A.J. Brown is asked about Tom Brady’s hair, Tanner McKee on the ‘Mormon Missile,’ and more from Super Bowl Opening Night
As usual, there were plenty of wacky questions, and Brown was the recipient of some of the wackiest. Here’s a rundown of the goofiness of Super Bowl Opening Night.
NEW ORLEANS — At about 7:50 p.m. on Monday, Eagles receiver A.J. Brown was asked if he believes Tom Brady got a hair transplant. These types of questions are typical for Super Bowl media night, but the reporter picked the wrong participant.
Brown grew up a Patriots fan. He once cried when he wasn’t drafted by his favorite team. Brady was his favorite player.
So, the inquiry went nowhere. When the reporter realized Brown wasn’t going to answer, he pulled out a photo of Brady, with his hairline circled.
“You can look at this one, too,” the reporter said.
“I don’t know,” Brown said. “He’s my favorite player, so I’m not going to get up here and talk about my favorite player.”
“But it looks good, it’s not a bad thing to get a hair transplant,” the reporter replied. “Yes or no?”
“For you?” Brown asked.
“For me, yes, absolutely,” the reporter said. “We’re talking about for Tom.”
“I don’t know,” Brown said.
There was a lot of this on Monday night at the Caesars Superdome. Brown, for whatever reason, was the recipient of some of the wackiest questions. He was asked his favorite Mexican dish (answer: “I don’t eat Mexican”) and his favorite Spanish word (answer: the phrase “Que lo que.”)
But of course, he wasn’t the only one. A reporter asked Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, “How can I get more handsome?” Hurts didn’t have an answer for him. “Sounds like a DNA thing,” he said.
A few minutes later, a different reporter asked, “Is it better to be a tush or a pusher?”
Hurts did not play along.
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“Yeah, you call it that,” he said. “I call it the quarterback sneak. I keep it very standard.”
Rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean was asked how to get tickets for his family to attend the Super Bowl. (Answer: “Pay money for them.”)
Receiver DeVonta Smith was asked for his favorite cheesesteak spot in Philadelphia. (Answer: “I don’t eat cheesesteaks.”)
Backup quarterback Tanner McKee, who was recently dubbed the “Mormon Missile” by teammate Jordan Mailata, was asked how often he hears that nickname on the street.
“I’ve heard it a few times,” McKee said. “I just wave, I think it’s funny. I’ve actually had a few people request that I sign ‘Mormon Missile.’ So yeah, it’s all good.”
One of the highlights of the night was quarterback Jameis Winston, who is a free agent and was working on site for Fox Sports. He handed cookies to players and asked the occasional query.
During Saquon Barkley’s podium availability, Winston caught his friend’s attention.
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“One more question, Saquon, one more question,” he yelled at Barkley. “I’m a free agent, I really don’t got no job. Who should sign me in free agency?”
“I think New York needs a quarterback right now,” Barkley said.
“New York who?” Winston asked.
“Giants,” Barkley said.
This is probably not the way most players would like to spend their Monday evening in the days before the biggest game of their lives, but it’s all in good fun. DeJean, who is from the small town of Odebolt, Iowa, and is famously an introvert, was particularly out of his comfort zone.
But he was able to find a silver lining.
“I know there’s a lot of people back home watching,” he said. “So it’s awesome to be here and be able to represent them. I’ve heard from just about everybody back home.”
Multiple players — such as Landon Dickerson, Jordan Davis, and McKee — referred to this as a “business trip,” and despite the chaos on Monday night, they all have a clear-eyed view of how to handle this week.
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“Coach [Nick] Sirianni said for the rest of your life, you can enjoy the Super Bowl, party, do whatever you want,” said McKee. “But there’s only so many times that you can actually be a player.
“So, it’s kind of a business trip for us. We’re here to win the game. Later down the road, if we want to come party, enjoy the Super Bowl, be a fan, we can do that whenever we want. Just later down the road.”