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Lance Bass, Jimmy Johnson, and Other Super Bowl Legends

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NFL Super Bowl – PHOENIX—What do Jimmy Johnson, Tom Brady, and Lance Bass have in common? They are all Super Bowl legends in their own ways. And Walkthrough crossed paths with at least two of them during a typically blurry, boozy week of Super Bowl coverage.

Pre-Dawn in the Desert

It’s 5 a.m. on Tuesday. My Philly brain insists it’s 7 a.m. Time to wake up.

Aaron Schatz is still snoozing on the opposite side of the room. Life lesson, long ago learned: never awaken a boss or a spouse while traveling, unless the hotel is on fire. No worries. Clothes are laid out. Phone. Charger. Credential. Laptop. Wallet. Pre-purchased bottle of iced coffee. Off to the lobby.

Oops. Forgot my glasses. Gotta go back up.

Oops. This is Aaron’s wallet, which incidentally is the size and weight of a beanbag chair. I should have noticed. Also, I left my keycard in my wallet. Aaron did not leave his keycard in his wallet; there was no room between the Van Gogh and the Steinway. The keycard is necessary to operate the elevator. Government ID is necessary to acquire a new keycard, and all the government ID in my possession claims I am Aaron Schatz.

Super Bowl week is proceeding exactly as planned.

Fortunately, I have my credential, and the NFL is essentially a government these days, right?

Jimmy Johnson’s Super Bowl Memories

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson spoke to the media on Tuesday, and Walkthrough grabbed all sorts of thoughts and observations to spice up future articles. But Johnson shared one anecdote that Buffalo Bills fans might find … well, “entertaining” may not be the right word.

“I don’t think I ever coached a game—regular-season game, college, pro, high school—where I was as confident about winning as the first Super Bowl against Buffalo,” Johnson said.

“I told our team the night before the game: guys, they turn the ball over too much. We don’t turn the ball over. We’re gonna be conservative to start the game. But once they start turning the ball over, then we’re going to open it up to Michael [Irvin] and Alvin [Harper].

“So the day of the game, I walked into my staff before the pre-game meal and said, ‘Guys, get ready for a ring, because we’re fixing to win the Super Bowl.'”

Johnson is talking about Super Bowl XXVII, where the Cowboys obliterated the Bills 52-17. The Bills actually started that game with a blocked punt by Steve Tasker, followed by a Thurman Thomas touchdown. But Jim Kelly threw an interception on the next Bills possession, which turned into a Cowboys touchdown, then suffered a strip-six at the hands of Charles Haley (strip) and Jimmie Jones (score).

Two more Bills turnovers helped the Cowboys mount a 28-10 lead, but it’s unclear whether Johnson ever “opened things up”: the Cowboys kept getting the ball in Bills territory, and one of the Cowboys’ biggest plays of the first half was a 38-yard Emmitt Smith run.

Anyway, Johnson’s premonition proved broadly true. Or maybe he is remembering things a certain way. But the old days in which Super Bowl routs were the exception, not the rule, are long gone. Neither Andy Reid nor Nick Sirianni will be thinking before the game that Super Bowl LVII is in the bag. No media member and few fans expect a blowout either way.

Also, it would really be fun to see another Cowboys-Bills Super Bowl.

Time Zones, Mind Zones

It’s 7:10 a.m. on Wednesday. Mountain time, not Eastern time. I overslept, or normal slept, or something.

The media party was at The Farm at South Mountain. Oh goodie, they are taking us to a farm upstate where we can romp and play with the other sportswriters, just like … [eyes mist up] OK, still too soon for that joke. But the cocktails were free, the appetizers appetizing, the s’mores incendiary. We huddled around a firepit for warmth. How come no one told us that it got cold in the desert at night, besides every movie, television show, and book about the desert that we ever watched or read?

What time is that Eagles podcast I am appearing on? 9:20 a.m. No worries.

Wait: 9:20 Eastern, 7:20 Mountain. Oh dear dear dear dear dear.

