4:22 p.m.: Media Day was surprisingly eventful on Tuesday, and Ray Lewis can be thanked for that.
Lewis had to face questions regarding the banned substance he’s tied into, his 13-year-old murder case and his impending retirement. Lewis didn’t give many concrete answers during his hour on the podium.
There was a notable difference between the rapport between 49ers and reporters and Ravens and reporters. Colin Kaepernick made Joe Flacco look downright talkative and happy. Jim Harbaugh, Michael Crabtree and Kaepernick were notably short with their answers during Media Day, whereas John Harbaugh, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and the rest of the Ravens were their usual media-savvy selves.
The craziness of Media Day may be over, but the Super Bowl is still days away. These players and coaches will still have plenty of time to address the media about questions they do and don’t want to answer.
2:53 p.m.: Everyone knew that at some point, Ray Lewis would have to talk about the 13-year-old murder case he was involved in. At Media Day, multiple questions were asked about it and Lewis decided those asking the questions weren’t allowed to.
“Nobody here is really qualified to ask those questions,” Lewis said, according to Pro Football Talk. “I just truly feel that this is God’s time, and whatever his time is, you know, let it be his will. Don’t try to please everybody with your words, try to make everybody’s story sound right. At this time, I would rather direct my questions in other places. Because I live with that every day. You maybe can take a break from it. I don’t. I live with it every day of my life and I would rather not talk about it today.”
Whatever that means.
2:43 p.m.: Joe Flacco answered a question about outdoor Super Bowls on Monday with a poor choice of words. He said the idea was “retarded.” He has since apologized.
“Obviously, it was a bad choice of words. I wish I hadn’t said it,” Flacco told the USA Today. “I have a great relationship with Special Olympics back in Baltimore and have had one for many years. I didn’t mean to offend anybody, but I definitely apologize for it.”
Flacco may be “dull,” according to his father, but he’s smart to apologize. In the quarterback’s original quote, he tried to take it back as soon as he said it.
2:21 p.m.: Bernard Pollard is just full of surprises, isn’t he?
First he said he didn’t believe the NFL would still be around in 30 years earlier in the week, and now he’s made another interesting comment regarding the violent sport.
“I have a son. He’s going to be 5,” Pollard said, according to the USA Today. “I don’t want him to play football.”
That’s a fascinating statement from one of the hardest-hitting players in the league.
2:12 p.m.: Ray Lewis has talked about passing every drug test he’s taken in the NFL during Media Day. Unfortunately, the substance he allegedly took isn’t tested for at this time. But, it’s still a banned substance.
Lewis was asked if he ever took deer antler velvet extract and he said, “No. Never,” according to Bob Glauber of New York’s Newsday.
2:02 p.m.: Anquan Boldin said Joe Flacco was the best quarterback he’s ever played with, and since Kurt Warner also played with Boldin, and because Warner is an NFL Network employee, Deion Sanders wanted those comments clarified.
Boldin said Flacco is the most talented quarterback he’s ever played with, not necessarily the best. So, there you go, Kurt.
1:57 p.m.: John Harbaugh commented briefly on the Ray Lewis deer antler spray allegations and he dismissed them saying the linebacker has passed every test he has taken throughout his career.
Lewis was asked about the 13-year-old murder case. Lewis said this isn’t the appropriate time to speak on that. Lewis also said “nobody here is qualified to ask those questions.”
1:55 p.m.: Ray Rice thinks he can exploit the 49ers in the pass game because he’ll be matched up one on one with a linebacker.
He also told Deion Sanders he’s the best running back in this game over Frank Gore.
1:50 p.m.: Joe Flacco said his father probably called him dull as a compliment. Hmm, if that’s the case, I hope Steve Flacco never gives me one of his classic compliments.
Flacco admitted if he’s not dull, he’s close to it.
1:45 p.m.: Terrell Suggs chose to plead the fifth when asked who the best pass rusher in the Super Bowl was. He said it was him when healthy, but Aldon Smith may have something to say about that.
Suggs hasn’t even been the best pass rusher on his team this season. That honor goes to Paul Kruger.
Suggs also talked about how he was glad he was drafted by the Ravens due to the lack of distractions in Baltimore. Being in a city like Miami may be fun, but it must be tough to stay focused.
