5 Things To Know From Monday's Super Bowl Scene
DENNIS WASZAK Jr., AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks are all settled in for Super Bowl week.
Next up: media day.
And who knows what will be heard — or seen — on Tuesday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
After two days of minimal media appearances, the AFC and NFC champions will face hordes of reporters looking to further break down the matchup between the Broncos' top-ranked offense and the Seahawks' No. 1 defense.
Oh, and there will also be plenty of non-journalist types, celebrities and wacky wardrobes to create the spectacle that has become a media day staple.
"We want to enjoy the moment, but you never forget why you're here and we're here to play the biggest game in football," Seahawks tackle Russell Okung said Monday. "That's what we're here for. We stay true to who we are and while we're here, all those distractions won't get in our way."
Both teams got their first practices in, with the Broncos working at the New York Jets' facility in Florham Park, N.J., and the Seahawks at the Giants' training center in East Rutherford, N.J.
"It's been pretty unusual for a trip like this, just getting used to everything," Seattle tight end Zach Miller said.
Here's a quick look at a few of the Super Bowl story lines from Monday:
NEW YORK-NEW JERSEY REDUX? Jonathan Tisch, a co-owner of the New York Giants and co-chairman of the Super Bowl Host Committee, wants the NFL's big game to return to the area every 10 years.
This will be the first Super Bowl played outdoors in a cold-weather site, and Tisch believes it will be a huge success. And not just on the field. Tisch said holding the game in New York and New Jersey is expected to generate $550 million to $600 million for the region.
"This is a legacy that will live beyond the game itself," Tisch said. "For years to come, young people, men and women will feel this game was important for the region. And hopefully, when we do all the tallying in the weeks to come, the other 30 owners will say to themselves, if there is a chance to do this again, Super Bowl 48 in New York and New Jersey was a huge success. Let's try to do this once every 10 years."
MARIJUANA STUDY: Seattle coach Pete Carroll supports Commissioner Roger Goodell's message last week that the league could consider medicinal marijuana as a treatment if science proved it could benefit players who have sustained concussions.
While there are some stigmas attached to marijuana use, Carroll believes the medicinal value should be fully researched.
"The world of medicine is trying to do the exact same thing and figure it out," he said, "and they're coming to some conclusions."
STEPPING AWAY? Denver quarterback Peyton Manning isn't ready to retire, even if he wins the Super Bowl. But Broncos teammate Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie might be.
The 27-year-old cornerback is giving serious consideration to hanging it up after Sunday's game, even though he's in his playing prime.
"I had a goal of playing five years," Rodgers-Cromartie said, "and I reached that."
He already plans to go back to college, study psychology and become a guidance counselor at his old high school — whenever he does walk away.
"I had my fun in this league," he said.
NO NAMES, BIG GAMES: For all the megastars and All-Pros in the Super Bowl such as Manning, a handful of hardly household names could have a major impact for their teams.
You know, kind of how Washington running back Timmy Smith did in 1987 or Dallas cornerback Larry Brown in 1996.
Denver defensive tackle Terrance Knighton is one, signed as a free agent after four mostly nondescript years with Jacksonville. He's coming off a big-time performance in the AFC championship game against New England. That's after the man nicknamed "Pot Roast" for his rotund physique was buried on the Broncos' depth chart in training camp.
"It is going to be based on your performance, where you are on the depth chart, how much you are going to play," coach John Fox said. "All of those things, you earn or don't earn. Really, everything Terrance has done, he did (himself)."
Other players to watch for on Sunday include Seattle's Jermaine Kearse, Michael Robinson and Malcolm Smith, and Denver's Manny Ramirez and Paris Lenon.
WHAT'S THE WEATHER? The forecast for Sunday's game remains a hot topic of conversation because of how chilly it might be.
On Monday, the area saw relatively mild temperatures with a high of 44 degrees and partly sunny skies. But then the clouds rolled in and so did a frosty wind, dropping the temperature to 22 by the early evening.
That's nothing, though. The forecast for Tuesday is for a high of 20 with wind chills making it feel below zero in the morning.
As for Sunday, National Weather Service meteorologist Anthony Gigi said the current forecast calls for temperatures to reach a high of 39 with a low of 27 — with little threat of snow or rain.
"It's not going to distract us," Miller said of his Seahawks. "It's not going to be any reason why we don't win on Sunday."
___
AP Pro Football Writers Arnie Stapleton and Barry Wilner, and AP Sports Writers Tim Booth, Tom Canavan and Rachel Cohen contributed to this report.
___
AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org
(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
