SUPER BOWL CONFIDENTIAL
SAN DIEGO – Even as kickoff for Super Bowl XXXVII approached here yesterday, Keyshawn Johnson couldn’t resist launching another salvo at the Jets.
This time the target was offensive coordinator Paul Hackett, a former head coach at Johnson’s alma mater, USC.
“[USC] made the right decision when they hired Pete Carroll. He really replaced a guy [Hackett] that I felt didn’t deserve the job in the first place.
“[Hackett] was not a very good college coach. He may be a fine defensive coordinator, but in terms of being able to have a relationship with younger guys and recruit on a large scale, he didn’t do a good job.”
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How about this for a promise unlikely to be kept?
Johnson vowing never to speak to the media again.
That pronouncement, made a couple days ago in an online diary, is as likely to happen as snow covering Qualcomm Stadium field last night.
“You can write the headline now: ‘Keyshawn not talking to the media for the next three years,’ ” Johnson said. “I’m announcing it right here that I am officially through with the media.”
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Is bigger better than faster?
That question was going to be answered last night with the mammoth Raiders’ offensive line poised to smash the smaller, quicker Buccaneers’ front four.
Tampa Bay’s front four of DTs Warren Sapp (6-2, 303) and Chartric Darby (6-0, 270) and DEs Greg Spires (6-1, 265) and Simeon Rice (6-5, 268) average just 276½ pounds.
Meanwhile, Oakland’s OL of center Adam Treu (6-5, 300), guards Frank Middleton (6-4, 330) and Mo Collins (6-4, 325) and tackles Lincoln Kennedy (6-6, 335) and Barry Sims (6-5, 300) averages 322 pounds, some 45½ pounds more than Tampa Bay’s front four.
“The way [our offensive line] played this year has been unbelievable,” Raiders’ QB Rich Gannon said. “They made my job a lot easier.”
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Among the numerous there-to-be seen celebrities at Playboy’s fourth annual “Super Saturday Night” bash, which took place at “The House of Hospitality” in Balboa Park, were Giants’ TE Jeremy Shockey and RB Tiki Barber.
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If you looked closely on the field last night when the Buccaneers had the ball, you could spot a Tampa player wearing No. 30. It was Darian Barnes. If that name is familiar to Giants fans, that’s because for a short time he was a member of the Giants.
Barnes was with the Giants this past summer at training camp in Albany, signed to compete with Charles Stackhouse for the vacant fullback job. Barnes quickly soared past Stackhouse but injuries hurt his chances and the Giants sent him packing.
The Buccaneers picked him up the next day and he managed to stick around ever since.
“It’s been a long season,” said Barnes, a native of Toms River, N.J. who played two years at Rutgers before playing his final year at Hampton. “It’s kind of been a blur, too. Just the other day I thought about being in the heat of Albany and now I’m in the heat of San Diego. I remember coach [Jim] Fassel saying we’re going to put you on the practice squad. It was a small victory, the way I came out of college I was lucky to even do that.
“Next day I got a call telling me there’s a good chance you could be going to Tampa Bay. You get picked up on waivers you got to go.”
Barnes has a specific role with the Bucs. He’s their short-yardage, goal line fullback when Mike Alstott moves to tailback. He played in both playoff games and was stunned to actually be gearing up for a Super Bowl.
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Not everyone thinks identical twins Tiki and Ronde Barber look very much alike.
“Tiki’s thick,” said Lomas Brown, the Buccaneers backup left tackle and a former teammate of Tiki’s with the Giants. “Tiki looks fat compared to Ronde. Ronde looks like he’s on crack.”
Bucs TE Rickey Dudley caught passes from Gannon when the two were teammates with the Raiders and now catches passes from Tampa QB Brad Johnson.
“You have to give Rich the edge simply because he’s been in [Jon Gruden’s] offense longer,” Dudley said. “You give Brad five years in the offense and he’s just as good, he’s MVP of the league.”
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SUPER FACTS
PLAYERS SHARE – Winners: $63,000 per man. Losers: $35,000 per man.
ATTENDANCE – To date, 2,844,890 have attended Super Bowl games. The largest crowd was 103,985 the 14th Super Bowl at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
HALFTIME PERFORMANCES – First celebrity act: Carol Channing, 1970 (IV)
Most times performed: 4, Up With People, 1975 (X), 1979 (XIV), 1981 (XVI), 1985 (XX)