Biggest Takeaways from Super Bowl XLVII Media Day

The circus is in town!

Super Bowl week has gotten underway in earnest, as on Tuesday, thousands of reporters from across the globe descended on the Louisiana Superdome for the Super Bowl XLVII edition of Media Day.

The questions ranged from the probing to the inane and the answers from routine to revealing.

Here's a look at the highlights (and lowlights) from Tuesday's festivities.

When Randy Moss Speaks, We Listen

The San Francisco 49ers took to the "stage" first, and the early session's most eye-opening comments were no doubt made by wide receiver Randy Moss, who is making his second career appearance in the Super Bowl.

Moss certainly wasn't shy about his view of his place in NFL history, as reported by Frank Schwab of Yahoo! Sports.

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"Now that I'm older, I do think I'm the greatest receiver to ever do it," Moss said. "I don't think numbers stand. Because you can talk about this and this, I think I've had ... this year has been a down year for me statistically. The year before I retired was a down year, and Oakland was a down year. I don't really live on numbers I really live on impact and what you're able to do on that field.

"So I really do think I'm the greatest receiver to ever play this game."

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Suffice it to say, this claim was met with a certain degree of, um, skepticism.

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Randy Moss: "I'm the greatest receiver of all time."Manti Te'o: "I totally believe that."

— Rick Reilly (@ReillyRick) January 29, 2013

If you think Randy Moss is the best WR of all-time, I'm going to guess you're under 20 years old or a delusional fan. #Rice80

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 29, 2013

Randy Moss said he's the greatest all-time WR. To which @jerryrice just said, "Put my numbers up against his numbers."

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 29, 2013

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Colin Kaepernick Is Unflappable

To look at San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's performance at Media Day, you would never know that this was a second-year player making his first appearance in the Super Bowl.

Just as he is on game day, Kaepernick was cool and collected under the bright lights of Media Day—perhaps because of a lesson he learned from Hall of Famer Steve Young, according to Richard Diestch of Sports Illustrated.

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@kaepernick7 tells NFL Net's Deion Sanders that Steve Young gave him two words to remember this week: Humility and Fierce.

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) January 29, 2013

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The uproar over player safety brought on by President Obama's recent comments on the subject also brought out an honest response from Kaepernick, according to Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times.

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Colin Kaepernick: "If I was worried about my health, I wouldn't play football."

— Sean Jensen (@seankjensen) January 29, 2013

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Kaepernick also handled some of the sillier questions of the day with aplomb.

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Why are they even asking Kaepernick these questions 'what song do you wake up to?' 'why didn't you play baseball?'

— Steve Harrison (@The2020) January 29, 2013

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Poor, Poor Alex Smith

Life just gets better and better for Alex Smith.

Not only does Smith have to swallow his pride and answer innumerable questions about being deposed of the 49ers' starting quarterback duties, but Smith got to do so standing up at Media Day.

He didn't even get a podium.

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RT @nflnetwork: Alex Smith on not getting a podium: 'There's only so many' on.nfl.com/ASmithPod#Mediaday

— NFL (@nfl) January 29, 2013

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To Smith's credit, he answered those questions about Kaepernick about as well as he could be expected to. Jerry McDonald of the San Jose Mercury News had the following from Smith:

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"Why do you play football?" Smith said. "Why do you play a team sport? If it's all about yourself, go play golf. I'm not saying all this has been easy. It hasn't. But if you can't be happy for a teammate's success, there's something wrong with you."

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In addition to questions about Sunday's game, Smith was also asked repeatedly about his future. And while Smith was fairly diplomatic, reading between the lines wasn't difficult.

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Alex Smith says he has no idea where the story came from about asking for his early release. Says he's not thinking about it. Didnt deny tho

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 29, 2013

49ers backup QB Alex Smith considers himself a starter. "I'm excited for my next opportunity, wherever that comes." bit.ly/mpF6Ws

— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoCSN) January 29, 2013

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All in all, it wasn't the best day of Alex Smith's life, as ESPN's Trey Wingo pointed out.

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Alex Smith looks like he'd rather be anywhere else than media day...

— trey wingo (@wingoz) January 29, 2013

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Michael Crabtree Is Taking It All in Stride

Despite a trying last couple of weeks during which his name was brought up in connection with a sexual assault investigation, San Francisco wide receiver Michael Crabtree was all smiles on Tuesday.

Besides a back-and-forth with Deion Sanders regarding what was going on under his hat, Crabtree revealed what he might do if the 49ers win the game.

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How will Michael Crabtree celebrate a @49ers win on Sunday? 'I might bust a couple dance moves' on.nfl.com/CrabtreeMD #MediaDay

— NFL (@nfl) January 29, 2013

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Crabtree also provided what might have been the best response of the day to one of the many ignorant questions that players are invariably asked.

