Super Blog

301 Super Blog Live dispatches from Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Find Super Bowl XLIII news, features, anecdotes, photos and videos from Sports Illustrated's team of writers in Tampa.

46201

The SI Staff

21244 New York City NY

http://img.fannation.com/images/layout/profile-headshot.gif NFL Must-See Commercials -- Super Bowl XLIII Must-See Commercials -- Super Bowl XLIII SI.com and FanNation present 20 of the most memorable commercials from Super Bowl XLIII. Which one's your favorite? Have we omitted one of the top challengers? Let us know. 1. SoBe in 3D   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kg-p5Xsct4Y&fmt" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kg-p5Xsct4Y&fmt"></embed> </object>   2. Pepsi Max - "I'm Good"   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GkgZFI4ZT0I" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GkgZFI4ZT0I"></embed> </object> 3. CareerBuilder.com   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/79tMMFja-Fw" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/79tMMFja-Fw"></embed> </object> 4. GoDaddy.com   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/x73F3JDEE6vFYh9ZaC8mRA" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/x73F3JDEE6vFYh9ZaC8mRA"></embed> </object> SI.com and FanNation present 20 of the most memorable commercials from Super Bowl XLIII. Which one's your favorite? Have we omitted one of the top challengers? Let us know. 1. SoBe in 3D   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kg-p5Xsct4Y&fmt" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kg-p5Xsct4Y&fmt"></embed> </object>   2. Pepsi Max - "I'm Good"   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GkgZFI4ZT0I" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GkgZFI4ZT0I"></embed> </object>   3. CareerBuilder.com   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/79tMMFja-Fw" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/79tMMFja-Fw"></embed> </object>   4. GoDaddy.com   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/x73F3JDEE6vFYh9ZaC8mRA" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/x73F3JDEE6vFYh9ZaC8mRA"></embed> </object>   5. Conan O'Brien and Bud Light: Swedish   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/-71LSs4aqZ0HIAp7IqHjcQ" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/-71LSs4aqZ0HIAp7IqHjcQ"></embed> </object>   6. Mr. Potato Head/Bridgestone: Taters   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/G9LC_FtXk_ymxczUJcHqQg" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/G9LC_FtXk_ymxczUJcHqQg"></embed> </object>   7. Bud Light: Meeting   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/SMzd-hXZo2RP0yATGGTsRA" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/SMzd-hXZo2RP0yATGGTsRA"></embed> </object>   8. Land of the Lost starring Will Ferrell   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/E9ZjWtAb4S-sRgp173376g" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/E9ZjWtAb4S-sRgp173376g"></embed> </object>   9. Monster vs. Aliens: Trailer   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/t4MnwN53QsGtWe7wlubznw" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/t4MnwN53QsGtWe7wlubznw"></embed> </object>   10. Hyundai: Angry Bosses   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/nQh9w8l6fWG43UNC5SKUug" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/nQh9w8l6fWG43UNC5SKUug"></embed> </object>   11. Pedigree: Crazy Pets   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/ZrBstZMg038rkxvl_krrDw" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/ZrBstZMg038rkxvl_krrDw"></embed> </object>   12. Bud Light: Drinkability   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/SkProhVH9KCAJhEyFzx-Ww" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/SkProhVH9KCAJhEyFzx-Ww"></embed> </object>   13. H&R Block: Death and Taxes   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/q25gwE7zQhCQRfxlsuXLJQ" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/q25gwE7zQhCQRfxlsuXLJQ"></embed> </object>   14. Doritos: Crystal Ball   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/gRH0EiTipxMgtukuG6Q7VQ" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/gRH0EiTipxMgtukuG6Q7VQ"></embed> </object>   15. Monster: Director of Fandemonium   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/R6gOC_D6yi8RslEHDGLKcA" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/R6gOC_D6yi8RslEHDGLKcA"></embed> </object>   16. CareerBuilder.com: Tips   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/TV-FWh4MLRt3ApOVJMicZA" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/TV-FWh4MLRt3ApOVJMicZA"></embed> </object>   17. Coke Zero: Mean Troy   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/LD_5x181yAJrztHUiK4RXw" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/LD_5x181yAJrztHUiK4RXw"></embed> </object>   18. Taco Bell: Overrated   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/PKMgEJvrCdmhyGoWzBDbsQ" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/PKMgEJvrCdmhyGoWzBDbsQ"></embed> </object>   19. E*Trade: Talking Baby   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/dAdWy2q2sBfiFY1-9wWLzQ" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/dAdWy2q2sBfiFY1-9wWLzQ"></embed> </object>   20. Coke: Heist   <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="425" height="350" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"> <param name="src" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/2FETdaRuy8K3HCHvgi5Olg" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/2FETdaRuy8K3HCHvgi5Olg"></embed> </object> super bowl xliii, super bowl commercials, super bowl ads, SoBe, Pepsi, CareerBuilder.com