1:36 p.m.: John Harbaugh was a little more forthcoming with the media than his brother, Jim, was.
Harbaugh said that he and his brother would have battles in the backyard playing football, but they never dreamed they would be coaching against each other in the Super Bowl.
If the Ravens win, Harbaugh said he would just tell his brother that he’s proud of him and that he loves him.
“Dull” Joe Flacco said the Ravens just have to treat this game like any other. He said many teams try something different because it’s a unique experience. The Ravens’ quarterback said they have all played this game a million times and they have to treat it like any other.
1:25 p.m.: Ray Lewis chose not to speak on allegations about deer-antler velvet extract spray. He mentioned that similar reports came out two years ago.
“I wouldn’t give that report, or him any of my press,” Lewis said. “He’s not worthy of that.”
Eventually, Lewis will need to speak on the allegations, especially as the story gains more legs.
1:17 p.m.: Hmm, there’s quite a crowd around Ray Lewis’ podium right now. Maybe this has to do with recent allegations about banned substances.
Lewis said the last time he was in the Super Bowl he was a follower to players like Shannon Sharpe, but now he’s a leader because he’s been there before.
12:20 p.m.: After Ray Lewis returned so quickly from his torn triceps injury, many wondered how he did it. We may now have an answer.
Lewis used deer-antler velvet extract to help heal his arm, according to Sports Illustrated. That spray contains IGF-1, which is on the league’s banned-substance list.
The NFL likely can’t do anything about this allegation, since Lewis has said he’s retiring after the season. Ravens safety Ed Reed has his doubts that his teammate is done for good, though, and suggested Lewis may play 10 games next season. If Lewis does come back, he likely won’t play more than 12 if this is true.
11:58 a.m.: Jerry Rice has already responded to Randy Moss’ claims that the current 49er it the greatest wide receiver to play the game.
“Put my numbers up against his numbers,” Rice said, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Rice is right. He’s the greatest, but it’s always fun when players have confidence in their skills.
11:52 a.m.: Deion Sanders wants Alex Smith to have a podium. Smith says he doesn’t care, though.
Smith, of course, wouldn’t talk about whether he would be back with San Francisco next season, just offering up that he has two more years left on his contract.
Smith called Harbaugh’s decision tough and disappointing, but he also said he wasn’t going to dwell on it and mope around. Smith was actually playing better this season than Drew Bledsoe was when he was replaced by Tom Brady. It will be very interesting to see what kind of offers Smith gets if he is released by the 49ers.
11:42 a.m.: Deion Sanders is probably driving the 5,000 reporters at Media Day crazy right now the way he keeps interrupting each player at the podium. He just had a one-on-one with Michael Crabtree about his hair. Crabtree and Aldon Smith vowed not to cut their hair until they won the Super Bowl, so both players are wearing winter hats.
Speaking of 49ers wide receivers, Randy Moss had this to say, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald:
“I do think I’m the greatest receiver to ever play this game.”
So there’s that. Your move, Jerry Rice.
11:33 a.m.: No one seems to want to talk much about Alex Smith on the 49ers. Michael Crabtree and Jim Harbaugh especially seemed to avoid questions.
You can’t help but notice the Tom Brady-Drew Bledsoe, Colin Kaepernick-Alex Smith connection going on this year. Both Smith and Bledsoe were No. 1 overall picks, while Kaepernick and Brady both began starting in their second year in the league.
Kaepernick is being a little short with the media so far on the podium. He doesn’t seem too interested in the whole process.
11:30 a.m.: Here’s another fun Randy Moss quote for all the Patriots’ fans out there.:
“I thought I knew how to work, and then I went up to New England and met Kevin Faulk,” Moss said.
That comes from our friend Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
There’s a reason Faulk was able to stick around the league for 13 years, when most running backs don’t last more than three or four.
11:21 a.m.: Vernon Davis spoke a little bit about what made him turn his career around. He said when Mike Singletary sent him to the locker room during a game, his focus changed.
Davis said that after that game, he told Singletary he wanted to leave the team. Singletary told him they would try to trade him, but after talking, Davis decided to stick around.
Singletary wasn’t a great head coach in the NFL, but turning around Davis’ career may be his lasting legacy for his time on the sidelines. Davis said he stopped focusing on statistics and catches and more about the team.
