Media Day? Been there, done that

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Posted: Wednesday January 27, 1999 08:51 AM

MIAMI (CNN/SI) -- Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey described Tuesday's Media and Photo Day as an ordeal.

But he did so with a smile.

The Broncos second consecutive appearance in the Super Bowl meant the players had to find a different way at looking at things. For tight end Shannon Sharpe, that meant he got to ask the questions.

"Do you believe this season that Vinny Testaverde was better than John Elway?" Sharpe asked a reporter. "Yes or no. It's not a trick question."

"It's tied," the reporter answered.

"A tie? This is the Super Bowl game," Sharpe countered. "You can't have a tie in the final game of the season."

Defensive end Harald Hasselbach answered questions in a foreign language. John Elway, though, went right to the point in plain English.

"The bottom line is that once you get through everything and do everything, you realize that is just a football game," Elway said. "You've got to go out and play that football game and be focused on that football game."

With a win, the Broncos would become only the sixth NFL franchise to win back-to-back championships. As seven-point favorites, they are favored to do just that.

You talkin' to me? Not surprisingly, Sharpe again was the highlight of Media Day AP

But a loss would make Denver the first team ever to lose five Super Bowls. Something McCaffrey and the Broncos are well aware of.

"The media attention is great, but if we go out and lay an egg on the field, then all of the media attention gets pretty negative," McCaffrey said. "It's fun and it's exciting. This is something everyone plays their whole career for, to have an opportunity to come down here and play in the Super Bowl. But we still have a game to play."

Then there was the perspective angle. For wide receiver Rod Smith, there was no place he would rather be than Media Day.

"It's cool. Because there is 28 other teams sitting at home that wish they were doing all of this right now," Smith said. "I can deal with it. I can deal with all of the questions."

Now with Media Day behind them, Denver now can focus on the task at hand.

After having Tuesday afternoon off, the Broncos get back to the practice field on Wednesday. They're also looking forward to Thursday when their families finally arrive.

Today's Obscure Statistic: The Falcons are one of six NFL teams Elway has never lost to. The other five? The Cardinals, Ravens, Bengals, Patriots and Panthers.

A Sign the Super Bowl is Getting Out of Hand: Tommy Hilfiger, a designer clothing company, is running a contest offering a "party in the sky" for six lucky winners to watch the Super Bowl from the Hilfiger blimp above Pro Player Stadium.

Quote of the Day: "Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Michael Jordan and Halle Berry. I'd talk to Gates, Buffett and Jordan first, and then me and Halle would go get another table in the back that's candlelit. And I'd let them discuss whatever they want to discuss." -- Sharpe on the four people he would invite to dinner.

 

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