Jim Fassel was the head coach of the 2000 New York Giants that represented the NFC in Super Bowl XXXV; so he knows a thing or two about Super Bowl preparations. He joined Gil Whiteley on Mile High Sports Radio on Monday to discuss the unique circumstances head coaches deal with in the weeks leading up to the big game.
“When you get to the Super Bowl [week], save some stuff to keep their attention so you’re not doing the same-old same-old plays you were doing a week ago,’ Fassel said. “Give them some new stuff to keep their attention.”
Super Bowl tickets are a hot commodity. One can only imagine the multitudes of people who come out of the woodwork when a player is allotted so many tickets for friends and family. The team has people for that, and Fassel emphasized the need to communicate to players that there are employees to handle the logistics of tickets and travel.
“I want the players to concentrate on their assignments in the game,” he said. “If Grandma’s flying out and something happens to her flight, well, go to this area in the hotel and we’ll help you. If you need some extra tickets, whatever you need, whatever you need, go to them and they will handle it…you just concentrate on football, and I think it worked pretty smooth for us.”
Fassel also gave his two cents on the San Francisco 49ers hiring of former Denver Broncos safety John Lynch as general Manager.
“That’s a pretty big leap to go in there and never have done that. It’d be like hiring a head coach that’s never coached,” Fassel said. “But he’s a bright guy, and he’ll learn. If he’s a smart guy, which he is, he’ll get advice from a lot of different people and he’ll get it up and running pretty quick.”
Listen to the full interview, including Fassel’s pick to win Super Bowl LI, in the podcast below.
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Catch Gil Whiteley every weekday from 11a-12p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.