2009-01-31T17:10:20-05:00

2009-02-04T07:28:01-05:00

46241

Andrew Perloff

3992 New York NY

546

http://img.fannation.com/images/layout/profile-headshot.gif NFL Cards benefiting from writers' best second-guess Cardinals benefiting from writers' best second-guess <div class="photo_container image_right"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jim_trotter/01/31/halloffame.picks/T1_0131_hineslowrance.jpg" alt="Double Click to select a Photo" width="298" height="397" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align:right;">Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward are both set to play Sunday. G Newman Lowrance/Getty Images</div> </div> TAMPA, Fla. -- Every elevator you get on, every line you wait in, any time you're around anyone with an NFL connection, you're hearing one of two conversations: "I think the Cardinals can win," or "I like the Steelers, but you never know. Just look at the Giants last year." On paper, the Steelers are the clear favorites, but a lot of writers and players I chatted with are gun-shy about the favorites. More than 75 percent of them think the Steelers will win, but they're very careful to qualify their pick. And very few people are talking about a Steelers blowout. I don't think all the Steelers-related caution has much to do with the actual matchup. Nothing has changed on paper. Hines Ward and Ben Roethlisberger are both healthy and ready to go and Pittsburgh appears to be as focused as ever. With two weeks between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl, sportswriters have had a lot of time to talk themselves into a new story. A lot of them have been burned by the Giants last year and the Cardinals in the postseason. Those bad predictions are probably more influential on game picks than any kind of X's and O's analysis. Obviously, Cardinals fever isn't just hitting Tampa. The point spread moved from 7 to 6 ½ and people who bet money line -- which is based on odds, not a point spread -- are reportedly much heavier on Arizona. If the Cardinals do win, there will be a lot of people who say "I told you so." Even the ones who officially chose the Steelers. <div class="photo_container image_right"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jim_trotter/01/31/halloffame.picks/T1_0131_hineslowrance.jpg" alt="Double Click to select a Photo" width="298" height="397" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align:right;">Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward are both set to play Sunday. G Newman Lowrance/Getty Images</div> </div> TAMPA, Fla. -- Every elevator you get on, every line you wait in, any time you're around anyone with an NFL connection, you're hearing one of two conversations: "I think the Cardinals can win," or "I like the Steelers, but you never know. Just look at the Giants last year." On paper, the Steelers are the clear favorites, but a lot of writers and players I chatted with are gun-shy about the favorites. More than 75 percent of them think the Steelers will win, but they're very careful to qualify their pick. And very few people are talking about a Steelers blowout. I don't think all the Steelers-related caution has much to do with the actual matchup. Nothing has changed on paper. Hines Ward and Ben Roethlisberger are both healthy and ready to go and Pittsburgh appears to be as focused as ever. With two weeks between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl, sportswriters have had a lot of time to talk themselves into a new story. A lot of them have been burned by the Giants last year and the Cardinals in the postseason. Those bad predictions are probably more influential on game picks than any kind of X's and O's analysis. Obviously, Cardinals fever isn't just hitting Tampa. The point spread moved from 7 to 6 ½ and people who bet money line -- which is based on odds, not a point spread -- are reportedly much heavier on Arizona. If the Cardinals do win, there will be a lot of people who say "I told you so." Even the ones who officially chose the Steelers. arizona cardinals pittsburgh steelers super bowl new york giants hines ward ben roethlisberger

