The Super Bowl takes place this weekend, and for the players, this is the game they dream about. And for the teams’ respective cities and fans, the two weeks leading up to the game bring a never-before-seen buzz. PopCulture.com caught up with NFL legend Shaun Alexander, who played in the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks during the 2005 season and said the weeks leading into the Super Bowl are nothing like he’s ever experienced.
“I mean, you win the NFC championship, and you’re sitting on top of a mountain for two weeks, and it’s just amazing,” Alexander exclusively told PopCulture. “The fans, the city comes together. Everybody’s so excited and proud of their team. It’s wonderful. Then you head to the Super Bowl city, after the first weekend, and you’re there.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“And I remember the media day was on that Tuesday, and it’s loud. And you’ve got other celebrities that you’ve watched on TV or look up to. They’re actually knowing you by name. They’re calling your phones and things like that. So there’s an excitement about it. And then there’s this great focus that’s needed to be had, for you to be and play well during the game. And so, it’s just a fun time, but it’s like two weeks that you’ll never forget.”
Alexander and the Seahawks came up short in the Super Bowl, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-10. For his final numbers, Alexander, who played running back, finished the day with 95 yards on 20 carries. When asked if the Super Bowl felt like a normal game, Alexander said it didn’t for one reason.
“It doesn’t to me because part of my game was wearing people down,” Alexander said. “You give you the ball enough times, you’ll eventually get tired. So I felt like the halftime was a lot longer. I felt like there was more TV timeouts. And what happens is, is guys just get to catch their breath back. So you get on some good rhythms, and you can kind of get people off their feet.”
This year’s Super Bowl features the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals. Alexander has ties to Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow but knows how talented and dangerous the Rams are. “I just really don’t want them to win,” Alexander said about the Rams. “But they’ve got an amazing team. And then they’re going against the Bengals where, when Joe Burrow won the Maxwell Award, the best player of the country was the Heisman. And then the Maxwell Award. The best freshman wins the Shaun Alexander Award. I was at the show, giving out the Maxwell, and Joe wins. And we connected pretty well and got a good friendship going. And so, I want him to win. … It’s going to be a good game though, but the Rams should win. If you’re just playing football, the Ram should win. But because the game’s a little bit different, Joe works his magic, he’s got a shot.”
