-- Colts receiver John Standeford was Bears quarterback Kyle Orton's main target at Purdue. To this day, Standeford holds the Big Ten record for receiving yards in a career. So, do he and Orton still talk regularly?
"Nope. Not much at all, really."
Why's that?
"I think he changed his phone number."
It's sad when college friends lose touch.
-- Orton was the subject in a conversation I had with Colts guard Jake Scott. Scott, a third year guy out of Idaho, has an absolutely horrific beard growing. Was his better than the Bears third string quarterback's?
"I haven't seen his. But I like mine."
Superstition or laziness?
"Laziness, I guess. But I really like it. A lot."
Note to self: Jake Scott really likes his horrific beard.
-- I try another question at Warren Sapp—this time about Booger McFarland. He cold shoulders me again. As if I don't even exist. Not loving Warren Sapp right now. And to think, I once practiced his dumb touchdown dance from a few years back in a mirror. Regrets, I've had a few.
-- Terrence Wilkins is one of the best kick returners in the game. I ask him if he grew up a fan of Mel Gray.
"Who's Mel Gray?"
I give him a few details on the Lions kick returning great. Then I ask which kick returner he did grow up watching—and if he looked to any in particular. "Deion Sanders, maybe?"
We're back with some of the absurdity from Super Bowl XLI media day.
Around the same time someone asked the Bears' Lovie Smith where he was when he learned his team was selected to play in the Super Bowl, another person asked the third-year head coach who his favorite American Idol contestant was.
Smith responded: "What is American Idol? But I think Paula is great, and I love her."
I was able to track down former Gator Alex Brown, whose school has won the NCAA championship in basketball and the NCAA championship in football.
"What do you think of the University of Florida right now?"
Brown said: "Year of the Gator, baby! Year of the Gator!"
Later, I saw ESPN host Stuart Scott, and asked "Tar Heels this year?"
"Of course, Tar Heels every year."
I saw John Clayton of ESPN and asked him what he thought of Media Day.
Clayton said, "It kind of is like going through security at the airport ... you know it's coming, you don't mind, you just do it. But what do I know? I've only done 30 of them."
Mo Rocca, who you might recall fondly from as a celebrity commentator on VH1's I Love ... series, asked practice squad tight end Richard Angulo who he thought was going to win.
Of course, Angulo said, "the Bears!"
Then Rocca responded, "What? No! I'm talking Helen Mirren (from The Queen) or Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada) for best actress at the Academy Awards?"
"No comment," they said. "We're only here to talk about football."
Bernardo, who goes to school in Miami and is working Super Bowl Media Day for Weekly Reader, is here. Since Weekly Reader was one of my favorite publications as a youngster, I wanted to talk to Bernardo and get an idea of what kids are reading these days.
"What are the kids reading these days? Is it Judy Blume, or are they reading the Harry Potter books?"
Someone asked Bears offensive tackle John St. Clair, "Who would win a football game? The prisoners in The Longest Yard or the Cincinnati Bengals?
The reporter then laughed out loud at his own question. Nobody else found it funny at all. St. Clair didn't answer.
(Awkward silence)
I tracked down Bears kicker Robbie Gould, and asked him, "Burning question everyone is asking this week ... are you Jewish, or not Jewish?
"Not Jewish."
I responded in my best Adam Sandler voice, "Robbie Gould ... not a Jew!"
Warren Sapp is here in Miami working for the NFL Network, and I asked him if it would be weird playing for a coach (new Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin is 31 years old) who is three years younger than him.
Sapp looked at me, stared me right in the eyes, walked right past me, didn't answer and hugged one of the female correspondents for the Best Damn Sports Show Period.
