The Rundown: Super Bowl Week

I talked about this last week about the various story-lines you'll read and hear about during Super Bowl week. Here's a Rundown of some of those story-lines already being talked about.

- Of course former Sacramento Bee columnist and current ESPN columnist Mark Kriedler had to go straight to the "Alex Smith was drafted over Aaron Rodgers" storyline right out of the box. Just reading this story makes me bitter beyond belief.

"Alex Smith was the high-octane product of Urban Meyer's offense at Utah. He was a little taller than Rodgers and thought by some to be more pro-ready. Though Meyer cautioned that Smith would need adjustment time to figure out the NFL style, 49ers coach Mike Nolan and his front office, a group that included current Packers coach Mike McCarthy, were enchanted.

The 49ers took a long look at Rodgers, the Northern California kid who grew up idolizing Joe Montana and had San Francisco at the top of the list of teams for which he would most like to play. But on draft day, with the first overall pick, the Niners blew right by him in favor of Smith."

Excuse me while I go and punch a hole in a wall.


- Of course we have the sappy human interest stories that will flood the airwaves and internet. The first sappy story is on Donald Driver and his rough upbringing. 

"It is there, in Driver's hometown of Houston, where you will hear the stories about a kid nicknamed Quickie, who spent part of his childhood homeless and sold drugs to help put food on the table. Houston is where you'll learn about a teenager who one day chose a different path, vowing to his brother that he would "make it." It's where you'll learn about a man who has dedicated the rest of his life being a role model on and off the field."

Someone wake Tom Rinaldi and bring him a warm cup of tea, he has a story that fits his cheesy personality. You just know Rinaldi is going to break out one of those cheesy stories sometime this week. Either him or Chris Connelly.

- Here also comes the "this guy has played a long time in the league at a high level, but hasn't won a championship yet" stories. The first one predictably is on Charles Woodson.

"Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson won't even go there. He could easily savor his second shot at winning a Super Bowl, or at least spend a few minutes celebrating how much his team has overcome this season. Instead, he quietly goes about his business while offering words of wisdom to younger teammates. Don't let this chance slip away, Woodson often reminds his fellow Packers. You never know when you'll get another one.

Although Woodson is one of two current Packers to have played in a Super Bowl -- defensive end Ryan Pickett is the other -- he is the one whose legacy could be most bolstered by a victory. He's already been to the Pro Bowl seven times and won the league's defensive player of the year award. Now Green Bay's meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV presents Woodson with the final challenge of his 13-year career. He has a chance to prove he's not just another great player who will leave this game without being a champion."

Thankfully someone got that story out of the way early. I was afraid it wouldn't be till mid-week until we got a "Charles Woodson has played a long time at a high level and hasn't won a Super Bowl yet" story.

- This predictable storyline also didn't take long to be written about. The story about the Super Bowl taking place in Jerry World in Dallas and the fact the Cowboys aren't playing in the big game. Sadly one of my favorite writers Michael Silver is the one who wrote this column.

"Back in May 2007, when NFL owners voted to stage Super Bowl XLV in the Dallas Cowboys’ yet-to-be-constructed stadium, executive vice president Stephen Jones looked ahead excitedly to the week when he’d welcome the football world to North Texas.

Though he knew it was a statistical longshot – no team has played in a Super Bowl held in its home stadium – Jones had daydreams about the prospect of the Cowboys serving as the NFC’s representative, the ultimate fantasy for the Ultimate Game. At the very least, Jones and his father, Jerry – the Cowboys’ extroverted owner – believed heading into the 2010 season that their ‘Boys would be squarely in the championship mix.

Instead, over the next 10 days, the Joneses will experience the semi-nauseating endeavor of hosting a Texas-sized spectacle of a Super Bowl in the wake of what Stephen characterized as the most dismal season of their two-plus-decade tenure as owners."

I lied. I'm going to enjoy this storyline. This is going to be some Texas sized schadenfreude I'm going to enjoy the entire week. And I suggest every non-Cowboys fan should also enjoy it while it lasts.

(RJBO- Go ahead and use this thread as an open thread for the Jim Rome Show Super Bowl week show. And yes RJBO, I posted that photo of Woodson with Michigan against tOSU just for you.)