Super Bowl notes
Published 9:11 pm Wednesday, January 30, 2008
PREDICTION: 23-17.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady scoffed when told Wednesday that New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress guaranteed New York will beat Brady’s undefeated New England team in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“We’re only going to score 17 points?” Brady said before chuckling about it. “OK. Is Plax playing defense? I wish he had said 45-42 and gave us a little credit for scoring more points.”
“I don’t understand what the fuss is about,” Burress said. “Nobody wants to lose.
“All this is entertainment,” added Burress, who was held out of practice Wednesday because of an ankle injury that has plagued him all season. “It’s sports, and sports are entertainment. So 23-17 is the prediction I made, but the game still has to be played.”
Told about Brady’s reaction to that score, Burress said he wasn’t disrespecting anyone.
“I’m not taking anything away from what those guys accomplished,” he said. “They set all the records you could possibly imagine. They have a great quarterback, the MVP, who threw for a record (50) touchdowns. Randy (Moss) set a TD record for catches. They had two receivers with over 100 catches.
“The numbers don’t lie about what they have done.”
Nor do the numbers 23-17 lie about what Burress thinks.
“Hey, look how much fun everybody is having with it,” he said. “It makes national, international headlines. But the game still has to be played.”
Giants coach Tom Coughlin couldn’t have been pleased with Burress, but declined to say very much about him.
“I will speak with Plaxico in a private way, and that’s where it will remain,” he said.
PATRIOTS: Tom Brady’s right shoulder is back on New England’s injury report — where it’s been most of the season. The quarterback practiced, showing no problems with his sprained right ankle.
“Everybody practiced,” coach Bill Belichick said. “They’re fine.”
According to the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Pompei, the designated pool reporter, Brady wasn’t limping noticeably and his ankle wasn’t taped during the two-hour practice.
OFFICIALS: Mike Carey will head the officiating crew for Sunday’s game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots, the first black referee at a Super Bowl. The NFL confirmed Carey will head the crew, which also includes two other black officials, line judge Carl Johnson and field judge Boris Cheek.
TV: There’s a strong chance that this could be the most-watched Super Bowl ever. The record Fox, which is broadcasting the game, will be shooting for is the 94.08 million viewers who watched the Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in January 1996, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Associated Press