Pants. Shirt. Bottled coffee. Glasses! My wallet! Media center? No time. Podcast in the lobby, yammering about Jalen Hurts with a Category 2 hangover while business travelers try to caffeinate. Then off to Media Row for several radio and podcast stings, which I carefully lined up for precisely 2:30 Eastern, 1:30 Central, and 12:30 Mountain so I could easily pick them off one by one.

Yep, that plan went off perfectly, without a hitch.

Tom Brady, Labor Firebrand

Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin received the NFL Players Association Alan Page Community Service Award on Wednesday. As union Executive Director DeMaurice Smith stated at the NFLPA press conference, Hamlin started the 2022 season with a goal of raising $2,500 on his GoFundMe for a toy drive and some youth camps. After Hamlin’s terrifying on-field injury late in the season, over $9 million poured into his charity.

“Giving back to my community has always been a big part of who I am,” Hamlin said. “I owe that to my father, who is standing right behind me: watching him while growing up doing community days, I was waiting for my time when it came.

“One of my favorite quotes is, ‘It’s a blessing to be a blessing.’ With that being said, I plan to never take this position for granted, and always have an urgent approach to making a difference in the community that I come from, and communities across the world.”

Smith and NFLPA president J.C. Tretter went on to discuss various union issues, and their thoughts and remarks will be used to inform and spruce up some future content. But Smith took a moment to recognize someone who doesn’t typically come across as a pro-labor firebrand.

“Tom Brady was always a union guy from the beginning,” Smith said. “I remember the first time that I came to the Pats for a team meeting. First, I got stopped at the door, because they didn’t know who I was, which, frankly, throughout my career hasn’t changed. I walked through the tunnel figuring out where the team room was. I made a right turn, and there was Tom Brady.”

“I said, ‘um, um, hi.’ And he said, ‘Hi. I’m Tom Brady.’ And, I’m like, well, ‘I know. I’m Dee Smith. By the way, why are you here?'”

“He said, ‘You know what? You’re our leader, and I thought it was important to introduce you to the team.'”

“When we got locked out, Tom was the first quarterback to sign up to sue the league. That case was Brady, Brees, Manning, and the others because of the tremendous amount of leadership, not only from our senior players and high-profile players, but of all the players in the National Football League.”

It’s easy to forget how long, complicated, and scary the 2011 offseason lockout was. It was no foregone conclusion that the 2011 season would be played. Anyone who has ever served as labor leadership knows how fragile a coalition a workforce can be: the folks who thump their chests about striking forever are the first ones to break ranks the moment they miss a paycheck.

It takes leadership from the truly indispensable members to maintain any semblance of solidarity during a work stoppage. Many rank-and-file players surely felt emboldened to stay strong until the eve of training camp knowing Brady and the others were on their side. The NFLPA didn’t exactly triumph in that lockout, but labor rarely does these days, and at least it did not melt the way some owners believed it would.

Smith is looking to retire soon. Perhaps Brady could replace him. Brady needs something to keep him busy. And labor negotiations are a fine way to scratch that competitive itch.

High Atop Media Row

One corner of Media Row smells like weed. I’m not saying which one, lest someone get in trouble with their sponsors or outlet.

The Media Party also smelled like weed, except for the region around the cigar table, or around Heavy.com’s Matt Lombardo after he partook of the cigar table. Cannabis is legal here, as it is in the great state of New Jersey, but I missed the memo declaring that cocktail hour had been replaced by the Hybrid Flower Power Hour. C’mon people: there are vapes, gummies, and cannabis-infused fruit-rollups these days. You can enjoy a little buzz without smelling like a casualty of the Skunk Wars.

At least Opening Night didn’t smell like weed. Everyone already acts high there. That would be putting a hat on a hat.

