LAS VEGAS – You never know what you might see at Opening Night for the Super Bowl.
On Monday night at Allegiant Stadium, fans who paid $30 a ticket to get into what is essentially a super-sized press conference were treated to a wide cast of characters roaming the field for the three-hour event.
Did you want to see a man in a Dallas Cowboys jersey wearing a lucha mask? You got that.
Travis Kelce at a podium surrounded by rows and rows of media credentialed for the event? Sure.
An Andy Reid impersonator with a restaurant menu instead of a play sheet who was staking out the actual coach? Yes.
And that’s not to mention the various celebrities roaming around, like Carrot Top, Tech N9ne or Bert Kreischer who were all spotted on the field and took time for photos with fans and reporters alike.
It’s always a unique day, one that sets the tone for a week different than any other on the league calendar, and one that helps continue to build momentum for this year’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
But, if you looked hard enough and were able to dodge some of the literal circus acts in attendance – Cirque du Soleil had a full cast of characters on display in full regalia on the floor – you were also able to find some former players who have been through it all before.
Appearing on behalf of Panini America, Super Bowl XXXV winning quarterback Trent Dilfer was kind enough to take time for several media members who recognized him on the floor between duties as an ambassador for the trading card company’s “Kid Reporter” program. Having been through it before as a member of the Baltimore Ravens team that blew out the New York Giants in 2001, the now 51-year-old former signalcaller is uniquely positioned to break down the matchup under center that awaits on Sunday with Patrick Mahomes set to face the sometimes-inconsistent Brock Purdy.
“Brock’s played pretty darn well through the season, but you’re going to throw interceptions as a quarterback, you’re not going to go through the season without throwing any,” said Dilfer, now a collegiate head coach at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
“I think every year, outside of a few games, mine being one of them, it’s a quarterback-driven game. To get here, you have to play at a really high level. Usually, it’s the guy that plays the best in the game, but the best isn’t always making plays, it’s running the show the way the coaches want it to be run. Then a handful of times during the game, it’s putting on that John Elway-Superman cape and making the game-defining play. What I love about both of them is they have that competitive temperament where no moment is too big. They’re both going to play well in this game, I can’t see a reason why they don’t. The defenses will have their work cut out for them.”
While most were paying attention to the glitz and the glamour of the night, perhaps those who spent their time best sought out those like Dilfer and others in attendance who have been through the moment before and are able to share their stories.
“It’s obviously nice,” Dilfer said, his Super Bowl ring still sparking on his finger. “I think all of us would say it’s changed our lives. It’s not something that I think a lot about, but I know that my life after (playing) football has been very successful, mostly because of playing with the greatest defense of all-time and being fortunate to win a Super Bowl.
“I learned a lot through the football journey…it’s been fun being a Division I coach. It’s a challenge, college football changes daily. But at this stage of my life, I enjoy the challenge and it’s not something I run from. I said when I took the job that I was looking for something difficult to do in my life, and college football is pretty darn difficult right now, so I got what I asked for.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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