NFL Network expert analyst Adam Schefter talked all things Super Bowl to skysports.com in Tampa.
Top NFL TV expert talks about his Super Bowl with skysports.com's man in Tampa
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NFL Network expert analyst Adam Schefter talked all things Super Bowl to
skysports.com in Tampa, saying this year Kurt Warner is the key to finding a winner out of Pittsburgh and Arizona.
Schefter, a presenter and analyst for the NFL Network, has his nose close to the ground more than anyone else in the world of American Football, and if he doesn't know what's going on, then nobody does.
I between his stints on American TV at the start of Super Bowl week in Tampa, I managed to catch up with Schefter at the hive of activity that was the Media Centre.
"I've been at every Super Bowl since 1994, so this will be my 16th Super Bowl," said Schefter.
"Every one is different, last year the game itself was the best game you could ever want to see, the Patriots and the Giants was just a spectacular game.
"The Tyree catch on his helmet is just stuff you'll never forget."
Facilities
"But what I look for in Super Bowl week is different than what other people look for.
"This is a great media centre. It's very convenient with our hotel right across the street, its 66 degrees outside, it's sunny with blue skies so for me Super Bowl week is off to a great start and I'm loving Tampa."
And what of this year's game? For most the Pittsburgh Steelers will be too strong for the year's surprise team, but veteran quarterback Kurt Warner needs to be kept on a leash to stop firing the Arizona Cardinals to an upset.
"The whole thing in this game to me is whether Pittsburgh can get pressure on Arizona," he added.
"If Pittsburgh can pressure Arizona then I think they can control this game and win it.
"But if they can't get pressure on Kurt Warner and the Cards, and he has time to throw the football, then Arizona has the chance, a real good chance, to pull the upset.
"Kurt does get back up again very quickly and easily when he's hit, but no quarterback likes to get hit all game long, so if they're going to win this game then they're going to do it by going after Kurt Warner.
Spectacle
Schefter does not pledge allegiance to any NFL team himself, but just revels in the spectacle that only the Super Bowl can provide.
"Every year it's a spectacle, it's an event, and I only wish that anyone who's a football fan could get to the Super Bowl because it's amazing - it's like Mardi Gras meets the Academy Awards, with football players.
"I don't back a particular team, I'm looking for the people and the good stories.
"In other words, if I know that I'm going to the NFC Championship Game, I don't want Green Bay to win, because I don't want to go to Green Bay in January. I'd rather have Arizona win because I can go there."
