Super Bowl 2013 Media Day: Players, coaches meet the press

“Jim is a great football coach, great leader for our offense,” Pitta said. “He’s done a tremendous job. I think a change was needed. I think we hit a plateau as an offense with Cam Cameron, for whatever reason. Cameron’s a great coach but I think we needed a change. It was a bold move to make in Week 13 like John did, but it ended up being a great decision for us. Jim has really got us to play some good football as of late.”

Even though Cameron was getting heat from all angles during that time, Pitta didn’t expect a change to be made. It’s almost unheard of for coordinators to be fired during the season, especially so late and for a team that was headed to the playoffs once again.

1. THE PROBLEM AND SOLUTION

Pretty much everyone can agree that Media Day is insane. An army of 50,000 reporters desperately looking to turn identical talking points into something unique, 120 players whose answers are destined to get lost in the noise unless they say something stupid enough to become its own new, inescapable talking point, and then us, watching halfheartedly and sort of hating ourselves for it. Media Day is actually a lot like SportsCenter.

Bonus content, because we like you.

Flacco’s gaffe came Monday when he was asked about potentially playing in next year’s Super Bowl, which will take place at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Feb. 2, 2014. After calling the idea “retarded,” he immediately tried to retract his statement:

Flacco has a history of working with the Baltimore Special Olympics, and in July, he spoke with the Baltimore Sun about his affinity for the organization:

“He refused to admit it was his turn [to cut the grass],” Harbaugh said.

That said, Harbaugh admitted that “there is no loser in this game, either side.” There is a lot of mutual respect between both men, according to Harbaugh, and no matter what happens he said that he “just couldn’t be more proud” of Jim. The two fought at times, but Harbaugh had no trouble admitting that “we love each other.”

“You just gotta tell yourself that you’ve played this game a million times,” said Flacco. “It may not be this exact game in the Super Bowl with this many people but we’ve all played 60 minutes of football before. You just draw on that.”

“I think people come into this game and want to win so badly that they try to do so much and do something that they may not normally try to do,” he continued. “What we have to do is focus on the basics. When it comes down to it and when there’s all this light shining on us, as long as we focus on those basics, I think that’s what’s going to get the job done and make us victorious on Sunday.”

Moss didn’t sound frustrated or angry when talking with media, but that doesn’t mean that the prolific wideout had to mince his words. He had no trouble proclaiming himself “the greatest wide receiver to ever play this game” when asked about his legacy. Moss also made it clear that he has no intention of hanging up his cleats and retiring after the season. When asked if he would return to the 49ers, Moss demurred:

As expected, most of Smith’s questions had to deal with his demotion, his reaction, and his plans for the future. Smith didn’t want any praise for his reaction to being demoted, saying, “I wouldn’t expect anything less from any of my teammates.”

Just what kind of circus is Super Bowl Media Day? Well, it’s big enough to accommodate one ring for Katherine Webb, because, really, why should the teams playing in the Super Bowl and Deion Sanders get all of the attention?

(h/t to Bruce Arthur)

One undetermined woman reporter -- yes, an actual reporter -- had the chance to rise above the others in the crowd to ask her pertinent question that read as follows, “What song do you listen to when you wake up?” Colin’s response: whatever song is next on his iPod.

The nature of some of these questions shows just how oversaturated New Orleans has become during Super Bowl week. It’s the biggest event in sports, so it’s not a surprise that dumb questions are asked. Still it’s hard to not shake your head when they happen. Unfortunately, this lady is still around for the rest of the week.

Smith was selected by the 49ers with the first overall selection in the 2005 NFL Draft and has started 75 career games with the team.

Moss came back to the NFL with the 49ers after sitting out in 2011. He appeared in all 16 games, catching 27 passes for 434 yards and three touchdowns. He may even return to the team next year. His 2012 was a far cry from his 2009 numbers with the Patriots (1,264 yards, 13 touchdowns -- his last 1,000-yard season) but he provided stability for a young 49ers offense:

Despite the veteran status, Moss said he didn’t take on a leadership role this season:

“He don’t have a podium or anything ... He’s just wandering around aimlessly.” - Deion Sanders, on Alex Smith, to Colin Kaepernick.

(Photo by Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports)

The NFL Network will be televising live from the event beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET, and coverage will run through 2:30 p.m. when the Ravens are expected to wrap up their portion of the day. The Network will then immediately re-air coverage through 6:30 p.m.

Those stuck on their computers can stream festivities live from their laptop via NFL.com. Of course, Twitter will be blowing up with updates as well. SB Nation’s own David Fucillo and Amy K. Nelson will have their boots on the ground. Be sure to follow them.