaelson, Mike Owner (Eagles)
Miller, David Detroit Mayor's Office
Newsome, Mike Preident, Nike
Payton, Connie Wife, Walter Payton
Robinson, Stacy National Football League -PA
Rosenthal, Adam Sports Agent, CSMG
Stahlberger, Ira Sports Agent, Intersport
CELEBRITIES
Affleck, Ben Actor
Coors, Twins Models
Fantone, Joey N'Sync
Hammer, MC Singer
Hawiian Tropic Girls, Models
Lachey, Nick 98°
Lopez, Jennifer Actress
Moore, Melba Singer/Actress
Morris, Nathan Boyz II Men
Popper, John Blues Travelers
Rucker, Darius Hootie & The Blow Fish
Black Eyed Peas
Wilson, Owen Actor
Ying Yang Twins, Group
--------------------------------------------------------------
All I can say is "wow." The sponsorship offers are extensive for the price, which is between $14,000 and $100,000. I'm not the sales person for the event, so I'm not going to go into all of that. But it's cool to be able to look "behind the scenes" of the event before it happens. I'm set to go, so I'll let you know how it turns out.
Monday, January 15, 2007
SUPER BOWL XLI : Miami Hotel Rates Double For Event - NY Times
The Super Bowl Means Super-Size Hotel Rates
By JENNIFER CONLIN - NY TIMES
Published: January 14, 2007
Finding a moderately priced hotel room in Miami during the winter is never easy, but securing one over Super Bowl weekend (Feb. 2 to 5) is a totally different ballgame, regardless of availability.
This weekend, for instance, the rate for a double room at the Miami Airport Holiday Inn is $190. For the night before the Super Bowl , that room goes for $430. At the already pricey Delano, a city view deluxe room that would have cost $775 for last night is more than twice that amount, $1,625, on Feb. 4 (and it’s booked solid). Even the ultraexpensive Setai is requiring guests to stay a minimum of seven nights during Super Bowl week, at $950 a night for a double room.
Robert Tuchman, president of TSE Sports & Entertainment (www.tseworld.com), said his company was selling four-night Super Bowl packages with upper-level game tickets, but without air fare. For example, $5,850 a person gets a double room at the Westin in Fort Lauderdale, while $7,350 a person puts you in a penthouse suite at the Albion South Beach.
(The actual ticket prices are $600 and $700. Most tickets are technically available through the 30 National Football League teams, but are essentially sold out. Brokers charge far more for the tickets.)
“When you couple the Super Bowl with a great location like Miami, hotels can charge five times their normal price,” Mr. Tuchman said, adding that last year’s location, Detroit (featuring the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers, above), was a bit of a bust. “We only sent around 300 people,” he said. “This year, we already have a thousand.”
His packages include an autographed football, a celebrity golf tournament and a Sunday morning chat with a former N.F.L. player or coach.
Loyal N.F.L. team followers might prefer “fan packages,” starting this week, from Sports Traveler (www.sportstraveler.net), a Chicago-based company. It is $6,300 to $7,500, including three or four nights accommodation, reserved game tickets and air fare from your championship team’s city. A required deposit of $200 to $500 is refunded if your team doesn’t make the big game. But, as Mr. Tuchman said, “The Super Bowl has become such a spectacle, most people don’t even come anymore just for the game.”
By JENNIFER CONLIN - NY TIMES
Published: January 14, 2007
Finding a moderately priced hotel room in Miami during the winter is never easy, but securing one over Super Bowl weekend (Feb. 2 to 5) is a totally different ballgame, regardless of availability.
This weekend, for instance, the rate for a double room at the Miami Airport Holiday Inn is $190. For the night before the Super Bowl , that room goes for $430. At the already pricey Delano, a city view deluxe room that would have cost $775 for last night is more than twice that amount, $1,625, on Feb. 4 (and it’s booked solid). Even the ultraexpensive Setai is requiring guests to stay a minimum of seven nights during Super Bowl week, at $950 a night for a double room.
Robert Tuchman, president of TSE Sports & Entertainment (www.tseworld.com), said his company was selling four-night Super Bowl packages with upper-level game tickets, but without air fare. For example, $5,850 a person gets a double room at the Westin in Fort Lauderdale, while $7,350 a person puts you in a penthouse suite at the Albion South Beach.
(The actual ticket prices are $600 and $700. Most tickets are technically available through the 30 National Football League teams, but are essentially sold out. Brokers charge far more for the tickets.)
“When you couple the Super Bowl with a great location like Miami, hotels can charge five times their normal price,” Mr. Tuchman said, adding that last year’s location, Detroit (featuring the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers, above), was a bit of a bust. “We only sent around 300 people,” he said. “This year, we already have a thousand.”
His packages include an autographed football, a celebrity golf tournament and a Sunday morning chat with a former N.F.L. player or coach.
Loyal N.F.L. team followers might prefer “fan packages,” starting this week, from Sports Traveler (www.sportstraveler.net), a Chicago-based company. It is $6,300 to $7,500, including three or four nights accommodation, reserved game tickets and air fare from your championship team’s city. A required deposit of $200 to $500 is refunded if your team doesn’t make the big game. But, as Mr. Tuchman said, “The Super Bowl has become such a spectacle, most people don’t even come anymore just for the game.”
CBS Has Only Sold 70 Percent Of Super Bowl XLI Ads - Mediaweek
January 15, 2007
By John Consoli Mediaweek
NEW YORK -- The Super Bowl has become a super pain for the broadcast networks to sell.
Case in point: CBS this year. With just three weeks to go until kickoff, the network has sold slightly more than 70% of the in-game commercial units. And with a total of 58 spots, the network still has about 16 slots available.
