The ordinary is anything but at Super Bowl media day

By Brady Henderson

NEWARK, N.J. – There were no shots fired from media day Tuesday, each team taking a deferential approach and steering clear of anything inflammatory.

Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin experienced the oddity of Super Bowl media day firsthand when he was interviewed by Phillip Hajszan, who wore a costume out of the 1700s. (AP)

There was disappointment among media members who crowded around Richard Sherman’s podium, at least those who set up shop several minutes before the session started hoping the Seahawks cornerback would say something controversial. He didn’t, instead beginning by lauding his teammates and Denver’s Peyton Manning while finishing each response with a “thank you” to the questioner.

There was the expected with Marshawn Lynch, who kept his typically low profile and did his best to avoid the spotlight. Seattle’s star running back gave a handful of brief interviews that were at times awkward and hilarious. He still managed to make headlines despite not saying much at all.

And then there was the ordinary, which is to say there was plenty that would be considered completely out of the ordinary in any other setting. Media day has become almost as much of a spectacle as it is an opportunity for newsgathering. This one was no different, which is why the football-related questions only slightly outnumbered the off-beat ones.

Golden Tate was asked which sport he’d chose if he were competing in the Winter Olympics. Fellow receiver Doug Baldwin was asked whether he’d prefer salsa or seven-layer dip at a Super Bowl party.

“I’m probably not eating salsa on game day,” he said after recounting the question.

Russell Wilson’s hair was even the subject of one reporter’s inquiry – specifically, whether it will be a factor in the Super Bowl. The quarterback said it’s a tribute to his late father, something he decided to do after seeing an old picture of the two and their outgrown heads of hair.

“That’s why I kind of have the Michael Jackson-Bruno Mars S-Curl right now,” he said.

What was the strangest thing defensive end Cliff Avril heard?

“Some dude just asked me, ‘Do fishes get thirsty?’ or something like that,” he said. “That was weird. That was probably the weirdest one.”

And that was normal compared to some of the clothing choices. One television reporter wore something from another century, an outfit that included a white wig, knee-high socks and matching gloves. At one point he interviewed three older women – two of them twins – dressed as Manning, Wilson and an official.

There was even a superhero calling himself P-Man.

“There’s a guy walking around with ‘P’ on his chest,” defensive lineman Michael Bennett said, seeming slightly amused and a little incredulous. “Seriously, there’s a guy going around saying he’s P-Man. A grown man.”

In other words, it was business as usual at media day.

Follow Brady Henderson on Twitter @BradyHenderson.