Ochocinco joins the (social) media
Chad Ochocinco and other prominent NFL players will be asking the questions and giving reports during Super Bowl week.
The media-savvy Bengals receiver plans to attend news conferences and parties leading up to the title game in Miami, gathering insights from coaches, players and celebrities for his array of social networks.
He'll have help in the unprecedented plan. Redskins tight end Chris Cooley, Ravens Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice and Cardinals Pro Bowl defensive lineman Darnell Dockett also will be toting microphones and tossing questions at the Colts and the Saints - and maybe even commissioner Roger Goodell.
It's the first such venture since the receiver formed his "Ochocinco News Network" with Motorola.
"It'll be something new, something never done before," Ochocinco told The Associated Press in a phone interview from Miami, where he played in the Pro Bowl on Sunday night.
Ochocinco and his three helpers plan to function as reporters, updating a Web site and a Twitter feed during the week. The players have hundreds of thousands of regular followers on their personal Twitter accounts and other social network platforms.
They expect to attend media sessions where players and coaches are available, conduct interviews with guests at the media headquarters, and provide behind-the-scenes glimpses at the nightly Super Bowl parties in Miami.
The goal is to provide players' reactions to the whirlwind week.
"That's what everybody wants to hear," Ochocinco said. "They want to hear the players' perspective. They don't want to hear what the other (media) outlets say about what they feel is going on. People want to hear what the players feel about the events, the whole nine yards."
The Pro Bowl receiver launched his "News Network" last October, planning to enlist other NFL players in breaking news. He didn't do much with it during the season as the surprising Bengals won the AFC North title before losing to the Jets in the playoffs.
"At that time as the season neared the end, I had to slow down a little bit on most of the social media stuff," he said. "Coach (Marvin) Lewis never said anything directly to me, but you understood that it wasn't the right time to be doing as much as I used to. So this is the perfect time to do what I'm doing right now, and I'm the perfect fit for it."
Motorola, which is promoting its MOTOBLUR technology, assembled the four-player crew that will cover the Super Bowl.
"When OCNN first launched, the goal was to give fans unprecedented access into Chad's life and the game he loves," Motorola marketing officer Bill Ogle said. "Expanding OCNN with more correspondents for the Super Bowl just made sense."
All four players are adept at social networking, but have never been involved in such a project.
"To be honest, I don't really know Chad that well," Cooley said in a phone interview. "He's so outgoing, he's such a prevalent figure in social networking. When Motorola asked me to do this, I was excited because I get to hang out with Chad for a week."
Leave it home: Football fans take note - umbrellas are out for the big game on Sunday.
For that matter, so are fireworks, beach balls and flying discs.
Other items prohibited in Sun Life Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday included backpacks, strollers, laser pointers and coolers, according to information released Monday. Bottles and cans were on the banned list, as were camcorders, pepper spray, horns, poles and sticks.
"The message is, for the fans, please be patient with us," Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti said. "We're just looking out for your safety. Because as we've heard before, we have to be successful 100 percent of the time, the bad guys only have to get lucky once."
Camera and binocular cases also won't be allowed in the stadium.
"We don't allow those in for the reason that they're hard to screen," NFL vice president of security Milt Ahlerich said. "We need to be sure there's nothing being brought in in these things. So they will be prohibited at the gates."
It's entertainment: Party on, South Florida.
Though the economy played a "huge role" in planning the Super Bowl, local organizers said entertaining is back in style, much more than it was during last year's game in Tampa, when events were canceled and guest lists reduced.
"The parties are back on, there's no question. ... Some of the corporations and organizations that had canceled in Tampa, for a variety of reasons, they're back on," Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau said. "Their events are all scheduled. Parties are not a problem this time around. We're very enthusiastic that the economy may take a vacation for this next week."
Officially: U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, in town to tour the Super Bowl stadium, downplayed the impact of the failed bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner on the game's security plans.
"I don't think the Christmas Day attempted bombing has had affect," Napolitano said. "These plans have been in place for several years. And they keep getting worked and refined the closer you get to the game. But the event in Detroit had no direct impact."
He said it: The Saints' Reggie Bush on whether the rain affected his team in any way: "Well, it put a damper on things."