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January 31, 2004
Panthers Notebook
Tagliabue ambiguous about Charlotte bowl
COMPILED BY JOHN DELL
• Could Charlotte ever be the site of a Super Bowl? That was one of the questions posed to Commissioner Paul Tagliabue yesterday after his "state of the union" address about the NFL.
The subject was also brought up last October when Tagliabue attended a Panthers' game in Charlotte.
He says he has had conversations with owner Jerry Richardson about the possibility.
"Jerry's talked to me about this but so have 31 of the other owners from the other cities," Tagliabue said. "And I'm sure we'll be talking more in the future."
Tagliabue acknowledged that he and his staff look at several things when deciding where to award future Super Bowls. He mentioned hotel space as one of the biggest factors when deciding what cities are awarded the game.
"There is heavy competition to host it, and it's nearly as competitive as trying to get into the Super Bowl," Tagliabue said.
• Tagliabue, who used to be a season-ticket holder with the Redskins before he was commissioner, was asked about Joe Gibbs' return to coaching.
"It's great to have Joe back, but Joe's the first one to admit that the past is a prologue," he said.
"The future will determine whether people will be as enthusiastic in a couple of years."
• Brad Hoover, a fullback for the Panthers, says he is excited about being in the Super Bowl. Hoover is a North Carolina native who went to Ledford High School and then to Western Carolina.
Even though the Panthers don't have a steep tradition and have been in existence for nine seasons, Hoover has been impressed with the fan support.
"I think Carolina was just looking for an excuse to get going and get motivated about their sports teams," Hoover said. "The season we had as been unbelievable and to get to this point is crazy.
"It has been wilder than anything I have seen since I have been in Charlotte."
• Owner Jerry Richardson of the Panthers is one of only two owners (George Halas of the Bears was the other) to have been a player and owner in the NFL.
Richardson said that gives him an advantage over other owners.
"I think I have an appreciation for this game unlike any other owner today," Richardson said.
Richardson, who was a rookie with the Baltimore Colts in 1959 when they beat the New York Giants for the NFL Championship, invested the $3,500 he won for that championship and eventually bought a Hardee's.
"I squirted mustard and catsup, and put pickles on rolls," Richardson said about his initial restaurant. "I wrapped the hamburgers up and sold those for 15 cents."
• Things are sure different for quarterback Brad Johnson of Tampa Bay.
Last season Johnson and the Bucs rolled past the Raiders in the Super Bowl in San Diego.
Johnson and his family are staying at the Americas Hilton in downtown.
"It's different that's for sure," said Johnson, who spent yesterday morning working out in the fitness room in the hotel. "It was a lot more hectic last year but I wish we were here as a team again."
Johnson is a native of Black Mountain, N.C., and played at Florida State.
Unlike several players who aren't playing in Sunday's game, Johnson has stayed away from being a guest expert on the various football television shows.
"When they ask me if I want to go on I just say no," Johnson said. "But it is hard to believe how many (active players) are on TV or radio this week."
• Andy Rooney, the popular essayist from 60 Minutes, was asked who he thought would win Sunday's game.
"I'm rooting for Boston," Rooney said yesterday. "I think they (New England) should change their name back to Boston."
• One of the most popular attractions of the Super Bowl are the commercials where sponsors spend a lot of money to make sure their ads are remembered. Sometimes the commercials are so good you need to see them again, but don't get the chance. For the first time, however, the NFL Network (which is only available through DirecTV) will run all the commercials in a half-hour special at 11 p.m. on Sunday night.... Boomer Esiason, who will call the Super Bowl on the radio with Marv Albert, was given a compliment he didn't expect. Esiason also works for CBS TV. Two women producers of one of the several radio stations doing live remotes greeted Esiason as he was going on the air. One of the woman said: "Hey Boomer, you are a lot better looking in person than you are on TV."... Tagliabue said that the NFL Players Association looked at current players and found that nearly 50 percent of them had college degrees. "That's a lot better than it was a few years ago," he said. "I think it was around 25 percent back then."... When Tagliabue was asked about the NFL going global in the next few years he didn't rule it out but said it would take a long time. "Who knows, we may someday have a quarterback in our league from China named Yeo Fling," he said.... The Hall of Fame inductees will be announced today and it is expected that John Elway, formerly of the Broncos and Barry San-ders, formerly of the Lions, will be among those inducted. Coach Bill Bilichick of the Patriots said: "(Elway) was truly a dynamic threat. Every time the ball was in his hands, he could take broken plays and turn them into big plays.... He was certainly one of the toughest quarterbacks I had to coach against."