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Worst question of media day: What type of lunchbox did you have as a kid? Best answer, from Crabtree: A paper bag.

— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelCBS) January 29, 2013

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However, Crabtree made at least one comment that he might wish he could take back. As Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com reports, when asked why his stats have improved so much since Kaepernick became the starter in San Francisco, Crabtree was a touch on the blunt side.

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"You can be the best receiver in the world. If you don't have a quarterback ... those talents won't be seen,"

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Man, Alex Smith can't catch a break!

Harbrother, Part One

Much has been made of Jim and John Harbaugh coaching against one another in the Super Bowl, and it was San Francisco head man Jim who took the podium first.

Alex Smith finally got a little love, according to Marc Sessler of NFL.com.

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"(Smith is) another person really to credit in Colin's success because Alex has really helped coach Colin. He's been right there at his side, sitting in meetings every single day, and he coaches Colin now more than I do. And that speaks volumes for the kind of person and teammate that Alex Smith is."

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Other than that, there was a lot of the sort of platitudes one would expect from a head coach at Media Day. Talking up the opponent, remarks about "playing hard" and all that good stuff.

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Jim Harbaugh: "We feel the same way about our team as we do the Baltimore Ravens. This is going to have to be earned." #sb47 #questforsix

— Taylor Price (@TaylorPrice49) January 29, 2013

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However, Harbaugh did reveal a bit about himself, and apparently he's not a big player in the social media revolution.

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49ers Jim Harbaugh said he's not on "the Tweeter.'' Said Twitter, Facebook seem like a "modern-day diary. I was never a diary guy.'' #SB47

— Don Banks (@DonBanks) January 29, 2013

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Ray Lewis Was the Man of the Hour

No man drew a larger crowd on the day than Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who will be playing in his final game in Super Bowl XLVII.

That crowd was only made larger by the first "scandal" of Super Bowl week—a report by Sports Illustrated that claims that Lewis used a spray containing a banned substance in recovering from the arm injury he suffered in October.

Lewis was rather terse in his response.

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Ray Lewis on SI report linking him to banned substance: "To even entertain stupidity like that, tell them to get a story off somebody else"

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 29, 2013

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Lewis also didn't have much to say regarding the inevitable questions regarding his alleged involvement in the murders of two Atlanta men over a decade ago.

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Ray Lewis, about Atlanta murders: I live with it every day of my life. You take a break from it. I don't. I'd rather not speak of that today

— Kimberly Jones (@KimJonesSports) January 29, 2013

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However, Lewis was in a bit more forgiving mood when talking about the comments made on Facebook by the wife of New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker about those murders.

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Ray Lewis said he forgives Wed Welker's wife for her comments about him. "People just make mistakes and say foolish things sometimes."

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 29, 2013

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On a lighter note, Lewis also mentioned the recent Saturday Night Live sketch that parodied him, stating that he was "in tears" watching it.

Terrell Suggs Was in Rare Form

Ravens defensive end Terrell Suggs is rarely at a loss for words, and Media Day was no exception.

In fact, Suggs decided to kick off his interview with a musical number.

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Terrell Suggs belted out "I Would Do Anything for Love" from Meatloaf. Seriously. #sbnola

— Larry Holder (@LarryHolder) January 29, 2013

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Then, he decided that he'd rather be an interviewer than an interviewee.

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Terrell Suggs. Two questions from "Access Hollywood". Then runs off the podium to interview Ed Reed. He's back now.

— P. Schrager (@PSchrags) January 29, 2013

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At this point, Suggs made a rather interesting pop-culture comparison between the two teams in this year's game.

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RT @xmasape Have mercy. RT ‏@rickmaese Terrell Suggs says this Super Bowl is The Wire vs. Full House. So true.

— Adam Kramer (@KegsnEggs) January 29, 2013

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After about 15 minutes, Suggs apparently either ran out of football-related things to talk about, or just decided to start messing with people.

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Terrell Suggs under the impression he only had to speak for 15 mins. Now he's talking about going to Hogwarts, then Lost City of Atlantis.

— Aaron Nagler (@Aaron_Nagler) January 29, 2013

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All kidding aside, however, Suggs made one comment that shows that this game is no joking matter to him and the Ravens.

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Terrell Suggs: "We're here. And almost doesn't count."

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 29, 2013

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Ed Reed Comes Home

Ray Lewis isn't the only Ravens star that may be playing his last game in Super Bowl XLVII. And for Louisiana native Ed Reed, the game is doubly significant.

As a local, at least Reed was able to offer the assembled reporters some dining tips.