With so much potential revenue and prestige at stake—CBS could take in as much as $140 million on the three-hour game alone, in addition to millions from the six hours of pre-game programming—the three weeks prior to kickoff can generate severe angst for sales teams facing fourth and goal.
One media agency executive described this current Super Bowl selling season: "CBS is definitely in hustle mode, trying to come up with any innovative way possible to move those in-game units."
As the cost of a 30-second spot rises each year, so does the pressure on advertisers to come up with innovative and creative spots that will be talked about and acted upon by the 78 million viewers who tune in. The growing popularity of polls such as USA Today Ad Meter, which have consumers rate the in-game commercials the next day, has become a major factor in the decision-making process of advertisers as to whether or not they should create a spot and run it in the Super Bowl.
One network sales executive, who has sold past Super Bowls, said the next two weeks are crucial for CBS to get a bulk of the remaining units sold before Feb. 5. "It's OK to go into the week before the game with three or four units left, but it can be a real problem if you have more than that," the exec said.
The closer to game day, the more the ad community is in the driver's seat as far as trying to price down the spots because the network cannot sharply lower prices without running the risk of alienating clients who came in early and paid more.
While the remaining spots are mostly in fourth quarter and early birds most likely are in the first half when the attention level is usually higher, no advertiser, regardless of placement, is going to be happy seeing a straggler get in the game at a deep discount.
"There are always Super Bowl units still available at this point, but this year there seem to be more left than the norm," said one media exec, echoing the viewpoint of many contacted for this story.
But John Bogusz, CBS evp-sports sales and marketing, and Tony Taranto, svp of NFL sales at CBS, both insist the network is right where it was sellout level-wise when it televised the Super Bowls in '01 and '04.
"It is getting to be a harder sell, and we do wish more advertisers would embrace it for what it is and take advantage of the huge audience it draws," said Bogusz, acknowledging the harder slog to sell out. Added Taranto, "Advertisers should realize that in addition to the in-game units, those ads are going to be replayed all over the Internet in the days and weeks following the game. Awareness levels for those ads rise every year."
But that heightened awareness of the commercials—not the price tag per spot, which this year ranges anywhere from $2 million to $2.6 million depending on pod location and quantity bought—can be the problem, according to media agencies charged with buying Super Bowl spots for clients.
"The decision an advertiser faces is not a price dilemma," said Marc Goldstein, CEO at media agency MindShare. "The reason advertisers may not go in is because of creative issues. No one wants to run an old commercial in the Super Bowl, so you have to go out and spend money to produce a new one. And the advertiser wants to make sure that this commercial does well in all the recall and opinion polls the next day. Many advertisers feel if they do not have a new product to launch, it is not worth the risk."
By John Consoli Mediaweek
NEW YORK -- The Super Bowl has become a super pain for the broadcast networks to sell.
Case in point: CBS this year. With just three weeks to go until kickoff, the network has sold slightly more than 70% of the in-game commercial units. And with a total of 58 spots, the network still has about 16 slots available.
With so much potential revenue and prestige at stake—CBS could take in as much as $140 million on the three-hour game alone, in addition to millions from the six hours of pre-game programming—the three weeks prior to kickoff can generate severe angst for sales teams facing fourth and goal.
One media agency executive described this current Super Bowl selling season: "CBS is definitely in hustle mode, trying to come up with any innovative way possible to move those in-game units."
As the cost of a 30-second spot rises each year, so does the pressure on advertisers to come up with innovative and creative spots that will be talked about and acted upon by the 78 million viewers who tune in. The growing popularity of polls such as USA Today Ad Meter, which have consumers rate the in-game commercials the next day, has become a major factor in the decision-making process of advertisers as to whether or not they should create a spot and run it in the Super Bowl.
One network sales executive, who has sold past Super Bowls, said the next two weeks are crucial for CBS to get a bulk of the remaining units sold before Feb. 5. "It's OK to go into the week before the game with three or four units left, but it can be a real problem if you have more than that," the exec said.
The closer to game day, the more the ad community is in the driver's seat as far as trying to price down the spots because the network cannot sharply lower prices without running the risk of alienating clients who came in early and paid more.
While the remaining spots are mostly in fourth quarter and early birds most likely are in the first half when the attention level is usually higher, no advertiser, regardless of placement, is going to be happy seeing a straggler get in the game at a deep discount.
"There are always Super Bowl units still available at this point, but this year there seem to be more left than the norm," said one media exec, echoing the viewpoint of many contacted for this story.
But John Bogusz, CBS evp-sports sales and marketing, and Tony Taranto, svp of NFL sales at CBS, both insist the network is right where it was sellout level-wise when it televised the Super Bowls in '01 and '04.
"It is getting to be a harder sell, and we do wish more advertisers would embrace it for what it is and take advantage of the huge audience it draws," said Bogusz, acknowledging the harder slog to sell out. Added Taranto, "Advertisers should realize that in addition to the in-game units, those ads are going to be replayed all over the Internet in the days and weeks following the game. Awareness levels for those ads rise every year."
But that heightened awareness of the commercials—not the price tag per spot, which this year ranges anywhere from $2 million to $2.6 million depending on pod location and quantity bought—can be the problem, according to media agencies charged with buying Super Bowl spots for clients.
"The decision an advertiser faces is not a price dilemma," said Marc Goldstein, CEO at media agency MindShare. "The reason advertisers may not go in is because of creative issues. No one wants to run an old commercial in the Super Bowl, so you have to go out and spend money to produce a new one. And the advertiser wants to make sure that this commercial does well in all the recall and opinion polls the next day. Many advertisers feel if they do not have a new product to launch, it is not worth the risk."
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