Jeff Gordon's Top 10 Media Day Moments

Top 10 Media Day Moments

Old-school Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll had no patience for the absurd media carnivals that unfold before the NFL's biggest game. "Give a monkey a stage," Noll once sniffed, "and he'll dance."

The monkeys were out in force at Super Bowl XLIV Media Day. While nothing too over-the-top happened this time, we have seen plenty of hand puppets, has-been comedians, precocious children, annoying Europeans, talent-show rejects and comely females from Latin American TV networks — in addition to the usual horde of poorly groomed sportswriters.

This year's assembly had a tough act to follow, according to Jeff Gordon's Top 10 Media Day moments.

Courtesy of FOXSports.com

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Jeff Gordon's To... Old-school Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll had no patience for the absurd media carnivals that unfold before the NFL's biggest game. "Give a monkey a stage," Noll once sniffed, "and he'll dance."

The monkeys were out in force at Super Bowl XLIV Media Day. While nothing too over-the-top happened this time, we have seen plenty of hand puppets, has-been comedians, precocious children, annoying Europeans, talent-show rejects and comely females from Latin American TV networks — in addition to the usual horde of poorly groomed sportswriters.

This year's assembly had a tough act to follow, according to Jeff Gordon's Top 10 Media Day moments.

Courtesy of FOXSports.com
10. Shadow-Boxin... Mexican children's show personality Edson Jorge Zuniga came to Detroit with a long-haired puppet resembling Steelers safety Troy Polamalu. He called it "Polamalu's son." Steelers linebacker Clark Haggans decided to play along and shadow-box the thing. "I'm gonna tell your daddy," Haggans told the puppet after an exchange of mock punches. "I will!" Troy is probably wondering if this shadow-boxing puppet is credentialed to cover this year's game, too. Super Bowl Media Day wouldn't be the same without him.

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
9. Weird Biblica... Many players, including Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, have used this forum to express their faith to a large audience. Green Bay Packers defensive end Reggie White raised many eyebrows while discussing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. "He was healing the sick, and the doctors got mad," White explained. "He was raising the dead, and all the funeral-home directors got mad."

(AP Photo/Morry Gash)
8. Jim McMahon's... Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon didn't pull his pants down during Media Day. That came later, when a helicopter buzzed his team's practice field. But he put on a show during the entire week in New Orleans, goofing on the media at every opportunity. He incurred the wrath of the NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle by displaying unauthorized messages on his headband — including "Rozelle."

(AP Photo/Fred Jewell, File)
7. The Sartorial... Atlanta Falcons cornerback Ray Buchanan wanted to pound home the point that his team wasn't afraid to be the underdog to the Denver Broncos. So he wore a rhinestone dog collar to media day. Then he had the temerity to rip Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe. "That's an ugly dude," Buchanan said. "You can't tell me he doesn't look like Mr. Ed." (And that salvo came long before the creation of TV Land!) Sharpe fired back. "Tell Ray to put the eyeliner, the lipstick and the high heels away," he said. "I'm not saying he's a cross-dresser, that's just what I heard."

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)
6. Adventures in... Cowboys linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson (#56) was convinced that Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw (#12) couldn't read the Dallas defense. "He couldn't spell 'cat ' if you spotted him the 'c' and the 't,'" Henderson told reporters in Miami. After Pittsburgh edged the Cowboys 35-31, Henderson didn't take back his words. "I didn't say he couldn't play, just that he couldn't spell," Hollywood quipped.

(AP photo)
5. The Sphinx Sp... Dallas Cowboys running back Duane Thomas was a man of few words. Before Super Bowl VI, he got through an entire Media Day session without saying a word. But the year before, he offered a classic quote. A reporter asked him if playing in the Super Bowl was the ultimate experience."If it's the ultimate," he deadpanned, "how come they're playing it again next year?"
4. Tom Brady's S... TV Azteca's lovely Ines Gomez Mont came to Glendale, Ariz., in a white wedding gown with a flowing veil. She asked various players to marry her, including famous romantic Tom Brady. "I'm the real Miss Brady," the reporter claimed. "I've got a few Miss Bradys in my life," countered Brady, earning chuckles all around. Tom didn't need the additional complications in his life, since he began dating Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen after fathering a child with then-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan. So the New England Patriots quarterback was in no mood to add additional drama to his personal life.

(AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)
3. The Infamous ... A group of reporters huddled around Washington Redskins quarterback Doug Williams in San Diego. As legend has it, one asked: "How long have you been a black quarterback?" History regarded the query as the dumbest ever made on this stage, which is really saying something. The incident became one of the great urban legends in the sportswriting game. Alas, the question, asked by Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger reporter Butch John, was actually this: "Doug, it's obvious you've always been a black quarterback all your life. When did it start to matter?" On a lighter note, that Super Bowl produced a great Media Day answer. Redskins pass rusher Dexter Manley vowed to "catch the quarterback and hit him from behind, in between his two numbers, and cut his lights out." Reporters reminded him that the opposing quarterback, John Elway, wore No. 7.

(AP Photo)
2. The First Tau... Back at the first Super Bowl, there was no "Media Day" as we know it today. In fact, this championship game wasn't even known as the Super Bowl back then.But Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Fred "The Hammer" Williamson was ahead of his time. He hyped the contest as best he could by vowing to maim Green Bay Packers receivers Boyd Dowler and Carroll Dale. "Two hammers to Dowler, one to Dale should be enough," Williamson told reporters in Los Angeles.Alas, Williamson got toe-tagged instead. Packers guard Gale Gillingham, running interference for Donnie Anderson, knocked him out with a knee to the head.

(AP Photo)
1. "Downtown" Ju... With her fishnet stockings, quirky personality and pointless lines of inquiry, the MTV star became a Media Day darling. Her exchange with Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson in Los Angeles was especially memorable.

It started with a question about game attire. "Speaking of fashion, I'm a single guy and you are making me a little nervous," Johnson said. "What's your name anyway?" Her answer meant nothing to Johnson. He didn't want to be rude, though, so he asked "Downtown" which team she was rooting for. "I'm for the Cowboys because they have all the young guys and they'll know who I am," Brown said.

Then she wondered if the coach had any special rules for the week. "Yeah, don't kiss Julie Brown," Johnson said.

(AP Photo/Ron Heflin)