Super Bowl notebook
Goodell happy about Toronto games
TAMPA, Fla. — Despite the negative reaction of some fans, media and a few players, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell deemed the two Buffalo Bills games played in Toronto “tremendously successful” because it expanded the team’s fan base.
The Bills hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers in the preseason and the Miami Dolphins in a regular-season game at Rogers Centre as part of an agreement to play eight games in Toronto over five years.
The Bills make $9.78 million per game on the deal.
“We said that the objective was to regionalize the Buffalo Bills, and it achieved those objectives,” Goodell said Friday during his annual State of the NFL address at the Super Bowl. “We were able to increase our season ticket sales in the Toronto area significantly — over 40 percent. And I think from that standpoint, we achieved what our initial goal was.”
Goodell did say that ticket prices for the Toronto games would be reviewed prior to the 2009 season. The reported average ticket price was more than $200, which is four times the amount of a game at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
The 54,000-seat Rogers Centre was well short of capacity for the Miami game and some Bills players were irked by the large contingent of Dolphins fans, which nearly matched those cheering for Buffalo.
Despite the criticisms, Goodell believes the Bills-Toronto Series will continue to build in popularity.
“I met with the people promoting the game, Rogers Communications along with the Bills, earlier this week, and I’m very confident next year’s game is going to be bigger and better,” he said.
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The offense gets most of the attention, but the improved Arizona Cardinals’ defense could be the difference in Super Bowl XLIII.
The Cardinals ranked 19th in the NFL in yards. They were 28th in points allowed and allowed more than 40 points three times.
But in three playoff games, the Cardinals’ defense has 12 takeaways (eight interceptions) and seven sacks.
“Our guys are really confident and are playing well right now, so I hope they have one more game in them and they can play better,” said Cardinals defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, who indicated the embarrassing 47-7 loss at New England in Game 15 got the defense to play with a great sense of urgency.
“They took the challenge upon themselves to play better in the last [regular-season] game against Seattle because we knew we needed to catch some momentum going into the playoffs,” Pendergast said. “We’ve got a lot of guys with a lot of heart and they really responded when the playoffs started.”
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The last time Steelers running back Willie Parker was in the Super Bowl, he had veteran Jerome Bettis on the sideline offering advice.
But Bettis is retired after winning Super Bowl XL, leaving Parker to handle this big game on his own.
“There’s no Jerome,” said Parker, who had a record 75-yard touchdown run in his first Super Bowl. “He helped me out in ’05 all season long and he matured me as a running back. Now it’s all about me.
“I’m out there reading defenses. I come to the sideline to ask [running backs] coach [Kirby Wilson] what he saw, and I’ll tie in what I was thinking I saw and how the play developed.”
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Dennis Green was fired as the Cardinals’ head coach two years ago, but his fingerprints are all over the roster.
Arizona’s fortunes changed in 2004, Green’s first year as head coach, when he used the first three draft picks on wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Karlos Dansby and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and added defensive end Antonio Smith in the fifth round.
Free safety Antrel Rolle was a first-rounder in 2005. Guard Deuce Lutui (second round) and nose tackle Gabe Watson (fourth) arrived in 2006.
“Denny Green definitely knew how to draft,” Dockett said. “I think that is what kick-started the whole thing and helped get this organization turned around.”
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