Super Bowl XLII: Wednesday Notebook

By Jim Ralabate and Tom Torrisi
SportsTicker Staff Writers

PHOENIX (Ticker) - Hanging up on a potential employer turned out to be a brilliant career move for Randy Moss. The record-setting Pro Bowl wide receiver of the New England Patriots made an interesting admission Wednesday during the team's morning media session. Coming off two awful seasons with the Oakland Raiders, Moss demanded to be traded this past offseason - and Brett Favre hoped to find a home for him in Green Bay. But Moss and the Packers apparently never were on the same page, something the mercurial wideout revealed Wednesday. "The Packers were really talking about the wrong things, and not the right things," said Moss, referring to Green Bay's attempt to restructure his salary. "When they started talking more about the wrong things, I just hung up the phone and didn't want to talk to them anymore." The rest is history - literally. The Raiders traded Moss to the Patriots on draft day, propelling him to a brilliant campaign highlighted by his single-season record 23 touchdown catches. When asked Wednesday about his pending free agency, Moss declaratively stated that he wanted to remain with Tom Brady and the Patriots for the rest of his career. One can only wonder how that career would have ended had Moss been paired with Favre. "I thought at first it was something that could have worked, for the fact that Brett Favre was there," Moss said. "But I think as the conversations occurred throughout the day and the next day, I didn't really want to go to Green Bay."

SHEEPISH ABOUT HIS PAST: Offensive guard Grey Ruegamer is one of just three Giants players who have experience playing in a Super Bowl. Ruegamer, however, is the only one of the trio with a ring. Ironically, he earned it as a member of the New England Patriots in the 2001 season. That's not the only experience that sets Ruegamer apart from his teammates. His resume includes a job few would ever want - and not because it leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. To help out a friend of the family in Las Vegas, Ruegamer earned a paycheck by castrating sheep - with his teeth. "It happened to be a Basque family and that's just the way they did it," Ruegamer explained. "Pretty much they look like the end of your fingers. You rip them off and spit them in a bucket." When a reporter inquired if it was similar to eating crayfish, Ruegamer responded: "I don't know, I've never eaten crayfish. Crayfish might have a little more crunch to it." Acknowledging it was not the most pleasant task, Ruegamer said the job did have its perks. "Hey, it's one of those things, you got through it, had fun, drink some beer, rope some horses and had a good time."

PRACTICE: Brady was a full participant in practice Wednesday, showing no signs of the ankle injury which sidelined him last week. Wide receiver Jabar Gaffney was limited in New England's practice due to a shoulder injury. The Giants held their first practice since arriving in the Phoenix area Monday evening, and Plaxico Burress again was noticeably absent. New York's leading receiver, Burress has been slowed by an injured right ankle since training camp and missed practices regularly throughout the season. Giants left guard Rich Seubert (knee) and cornerback Kevin Dockery (hip) both were limited in practice.

NFL FACES IN THE CROWD: Favre and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor arrived at the Phoenix Convention Center on Wednesday to receive the FedEx Air and Ground NFL Players of the Year Awards, as voted by the fans. Favre and Taylor edged a group of finalists which also included Brady, LaDainian Tomlinson and Tony Romo. Taylor and the Jaguars lost to New England, 31-20, in the divisional playoffs, and the Pro Bowl running back said he did not have an answer on how to topple the unbeaten Patriots. "If I knew that, I wouldn't be up here," Taylor quipped. Several other current NFL stars were seen making the rounds in the media center Wednesday, including reigning Rookie of the Year Adrian Peterson, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Matt Leinart, Matt Hasselbeck and Larry Fitzgerald.

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Referee Mike Carey was named to head the seven-man officiating crew for Super Bowl XLII. The first black referee to work the Super Bowl, Carey will be joined by umpire Tony Michalek, head linesman Gary Slaughter, line judge Carl Johnson, field judge Boris Cheek, side judge Larry Rose and back judge Scott Helverson. Carey has a familiarity with both Super Bowl squads, having worked the matchup between the Giants and Patriots in the regular-season finale.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Moss, when told the Giants wore black on the plane ride because they want to bury the Patriots' perfect season - "You are supposed to wear black to a funeral. ... We'll see who has black on after the game."

WEATHER: Sunny with temperatures in the high 50s.