NEW ORLEANS — Saquon Barkley got his first taste of Super Bowl opening night. Nick Sirianni received letters, and a kiss from Chad Johnson. Jalen Hurts even cracked a smile or two.
Before Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs take on Hurts, Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, they had to tackle the media in waves.
The wild week kicked off at the Superdome on Monday night with the annual extravaganza that could overwhelm teams that aren’t used to the circus atmosphere.
Barkley wasn't here two years ago when the Eagles lost to the Chiefs 38-35. He left the rival New York Giants to join a winning team and did his part with a historic season.
“That’s why me and my family made the decision to come to Philadelphia, to have an opportunity to play in the Super Bowl. And here we are,” Barkley said.
The Chiefs have been here five times in the past six years and the Eagles are back after nearly beating Kansas City in 2023.
Both teams have plenty of new players but the Eagles weren't fazed by the strange questions or odd requests that have become far too common at this media spectacle.
Players were asked their favorite foods, colors, Kendrick Lamar songs and more. A Mexican television reporter gave Sirianni a stack of letters from fans. He also got a kiss on the head from Johnson, the former Bengals star also known as Ochocinco. The usually stoic Hurts cracked up laughing when someone tossed him a cookie — it was an errant throw. Browns quarterback Jameis Winston, working for a television network, fired questions at Darius Slay before telling him to eat a “W.”
The Eagles went first, spending an hour talking to thousands of reporters from across the globe. The Chiefs came later.
Media day has evolved from a daytime event on Tuesdays to a live, ticketed, prime-time showcase on national television. More than 6,000 media members from 26 countries were accredited to cover the first Super Bowl in Las Vegas last year.
Yes, this is where a female reporter showed up in a wedding dress and veil and proposed to Tom Brady in Arizona in 2008. He politely declined.
Football’s Xs and Os take a back seat for the first night.
The Big Easy is hosting its 11th big game and first since the Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Harbaugh Brothers Bowl in February 2013.
The Chiefs are chasing history, aiming to become the first NFL team to three-peat in the Super Bowl era. The Eagles are seeking the franchise’s second Vince Lombardi trophy.
“We're obsessed with winning,” owner Jeffrey Lurie said.
Both teams arrived Sunday and every player and coach was available to the media for one hour on Monday night. A select group of players, including head coaches and quarterbacks, also have media sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Due to the hectic schedule, most of the preparation was completed last week. Game plans were installed and both teams held normal practices because this week won’t be routine.
“Most of that work gets done this week,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said last week. “I know it’s a two-week period before the game but once you get down to New Orleans it’s a bit chaotic, so you want to make sure you take care of business now.”
Sirianni said he’s making adjustments after his first Super Bowl trip but he wouldn’t explain specifics.
“We have notes that we’re going through and that we’ve been going through,” he said. “Couple tweaks here and there of what we will do differently, and a couple things that will stay the same. Of course, any time you go through any situation like that, you take notes like that and you try to get better from each circumstance you go through.”
One person who’ll be under the microscope this week is Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who is a frontrunner to become the head coach of the Saints. Moore can’t accept the job until after the Super Bowl but he has to be preparing to assemble a coaching staff while focusing on the task at hand.
Staying focused will be a priority for everyone on both teams. Avoiding distractions, especially the first night, could set the tone for winning it all Sunday.
