- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Kurt Warner has an easy answer when any of his Arizona Cardinals teammates lament missing out on the party scene this week at the Super Bowl as they prepare to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 37-year-old quarterback points to the championship ring he won in 2000 with the St. Louis Rams, taking Super Bowl Most Valuable Player honors in leading the club to its first National Football League title since 1951.
“When you put on one of those rings, it means you can get into a lot of other parties for the rest of your life,” Warner said on Monday. “All those things will be there when this week is over. Being a part of history is special.”
Both teams will try to put aside such distractions as celebrities and media to concentrate on plans for Sunday’s Super Bowl 43 after arriving in Tampa on Monday.
“You know the circus to expect for the next couple days,” Steelers tight end Heath Miller said. “You realise you have to put in the work during the week. You can’t allow yourself to be distracted. You have to focus on the main goal.”
The Steelers could become the first team to win six Super Bowls while the Cardinals, featuring Australian punter Ben Graham, will try to end a 61-year title drought, the second-longest current drought in US pro sports behind the 100-year wait for baseball’s Chicago Cubs.
Pittsburgh, whose 20 players with Super Bowl experience are 15 more than Arizona can boast, will seek a second title in four years behind quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. “Big Ben” recalled the tension from his 2006 triumph.
“That was the first time I stayed nervous for an entire game. I expect it to be different this time,” he said. “I’m going to treat it like just another game and go out and have fun.
“I’ve been here before. I understand what went right and wrong last time.”
Warner, the third-oldest quarterback in Super Bowl history, has been able to tell his teammates about coping with the chaos of thousands of reporters from winning in 2000 and losing in 2002 when the Rams fell to New England.
“There are times it becomes a pressure. There are times you want it to get back to normal. We to try embrace both sides and prepare to the best of our ability,” Warner said.
“You can’t understand what it’s like until you get here. You have to embrace it. You can’t allow it to be a detriment. That can weigh you down and hurt you. It’s all about taking it in stride and hoping all our teammates do likewise.”
No one appreciates Warner more than Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt, the former Steelers offensive coordinator who guided Roethlisberger’s 2006 Super Bowl run.
“When you have anybody that has Kurt’s credentials, a season like he had and knows what it’s like, that commands respect,” Whisenhunt said. “It eases a lot of weight. It’s invaluable to a lot of younger players and their preparation.
“This week is a lot about distractions.”
A big distraction for Arizona came two weeks ago when receiver Anquan Boldin was involved in a shouting match with offensive coordinator Todd Haley over being left out of the Cardinals’ game-winning drive in the conference finals.
But Boldin brushed off the spat on Monday.
“At this point, it’s a non-issue. We’ve put it behind us as a team. We’re preparing for the Super Bowl,” Boldin said.
“He challenges you to play at a high level on and off the field. There’s never a doubt in your mind how you’re attacking a defense. He’s really into it and he takes input from the guys well.”
Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald, who has set a one-season playoff record with 419 receiving yards, is not worried the nationally televised shouting match will hurt the team this week.
“There is a lot of emotion on the sidelines. Those things happen every day,” Fitzgerald said. “Things are said and after the game in the locker room you realise you have to concentrate on the Steelers.”
What’s your best bet? For great odds on all your favourite sports check out PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.