We’re probably five years away from a pre-rolled joint station next to the cigar table and a giant Curaleaf-sponsored studio on Media Row where some stoned-out-his-gourd ex-punter can interview Marshawn Lynch about his latest strain. Sound implausible? So did DraftKings and FanDuel booths on Media Row back when I started doing this, when the NFL still thought daily fantasy was the devil’s arugula.

No no no, dear snickering reader, I did not partake. I’d be a lot less hungover if I did.

Media Row (formerly Radio Row, before three-quarters of the denizens began producing podcasts and/or video content) may smell funny, but by Wednesday it looked and sounded like Media Row again, not the COVID-ravaged ghost town I wandered through in Los Angeles. The former players, publicists, attention-seekers, and lookie-loos were all back, as were many familiar faces with welcoming smiles, happy to be back to the grind.

Media Row may still only be operating at 80% of pre-pandemic capacity, but that’s more than enough hoopla for the sober mind. Most of what we do during Super Bowl week boils down to noisy, disposable nonsense: a week-long carnival of manufactured spectacle. But who doesn’t love a carnival? Especially after a drink or toke or two.

To find something a little more substantive, it’s best to stray just a little off the beaten path.

Inclusivity and Acceptance

The NFL and GLAAD (the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) partnered to host a combination party/symposium on Wednesday night to address LGBQT issues in sports. The guest of honor and master of ceremonies: singer/actor/entertainer/football fan Lance Bass.

“I look at my husband right there,” Lance said in his opening remarks, “and I think, 20 years ago, when I was in the Super Bowl halftime show, I could not imagine taking my husband there. I would have felt unwanted. It makes me so happy to be here, out and proud, with the one that I love.”

We’ll address the serious issues in a moment. But first: wait, N’Sync performed at the Super Bowl 20 years ago? Actually, it was 22 years ago. How did I age 33 years in that span while Bass only aged 11 at the most? He probably doesn’t consider mac ‘n’ cheese a vegetable.

Now back to the subject at hand: GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis took a moment before the event to tell me why the NFL’s partnership with GLAAD is so important.

“LGBQT people like sports too. We play sports. We’re fans, across the board. And we’re in a time where youth sports has been politicized, especially when it comes to the LGBQT community.

“There have been over 300 anti-LGBQT bills proposed since January 1: 200 of them are against trans youth. Kids. Little kids. And a lot of them have to do with them being allowed to play sports with their friends. It’s unnecessary and it’s harmful. And it’s built on hysteria and fear. So having the NFL and the Super Bowl stand up for LGBQT unity and rights is extremely important.”

It’s easy to be cynical about NFL lip service, make some snarky remark about Tony Dungy and enjoy the feeling of moral superiority. Hey, you noticed that huge money-making industries are often hypocritical: great insight.

It’s much harder to see the impact that homophobia and anti-trans policies and rhetoric have on young people and choose not to amplify a message of inclusivity and hope.

Hampton cornerback Byron Perkins, the first openly gay player at an HBCU institution, said that he expected “nuclear warfare” when he came out. Instead, he received nothing but love and support from family, coaches, and teammates. As Bass noted, times have changed, but it’s more important than ever to keep them from changing back: too many non-binary children face devastating hatred within their communities, congregations, schools, and homes, and that can have dire consequences.

“At the end of the day, this is going to save somebody’s life,” Perkins said.

That’s the power of a positive message.

Homeward Bound

Thursday morning, 6 a.m. My notebook and mini recorder are full. My expense account is groaning. There are still livestreams to record and radio appearances to make, but my thoughts have returned home. Super Bowl week is exhausting, yet energizing. I’m ready for the big game. But I am even more ready for a nap, preferably in my own bed.

Have you followed my journey this week? There are interviews with Eagles players about the quarterback sneak, interviews with Chiefs rookie cornerbacks about their growth this year, and musings from Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on Joe Burrow and Tom Brady, plus memories of Super Bowls past. It’s a privilege to share these tales, and I will be back on Monday morning with thoughts about the actual game.

The sun has risen. The media workroom is open. Time to seize one more day of Super Bowl week.



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