Super Bowl Notes

Super Bowl XXXVII kicks off today at 3:25 PM PST in San Diego. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Oakland Raiders in a matchup of subplots. Jon Gruden will face the team he coached last season, and the “trade” gets settled today.

The New York Times reports ABC has sold its commercial time available during this year’s Super Bowl with rates for each 30-second spot estimated at $2 million to $2.2 million each.

This year’s Super Bowl will be the first ever matchup of a No. 1 ranked offense against a No. 1 ranked defense.

Look for the little guys to make big plays. Every year someone not among the heralded becomes a hero. Think Desmond Howard.

The Orlando Sentinel reports this is ABC's sixth Super Bowl (1985, 1988, 1991, 1995 and 2000). The NFC team has won each of the previous games televised by ABC.

Sunday’s Super Bowl will be the first one in 24 years to feature foreign-born kickers on both squads. Martin Gramatica of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers grew up in Argentina while Sebastian Janikowski of the Oakland Raiders grew up in Poland.

Bill Romanowski has been to four Super Bowls. He has won four Super Bowls. Should the Raiders beat Tampa Bay on Sunday, he'll join Charles Haley as the only player to fill one entire hand with Super Bowl rings. Jerry Rice (3), Sam Adams (1) and Rod Woodsen (1) also seek more rings.

Woodsen was also on the losing end of a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh. John Parrella was on the losing end in San Diego.

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