2009-01-31T20:34:25-05:00

2009-02-01T12:17:35-05:00

46141

SI.com's Blog

99587 New Hartford CT

http://img.fannation.com/images/layout/profile-headshot.gif NFL Just ignore CBA talk for now Roger Goodell faced few CBA questions in his address.AP By Don Banks, SI.com TAMPA -- I know three words guaranteed to make you stop reading this blog, and they would be:… <div class="photo_container image_right"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/22181/roger-goodell-blog.jpg" alt="Roger-goodell-blog" width="298" height="300" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align: left;">Roger Goodell faced few CBA questions in his address. AP</div> </div> By Don Banks, SI.com TAMPA -- I know three words guaranteed to make you stop reading this blog, and they would be: collective bargaining agreement. See. Told you. (Hey, where'd you go?) At his annual state of the league news conference on Friday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was peppered with no fewer than 10 questions centering on the upcoming labor showdown with the league's players union. The current CBA expires in 2011, and if no new agreement is in place by March of 2010, that season would be played without a salary cap. But here's the only thing that matters about all that: All that stuff would happen in either 2010 or 2011, and we're still early in 2009. In other words, it's all a bunch of blah, blah, blah until a legitimate deadline looms, so feel free to ignore everything about the NFL's labor situation until then. And I can't stress that enough. Absolutely nothing happens in the NFL in terms of negotiations until it absolutely has to. So all the time and energy that was spent this week discussing the players union-commissioned study regarding the average team's profits and the NFL's refuting of those figures was just wasted effort. <div class="photo_container image_right"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/22181/roger-goodell-blog.jpg" alt="Roger-goodell-blog" width="298" height="300" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align: left;">Roger Goodell faced few CBA questions in his address. AP</div> </div> By Don Banks, SI.com TAMPA -- I know three words guaranteed to make you stop reading this blog, and they would be: collective bargaining agreement. See. Told you. (Hey, where'd you go?) At his annual state of the league news conference on Friday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was peppered with no fewer than 10 questions centering on the upcoming labor showdown with the league's players union. The current CBA expires in 2011, and if no new agreement is in place by March of 2010, that season would be played without a salary cap. But here's the only thing that matters about all that: All that stuff would happen in either 2010 or 2011, and we're still early in 2009. In other words, it's all a bunch of blah, blah, blah until a legitimate deadline looms, so feel free to ignore everything about the NFL's labor situation until then. And I can't stress that enough. Absolutely nothing happens in the NFL in terms of negotiations until it absolutely has to. So all the time and energy that was spent this week discussing the players union-commissioned study regarding the average team's profits and the NFL's refuting of those figures was just wasted effort. As I put it to Steelers owner Dan Rooney just after the commissioner's news conference, we've got miles to go before we sleep, so why are we even talking about this now? "Yeah, that's correct," said Rooney, who's been around the NFL longer than face masks. "Nothing happens anywhere, in any negotiation, until the last minute. It's always that way. In all negotiations. Whether it's players contracts, the economy, banks, everything. It doesn't happen until the end. "And we're not there yet. You have to get to the table, and they (the NFLPA) don't even have a leader yet. We have to see who it is [that replaces the deceased Gene Upshaw], and then we'll work with that person and get people to sit down and be reasonable and work things out." NFL fans don't care or want to hear about how the money gets divided between the owners and the players. For the sake of us all, the players and the league should lock themselves behind closed doors and make the next time they talk publicly about the CBA be at the news conference announcing a new deal. Both sides took time this week at the Super Bowl to ramp up the rhetoric and the posturing, even though they know it's more than a year before anything is really going to get done. What was the point? With the economy still tanking, you better believe nobody's feeling anyone's pain in the high-moneyed world of NFL owners and players. Don't forget, we've got a long way to go on this story, and none of the prologue really matters. Check SI.com's <a href="/si_blogs/super_bowl_blog" target="_blank">Super Blog</a> regularly for more dispatches from Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa.

