MIAMI – Getting back to the Super Bowl as the runner-up is easier than getting back after winning, according to Falcons coach Dan Reeves, who was a part of his ninth Super Bowl as a player and coach last night. With that, Reeves paid a compliment to Broncos coach Mike Shanahan.
“The biggest thing, I think, is that guys forget what they really had to do and the price they had to pay to get back,” Reeves said. “I think Mike has done a great job with the Broncos getting them back. I think it’s a lot easier for the losing team to get back than it is for the winning team.
“A winning team thinks that they are already there and they forget to do the things that they have done. The Broncos went on a long (13-game) winning streak and have really responded, in my opinion, to almost every challenge the last three years, except for the one [playoff loss] against Jacksonville [two years ago]. And that [loss] probably helped them understand how important it was, regardless of who you are playing and when you are playing.”
Shanahan talked about the importance of keeping the players together in the offseason workout program.
“One thing we were able to do is pay players $60 a day to work out,” Shanahan said, joking. “That’s $240 a week they never tell their wives about.”
Getting serious, Shanahan was complimentary of Reeves despite the fact that the two have grown apart since Shanahan was Reeves’ assistant in Denver. In particular, Shanahan marveled at Reeves’ resilience through heart surgery.
“He’s the ultimate warrior,” Shanahan said. “You’re not going to keep him out if he can walk. I’ve played a lot of golf with Dan, and he’s one of the fiercest competitors you’ll ever be around. There’s not a lot of chit-chat when we’re playing golf. It’s a war. I don’t care if it’s a $5 or $10 Nassau. It’s more than just the money.” *Reeves, asked how he could have been involved in so many Super Bowls, said, “I felt like I was one of those guys that was in the right place at the right time.” *In what was an incredibly telling insult showing how little respect there has been for the underdog Falcons, yesterday’s early editions of the Miami Herald ran a huge graphic for its lead story pondering the question of who will emerge as the star of the Super Bowl. On the graphic, which was headlined “Star Search,” was a drawing of Denver players John Elway and Terrell Davis and, instead of Atlanta players on it, there were Minnesota Vikings players. Obviously, the paper, expecting the Vikings to be here, drew up the page well in advance and ran the wrong one. *Falcons’ WR Terance Mathis, on the subject of no respect: “This team is a bunch of outcasts, and we love it. This is a bunch of guys nobody wanted, labeled as too old, too small, whatever. Any bad thing you can think about saying about a team or players has been said. But you have to understand that this is a bunch of guys that know that. We talk about it, proving people wrong. We love it.” *Members of the 1958 Baltimore Colts and New York Giants, who played in what has been widely regarded as “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” participated in the coin toss last night. Raymond Berry, Lenny Moore, Art Donovan and Gino Marchetti represented the Colts, who beat the Giants 23-17 in OT in that NFL title game. Frank Gifford, Roosevelt Brown, Sam Huff, Tom Landry, Don Maynard and Andy Robustelli represented the Giants.
