Hall of Fame defensive end Dwight Freeney has some experience with the Super Bowl. He won it all back in 2006 and appeared in the game two other times. So, he knows what he is talking about when it comes to what the players are feeling in the lead-up to the big game.
On Wednesday (Feb. 5), he appeared on “The Triple Option” to discuss the Super Bowl with Urban Meyer and Rob Stone.
Dwight Freeney Discusses a Common Super Bowl Misconception
As the Super Bowl draws near, fans and media members often talk about how players prepare for the biggest game of their lives. Some media members suggest that these players are such good professionals that they treat it like it is any other game.
Freeney said that is a common misconception — all players get nervous before the Super Bowl.
“Well, I think you’re fooling yourself if you’re trying to convince yourself it’s just another game. You know, it isn’t just another game. It’s that game you’ve dreamt about, that you’ve prepared for, the top of the mountain. The thing you’ve put all the offseason workouts towards. All the sacrifices and it all comes down to this one moment. It comes with a lot of anxiety, a lot of sleepless nights.”
“You would play the next day, the day after you win the AFC Championship. You would play the next day because you know by the third time, I went there three times, that two weeks is the longest two weeks ever. You just want to get it over with. You want to get there, you want it to hurry up. But it’s one of those moments that you have to just take it all in.
“That’s what I used to tell all the young guys, take it all in. Because you never know if you’re ever gonna get back. So, live in the moment. It is technically just another game, but not really, so let’s not fool yourself.”
The Super Bowl is scheduled to be played on Feb. 9 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles will try to stop Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs from pulling off an unprecedented achievement. Having won the past two Super Bowls, the Chiefs have the chance to win the Super Bowl three times in a row for the first time in NFL history.