11:14 a.m.: We don’t know the exact context behind this quote, but Randy Moss may have made a controversial statement at Media Day.
“I don’t like my role. I really don’t,” said Moss, according to Tom E. Curran of Comcast Sports Net.
11: 06 a.m.: It seems like every player on the 49ers is up on a podium right now. Randy Moss is up on NFL Network right now. He says he never set out to be a vocal leader on the 49ers since the team already has that. Moss says he provides experience to the team.
Moss compared the way he goes up to catch the ball over a defensive back to a slam dunk. Deion Sanders calls it being “Moss’d.”
11:00 a.m.: The 49ers are starting to come out onto the field and Colin Kaepernick is the first player with a microphone in his face.
Deion Sanders is talking to the young quarterback, who still says he’s not nervous about the game. Kaepernick got advice from San Francisco legend Steve Young, who told him two words of advice, “humility and fierce.”
Kaepernick, of course, Kaepernick’d for the cameras.
10:50 a.m.: Media day is 10 minutes from starting up and we’re getting some pictures live from the scene via Twitter.
You can watch the event live on NFL.com, or you can stay right here and we’ll keep you updated on all the important details.
10:10 a.m.: Uh oh, Ed Reed is saying Ray Lewis may not retire after the Super Bowl.
“Maybe he’ll play 10 games next year,” Reed said.
If this is the case, what is all the constant blubbering about before, during and after games? Lewis has seemed very adamant about his retirement leading up to the Super Bowl, but obviously he wouldn’t be the first, nor would he be the last athlete that backtracked on quitting the game.
9:24 a.m.: Joe Flacco is getting criticized after comments made on Monday night regarding cold-weather Super Bowls. It was Flacco’s choice of words that got him in some hot water, though.
“Yeah, I think it’s retarded,” Flacco said, according to the Denver Post. “I probably shouldn’t say that. I think it’s stupid. If you want a Super Bowl, put a retractable dome on your stadium. Then you can get one. Other than that I don’t really like the idea. I don’t think people would react very well to it, or be glad to play anybody in that kind of weather.”
Perhaps Flacco is trying to be less “dull,” as his father recently described him. If so, go back to being dull, Joe.
9:09 a.m.: Jim Harbaugh is happy that some parents, like Barack Obama, are hesitant to let their children play football. That just means better opportunities for Harbaugh’s son, Jack.
Jack is only 4-months-old, but the 49ers’ head coach is already impressed by his size.
“[H]e’s a really big kid. He’s got an enormous head,” Harbaugh said, according to Comcast Sports Net. “As soon as he grows into that head, he’s going to be something. It’s early, but expectations are high for young Jack.”
One of Harbaugh’s other sons, Jay, is an intern for the Baltimore Ravens, so we could see another Harbaugh Bowl in 30 or 40 years.
8:55 a.m.: Ray Lewis has seen the Saturday Night Live skit mocking his recent outpouring of emotions before, during and after games. And he loved it.
Lewis told the media he thought the sketch was so funny that he was crying, which should surprise no one since he seems to be brought to tears by just about anything these days.
8:40 a.m.: On Monday night, Ray Lewis told the media that he forgives Anna Burns Welker for her Facebook comments following the AFC Championship Game. He also seemed to call her a fool within the statement. Please respond, Anna. This is our favorite Boston-Baltimore clash since David Ortiz and Kevin Gregg.
8 a.m. ET: It’s every Super Bowl player’s favorite day of the entire week down in New Orleans: Media Day.
Starting at 10 a.m., the 49ers and Ravens will be out on the field at the Superdome answering every question the media has to throw at them. There will be plenty of interesting personalities out on display both on the field and at the podium.
Some of the pressing issues we hope are addressed on Tuesday are: How is Randy Moss feeling prior to perhaps his final chance at taking home a Super Bowl ring? Will Ray Lewis cry, fall to the ground and shed his shoulder pads in front of television cameras even if he didn’t just play a game? Will Bernard Pollard wear pants? How many times will the fact that Jim and John Harbaugh are brothers be mentioned?
From 10-11 a.m. the 49ers will be out on the field addressing the media and from 12:15-1:15 p.m. it will be the Ravens’ turn. You can watch the event live on NFL Network or online at NFL.com.
You can also follow along right here as we keep you updated on all the action Media Day has to offer.
