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The Super Bowl is Sunday, but media day has taken on a life of its own. Patriots wide receiver Donte Stallworth faces part of the media horde Tuesday at Glendale, Ariz.

 

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Grey Ruegamer may not be the best-known player in Sunday's Super Bowl XLII.

He's an offensive lineman for the New York Giants, a reserve at that.

But Ruegamer can offer a perspective on the Super Bowl few of his teammates can as they prepare to take on the unbeaten New England Patriots at University of Phoenix Stadium.

He has played in a Super Bowl, and he did it for the Patriots.

The 6-foot-4, 299-pound Ruegamer was a backup lineman for the Patriots in the 2001 season, and he got into Super Bowl XXXVI when the Patriots shocked the world and beat the favored St. Louis Rams, 20-17.

And he can compare that team and his current one.

"I think there are a lot of similarities," he said Tuesday. "We have a good mix of veterans and young guys and guys who are stepping up making plays for us. And there's a bunch of guys who work hard and play well together, and that's kind of how the New England team was in 2001. In that respect, there are a lot of similarities."

Another is that no one expected New England to beat the Rams, led by Kurt Warner. This time around, no one expects the Giants to beat the Patriots, led by Tom Brady.

"We've been underdogs all year, all postseason," said Ruegamer. "Why should it change now? It doesn't change our approach. We're still focused on winning the football game and we're going to prepare that way."

This is a homecoming for the 31-year-old Ruegamer, who was born in nearby Scottsdale and went to Arizona State University. "It's great to be back in the Valley of the Sun," he said. "It's a great place to play football."

Ruegamer sees this game as a trifecta of sorts. He's back in Arizona, the Giants beat the Green Bay Packers - another team he played for - in the NFC championship and now they're facing the Patriots, his former team.

STRANGE QUESTIONS and still stranger outfits are always a staple of Super Bowl media day, which has transformed into almost as big an event as the game itself. A record 4,786 media credentials were distributed this year, and it seems like most showed up at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Yet Brady, in his fourth Super Bowl appearance, said the players look forward to this day more than any other.

"There's nothing about this that is not fun," he said. "The experience of this that everyone has and the memories we have ... that's why everyone takes pictures and has camcorders because that's what makes the week, what makes it the Super Bowl Week.

"There's a game at the end of the week and that's the most important thing, but all the experiences you have coming up to it, that's what you're going to remember."

WHEN IT was mentioned to New England cornerback Asante Samuel that both he and Giants defensive end Michael Strahan had outstanding seasons and were playing in the Super Bowl - despite holding out all of training camp - Samuel suggested training camp may be overrated.

"Maybe we did set a trend," he said, "that you can miss camp and still have a wonderful season."

SOME OTHER sights and sounds from media day: