1. Players don’t just have to bring their best. Reporters have to too.
I learned this firsthand on the Wednesday availability for Colts practice. I wanted to get Peyton Manning’s comments on his chemistry with fellow New Orleans native Reggie Wayne.
On this day, Manning was at the big podium meaning you had to raise your hand and get the P.R. rep to give you the microphone. I had my hand raised for 15 minutes, then I heard, "That’s all for today guys."
So I got shut out, but luckily Manning talked again on Thursday. This time he was in a wild scrum of reporters where there’s no microphone and basically organized chaos as multiple reporters blurt out questions and you just have to hope Manning hears yours.
When we got to his spot, it was ridiculously crowded so much that our photographer Lance Washington had to stand on a chair about 20 feet out to get a shot. So I fought my way into the crowd, got close to Manning and just started firing away. Finally on about my fifth attempt, Manning heard me and gave me a great answer.
I got Wayne’s comments a day before and put together a piece we ran in our Super Bowl Special Saturday. I was very proud of the story, but the process to get there was a challenge.
2. Super Bowl week and the Super Bowl Sunday are two totally different things
Watching Super Bowl Sunday was one of the greatest experiences of my life, but the week leading up was complete madness!
By the time the game came a lot of us were more relieved than anything else.
Media Day has become a spectacle. So many reporters from all over the world are there asking some really wild questions.
I walked up Devery Henderson in the middle of one of these encounters. A Japanese reporter had just asked him how often he liked to meditate before a game.
Henderson said with an awkward look, "I don’t meditate at all."
The reporter then blankly stared at him for about 15 seconds.
It was a truly bizarre interaction, one that I quickly jumped in the middle of and asked Henderson about Colts running back Joseph Addai.
It was funny to see Henderson’s demeanor change when he was clearly in a situation he was more comfortable with.
Glad I could be of service.
3. Timing is everything
It’s the one issue I had with South Florida hosting the Super Bowl. Everything was so spread out. We had to be in three main spots to cover events that were all in completely different parts of the region. Many days would have to account for nearly two hours of just travel time!
This is why New Orleans has always shined as a Super Bowl host. Everything happens within a few miles of each other. The proximity makes things just slightly easier in what is a very hectic week.
4. The Post Game Celebration
We were there on business, as journalists, not as fans, meaning while we were doing our best to enjoy ourselves we still had a very important job to do. Our days were long and hectic.
But after all the sleepless nights, traffic jams and non-stop editing, standing on the field after the Saints had won their first Super Bowl made it all worth it!
I thought about all those Saints games I saw as a kid. I thought about how I
Rob Ennis and I realized this was a moment that will never happen again! So we snapped a picture on the field holding the Times Picayune. We ran it in our post-game coverage and posted it on our website.
That’s one picture I’ll remember forever.
What a week.
