Sid Hartman: Grant says Super Bowl more than a game

The Super Bowl is today, and who better to ask about it than Bud Grant, who took four Vikings teams to the NFL's showcase game? Unfortunately, he didn't win one, but in fairness, he played four of the best teams in the game's history.

"You're talking about ancient history now, that was quite a while ago," he said. "Things have changed a little bit, although the formula of two weeks between [the conference] championship game and the Super Bowl is the same.

"It's a different game. This is the NFL highlight of their season, and they put on a big show. It's different because of the demands on your time at the Super Bowl in preparation, by the players and the staff and the league, is so much different."

The Pro Football Hall of Fame coach always believes it is hard to predict a winner in football on any given day.

"I think a good example is Minnesota playing Arizona during the regular season, [given] as well as Arizona's played since that time," he said. The Vikings jumped out to a big lead early in beating the Cardinals 35-14 at Arizona on Dec. 14.

Grant describes the Super Bowl as more of a show or a circus than a football game.

"You're almost in an entertainment mode, and it takes a little bit away from your preparation and concentration, I felt," he said. "However, that's what it is and that's what you have to put up with. So, the routine is different and most of your work has to be done before you get there, because the demands for the PR part of it get overwhelming, in addition to the fact that everybody's family is there. Those are things you have to take care of, so it's a little different."

But Grant doesn't deny the importance of the game.

"You kind of squeeze practice in between all the other things that are going on -- the travel and the families and the parties and the well-wishers and the press, the press is a big thing. It's different, but that's why they call it 'Super,' " he said. "It's not NBA playoffs, it's not World Series, it's not any other championship, it's Super, that's where the name applies. It's one game, winner takes all, and that's why they call it the Super Bowl.

"There's a lot of [media] people there that you don't know that you're dealing with, from other cities and other towns and other teams whatnot, and they'll ask redundant questions and dumb questions and they'll ask repetitive questions. You just have to put up with it; that's all part of it. You've got to do it in good nature and try to get through that part of it. But, again, they're there because of the interest in the Super Bowl, which makes it one of the greatest sporting entertainments that we have today."

Favre to Vikings? One of the most respected members of the media is Peter King, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated.

ProFootballTalk.com reported that King, as a recent guest on ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption," predicted that if Brett Favre plays next season, it likely will be with the Vikings.

Favre, who apparently has no interest in returning to the Jets, still believes he can play, but he "won't play if he can't play where he really wants to play," King said. Asked where Favre might want to play, King's response was that he had a "gut feeling" it was the Vikings.

So there appears to be a better chance of Favre playing for the Vikings in 2009 than a year ago, when he was property of the Packers and was coming off a 13-3 season with Green Bay in 2007. It will be a lot easier for the Vikings to deal with the Jets than it would have been with the Packers.

Jottings On Friday, new St. Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo phoned Vikings coach Brad Childress for permission to talk to Vikings assistant defensive line coach Brendan Daly about joining the Rams staff. After Childress recommended Daly highly, Daly was hired as defensive line coach. ... Vikings linebackers coach Fred Pagac was interviewed for the Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator job, but the job went to Ron Meeks, who joined the Panthers after seven years serving that role under Tony Dungy with the Colts.

Timberwolves forward Corey Brewer, the first-round draft choice in 2007 who is out for the season after tearing a knee ligament in November, said he is making good progress and will be playing basketball again this summer.

Saturday was junior day at the Gophers football complex, and among those attending were Cretin-Derham Hall's Seantrel Henderson; Irondale's Jimmy Gjere; Totino-Grace's Muhammad Kromah, Gabe Mezzenga and John Crockett; Minnetonka's Beau Allen; Wayzata's Tobi Okuyemi and Grant Olson; Eden Prairie's Taylor Grant; DeLaSalle's Evan Williams; Eastview's Rex Sanders; and Woodbury's Lamonte Edwards. This group is considered one of the best junior crops in years. Also in attendance were some high school seniors who have committed for this fall, including Eastview defensive lineman Matt Garin and Mahtomedi center Ed Olson. ... Gophers coach Tim Brewster has what he calls a preferred walk-on class, and Cretin-Derham Hall center Zach Mottla has accepted that type of offer, according to GopherIllustrated.com. One recruiting service had ranked Mottla as the eighth-best center in the country.