The annual Super Bowl media day was more of a circus than a media conference, bringing singing, dancing and downright silliness from those who will take part in Super Bowl XLIX in five days. The media anxiously gathered at the US Airways Center in Phoenix on Tuesday and prepared for members of the Seahawks to answer their questions, both serious and bizarre, when they took the floor from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. ET.
One Seahawk wasn’t particularly thrilled with having to participate. Marshawn Lynch's displeasure over talking to the media is well known, but the star running back took his annoyance to another level Tuesday.
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“I'm just here so I won't get fined," he said.
Lynch made that statement 27 times in response to the questions he was asked. After being threatened with a $500,000 fine by the NFL if he failed to make an appearance during media day, Lynch was sure to meet the minimum requirements set for him. He remained at his podium for just under five minutes, more than an hour less than his teammates and coaches. At 4 minutes, 51 seconds, he said “time” and walked away.
“Putting Lynch in front of the press is like putting a reporter on field and asking him to tackle Adrian Peterson,” Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman joked.
Some of Lynch's other teammates were willing and ready to partake in the media day fun.
Defensive lineman Michael Bennett, who was seen riding a police bicycle around the field after the NFC Championship game, stole the show once again.
“It's like kissing a girl," Bennett said about reaching another Super Bowl. “It's always better the second time you do it.”
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The media turned to Russell Wilson for answers to more earnest questions, especially those concerning his transition from the emotional NFC Championship to the Super Bowl.
“We’re just pumped up just to be able to get out there and have another opportunity to play, and obviously this game has implications, obviously to go back-to-back years and that would be great," Wilson said. “We’ll see what happens.”
When it came time to talk injuries, the media shifted to safety Earl Thomas, who said he won't be thinking about the shoulder injury he suffered against the Packers in the conference title game.
“When I tackle somebody, I just close my eyes anyway and just throw everything I have," Thomas said. "It doesn’t change my plans at all."
Sherman, who also is dealing with a shoulder injury, insisted that he, too, won't be held back.
“It’s feeling pretty good, it’s feeling pretty good,” Sherman said. “It’s been good all week. I’m done getting treatment. It’s been getting better day by day.”
The Seahawks will aim to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the Patriots in 2003 and 2004.
“The game plan for us is to play like we always play,” coach Pete Carroll said. “That’s the big challenge, that we can play with the same kind of intensity and attitude, the execution that gives us the chance to win."