| ATLANTA — One of the most interesting matchups that
will take place in this weekend’s Super Bowl will pit a pair of players who are
fairly familiar with each other. They have faced off only once in their NFL careers, but
that game, which took place in Week Eight of this season, was talked about for weeks. One
player was deified. The other was humiliated.
Once again, the talk is centering around the Jevon Kearse-Fred Miller matchup in the
trenches. Kearse, Tennessee’s Pro Bowl rookie who starts at left end, had a field day
against Miller in the Titans’ regular-season win. Miller, on the other hand, is the
Rams’ starting right tackle who was beaten for a sack and allowed Kearse to get free
on another occasion that resulted in a forced fumble. And then there are the false-start
penalties. Oh, the false-start penalties.
Six of them. It was not a pretty scene.
As you can imagine, the ravenous media that is attending the Super Bowl press
conferences and players’ interviews are very interested in knowing how Miller plans
to stop Kearse this time around. They want to know what went wrong for Miller on that day
in October. They want to know what Miller did when he got home. Basically, they went after
the guy, asking question after question after question.
I stood before Miller for upward of 30 minutes on Wednesday. He was seated at a table
with Adam Timmerman, a well-respected NFL offensive lineman. Timmerman was largely
ignored, as the throng of media prodded, questioned and generally tried to antagonize
Miller.
Never have I been more impressed with how an athlete handled such a situation. Miller
calmly sat in his chair, hands usually folded on his lap, surrounded by at least 7-10
reporters at all times.
After each question was fired at him, he politely answered. One person asked if he was
tired of talking about the subject. He said he wasn’t, explaining that it happened,
and he understands that the NFL is all about the fans, and the fans want to know about it.
Therefore, he should talk about it.
This guy showed real class.
Miller said that the game did not haunt him. He forgot about it a couple of days later.
Miller said that Kearse didn’t do a lot of trash talking during the game, and
added that the rookie is a very gifted athlete. He said that the crowd noise, which has
become the 12th man in Tennessee this season, played a role in all of those
false starts. He doesn’t expect that to be as big a factor in the Super Bowl.
The reporters asked if he screams at the TV when he sees clips from the game. Miller
said that he does. A reasonable response.
But one question asked of Miller really got to me.
Someone asked about his family — his son and his dog specifically — and how
they reacted when he got home. His young son walked around saying, "Da-da,"
completely oblivious to his father’s rough day at the office. His dog excitedly
greeted his master, also absent of a clue about what had happened on the field that
afternoon in Nashville.
The reporter asked the dog’s name. Miller told him it was Murdoch. The reporter
then sarcastically asked if he ever considered changing the dog’s name to
"Kearse." Another reporter then chimed in about naming the dog "False
Start."
What a couple of asses!
At this point, Miller couldn’t be blamed had he opted to walk right out. Those
were inappropriate questions and comments. They were meant to incite a heated response.
Miller, to his credit, didn’t take the bait.
He calmly rolled his eyes and asked them, "Why should I do that?"
The inquisitors didn’t have a response.
Like I said, Miller is all class. A strong, brave man. A bigger man — both
figuratively and literally — than the reporters who harassed him.
I don’t know how Miller will handle Kearse, a.k.a. the "Freak," this
Sunday. And I know that, as a reporter, I am supposed to remain completely objective. But
there will be a small part of me rooting for Miller come Sunday.
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