2009-01-31T14:39:28-05:00

2009-01-31T14:42:39-05:00

46121

Arash Markazi

3987 Los Angeles CA

118

http://img.fannation.com/images/layout/profile-headshot.gif NFL Super Bowls don't define careers A lack of a Super Bowl ring hasn't hurt Barry Sanders.Damian Strohmeyer/SI TAMPA -- The Super Bowl has often been called a career-defining game. A night when legacies are… <div class="photo_container image_right"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/22162/barry-sanders-superblog.jpg" alt="Barry-sanders-superblog" width="298" height="300" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align: left;">A lack of a Super Bowl ring hasn't hurt Barry Sanders. Damian Strohmeyer/SI</div> </div> TAMPA -- The Super Bowl has often been called a career-defining game. A night when legacies are built or tarnished. A moment where you can forever be known as a hero or a goat. While I agree that winning the Super Bowl is the pinnacle of any NFL player's career, I've always felt it was overrated in terms of defining someone's career. Think about it. How do you remember Washington Redskins running back Timmy Smith, who had the greatest single rushing game in Super Bowl history with 204 yards on 22 carries in Super Bowl XXII? Where does Barry Switzer, who won Super Bowl XXX, and became only the second coach to win both a Super Bowl and national championship rank on your list of the greatest NFL coaches? Does anybody remember that cornerback Larry Brown, who teammates joked couldn't catch a cold, was a Super Bowl MVP? Now I'm not saying that winning a Super Bowl can't put the exclamation point on a great career like John Elway's, but it certainly won't make me look at Trent Dilfer any different.  <div class="photo_container image_right"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/22162/barry-sanders-superblog.jpg" alt="Barry-sanders-superblog" width="298" height="300" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align: left;">A lack of a Super Bowl ring hasn't hurt Barry Sanders. Damian Strohmeyer/SI</div> </div> TAMPA -- The Super Bowl has often been called a career-defining game. A night when legacies are built or tarnished. A moment where you can forever be known as a hero or a goat. While I agree that winning the Super Bowl is the pinnacle of any NFL player's career, I've always felt it was overrated in terms of defining someone's career. Think about it. How do you remember Washington Redskins running back Timmy Smith, who had the greatest single rushing game in Super Bowl history with 204 yards on 22 carries in Super Bowl XXII? Where does Barry Switzer, who won Super Bowl XXX, and became only the second coach to win both a Super Bowl and national championship rank on your list of the greatest NFL coaches? Does anybody remember that cornerback Larry Brown, who teammates joked couldn't catch a cold, was a Super Bowl MVP? Now I'm not saying that winning a Super Bowl can't put the exclamation point on a great career like John Elway's, but it certainly won't make me look at Trent Dilfer any different.  Draw up a list of the NFL's greatest running backs and Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Gale Sayers and Eric Dickerson quickly come to mind. There is only one Super Bowl ring amongst those four players and it came towards the end of Payton's career. Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher and three-time Super Bowl winner, is rarely rated as one top three backs despite playing his best in the biggest games. Franco Harris and his four rings have a tough time even breaking into most top 10 lists. How many people would rank Troy Aikman or Terry Bradshaw, who have seven Super Bowl championships between them, ahead of Dan Marino or Brett Favre, who have only one Super Bowl ring between them? It's not a knock on the Super Bowl. If anything it's testament to a rare level of perspective by analysts and fans alike to not put too much emphasis on one game no matter how big it is. Check SI.com's <a href="/si_blogs/super_bowl_blog" target="_blank">Super Blog</a> regularly for more dispatches from Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa.

2009-01-31T12:29:33-05:00

2009-02-01T13:43:24-05:00

46081

Peter King

76278 New York NY

http://img.fannation.com/images/layout/profile-headshot.gif NFL Tomlin keeping Steelers loose Mike Tomlin is keeping the Steelers loose at practice.AP I've just finished my three-day stint as the Pittsburgh Steelers pool reporter for the Pro Football Writers' of… <div class="photo_container image_right"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/22141/p1.tomlin.jpg" alt="P1" width="300" height="300" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align: left;">Mike Tomlin is keeping the Steelers loose at practice. AP</div> </div> I've just finished my three-day stint as the Pittsburgh Steelers pool reporter for the Pro Football Writers' of America and my overwhelming observation after watching them practice for over six hours this week is that they're a loose and football-loving team. They really have a lot of fun at practice. There's an adage that some old coach once told his team. "Have fun out there." That's the school of coaching Mike Tomlin went to. He has no problem jawing and laughing with players before and after plays during practice. He must make some form of contact with at least three quarters of his roster in some way -- either with a barb or an arm around the shoulder and a piece of advice, or a pointed coaching principle. I've seen Bill Belichick and Tony Dungy up close and personal as a pool reporter over the last few years, and their teams absolutely got all their work done. But I can tell you this: they didn't laugh as much as the '09 Steelers. <div class="photo_container image_right"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/22141/p1.tomlin.jpg" alt="P1" width="300" height="300" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align: left;">Mike Tomlin is keeping the Steelers loose at practice. AP</div> </div> I've just finished my three-day stint as the Pittsburgh Steelers pool reporter for the Pro Football Writers' of America and my overwhelming observation after watching them practice for over six hours this week is that they're a loose and football-loving team. They really have a lot of fun at practice. There's an adage that some old coach once told his team. "Have fun out there." That's the school of coaching Mike Tomlin went to. He has no problem jawing and laughing with players before and after plays during practice. He must make some form of contact with at least three quarters of his roster in some way -- either with a barb or an arm around the shoulder and a piece of advice, or a pointed coaching principle. I've seen Bill Belichick and Tony Dungy up close and personal as a pool reporter over the last few years, and their teams absolutely got all their work done. But I can tell you this: they didn't laugh as much as the '09 Steelers. A wise guy might ask, are the Steelers too loose? Are they taking this gig seriously enough? I was assured by backup quarterback Charlie Batch that this is not a flippant, lack-of-respect thing. This is just how they are every week at practice. Check SI.com's <a href="http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/super_bowl_blog" target="_blank">Super Blog</a> regularly for more dispatches from Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa. Pittsburgh Steelers, Charlie Batch, Mike Tomlin

2009-01-30T19:08:49-05:00

2009-02-01T13:43:44-05:00