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Ed Reed knows his food! Fav spots in NOLA = his mom's kitchen, Dooky Chase, Mandinas + Drago's #NFL #SuperBowl twitter.com/Chef_Aaron/sta…

— Aaron Sanchez (@Chef_Aaron) January 29, 2013

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He also took the time to take one heck of a shot at a player in the news when the opportunity was afforded him.

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RT @willbrinson: Ed Reed was asked if he's ever been catfished. "No I have never been Te'o'd"

— Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 29, 2013

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Reed wasn't immune to absorbing a few shots of his own, however.

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Prime calling Ed Reed "Django."My goodness. #Money

— RumfordJohnny (@RumfordJohnny) January 29, 2013

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Finally, Reed was another player who was asked about player safety, and according to a report by ESPN's Pat Yasinkas, Reed's response was both candid and more than a little alarming.

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"I feel effects from it,'' Reed said, speaking during Super Bowl media day. "Some days, I wake up and I'm like, 'Where did my memory go?' But I signed up for it.''

While being asked about the hot topic of concussions, Reed repeatedly said he and other players know football is a violent game and realize the dangers going in.

That prompted a reporter to ask if Seau had signed up for it.

"Did he sign up for it?'' Reed said. "Yeah, he signed up for it.''

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Joe Flacco Will Put You to Sleep

Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco has had a phenomenal postseason that's going to translate to a huge payday this offseason.

However, the first topic that Flacco was forced to address on Tuesday was his ill-advised comments from Monday, when he called the idea of a cold-weather Super Bowl "retarded."

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Joe Flacco says his comments yesterday were 'a bad choice of words'and apologized if he offended anyone.

— Monique Walker Jones (@moniquenjones) January 29, 2013

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From there, Flacco's time with the media descended into tedium rather quickly, and even Flacco admitted that he's not exactly Captain Excitement.

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Ravens QB Joe Flacco just said he doesn't think he's boring _ but he knows he's close to it. #lovethehonesty

— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) January 29, 2013

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It also doesn't appear that Flacco's post-football days will include investigative journalism.

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Reporter to Joe Flacco: "If you could ask yourself a question today, what would it be?" Flacco: "I have no idea." ..... Good one .... #SB47

— Chris Burke (@ChrisBurke_SI) January 29, 2013

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With that said, however, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome had some heady praise for his quarterback.

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Ozzie Newsome on key for his team: Joe Flacco. "Would Belichick be who he is without Tom Brady?"

— Sean Jensen (@seankjensen) January 29, 2013

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Ray Rice, on the Other Hand...

There wasn't a player at Media Day who looked like he was having more fun than Baltimore running back Ray Rice.

Rice, who grinned like the Cheshire Cat for most of his interview, started out by saying that he may not make it very far into his first Super Bowl.

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Ray Rice says he might faint when Alicia Keys sings the National Anthem.

— Eddie (@HiperSportsNerd) January 29, 2013

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Then, Rice, who grew up rooting for the San Francisco 49ers, paid his opponents all due respect.

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Ray Rice on 49ers defense: "I'll be honest they don't have a weakness."

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 29, 2013

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From there, though, it was all fun and games for No. 27.

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@rayrice27: to the small people out there, look at these guns. If you don't have guns you better be good at something. #SB47

— NFL PLAYERS (@NFLPLAYERS) January 29, 2013

Ray Rice: "Hey diddle diddle my shades are looking frizzle." And I think that's a wrap from media day

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) January 29, 2013

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Now that's a player who knows how Media Day should be approached.

Harbrother, Part Two

The latter part of Super Bowl XLVII's Media Day included Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh, who shed a little light on what life was like as a child in the Harbaugh household. He stated that when he and Jim competed, "I won," and that Jim "refused to admit it was his turn [to cut the grass]."

Besides that, much like his brother, it was mostly platitudes and coach speak. Though John did reveal a little regarding both his personal philosophy and the one he tries to instill in his players.

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"The biggest thing I've learned faith-wise is that God is in the driver's seat. That's what faith is." -John Harbaugh

— Sports Spectrum Mag (@Sports_Spectrum) January 29, 2013

"If you can do that, it brings you a peace. It brings you a peace that surpasses all understanding." -John Harbaugh

— Sports Spectrum Mag (@Sports_Spectrum) January 29, 2013

John Harbaugh tells his players.. "The days are long, the years are short. Make the most of them."

— Chuck Lima (@chasjoe) January 29, 2013

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John also revealed that he and his brother spoke the night before, but that no gamesmanship was involved.

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Jim and John Harbaugh spoke on phone last night, mostly about logistics. One topic: Getting a hotel room for mom and dad. #SB47

— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) January 29, 2013

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