By TomE. Curran
CSNNE.com
DALLAS - It's 11:30 your time, 10:30 mine and I'm in the media center with abouteight other saps who didn't get their work done yet. Or are smart enough to be getting tomorrow's work done today. While I'm sitting here, puzzling over what to write, the flat screen TVs, set up around the giant ballroom, are all tuned tothe NFL Network. They are doing their countdown of the 100 Greatest Players and have just rolled through Marino, Hannah, Elway, Merlin Olsen and Gale Sayers and are at Tom Brady, No. 21. So I'm sitting here, at Super Bowl 45, watching the highlights of Brady from Super Bowl 36, 38 and 39. I'm watching Antowain Smith's timeless high step from the sidelines after Adam Vinatieri's field goal sailed through in New Orleans. I'm seeing Brady in the snow against Oakland and remembering the postgame press conference when I asked him if he'd touched the ball with his left hand on the Tuck Rule play and him smirking and saying, basically, "Guess not."I mean, Iwas AT all those things.And not just a bystander but, you know, INVOLVED. Having the chance to ask questionswhich yield answers that won't be forgotten. At least by me.
Lucky s. I'm into the fourth of eight days here and officially missing my family now. I have three boys -- 14, 13 and 11 -- and they are not of a mind to spend a lot of time crushing it with me on the phone. So the conversations are about 90 seconds long with each of them. And my wife -- a teacher in Walpole -- is beyond being up to her ears in responsibilities. Parent. Teacher. Home supervision. Taxi driver. Homework checker. Breakfast maker. Ref. Tough deal for her. Be home soon. I'll check in with y'all tomorrow.
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Tom E. Curran canbe reached at tcurran@comcastsportsnet.com.Follow Tom on Twitter at http:twitter.comtomecurran