Costume Power Rankings (4:30 p.m. MT)
Media Day is over. Before we move on with the week, here are my power rankings of people who dressed up for the proceedings.
6. Cyborg Guy
This was a hard one to love. I think it's a Terminator callback, which is kind of a weird move in 2015. He is getting interviewed in the above photo, so I guess some people were in. For me, he gets the participation trophy.
5. Manic Hand Puppet Guys
I mean, look at that guy on the left. That's a Manic Hand Puppet Guy! And, as you can see, he had a partner on the other side with his own puppet. They just walked around taping segments like this. I'd love to know their take on how Seattle will stop the New England running game.
4. Almost Walter White Guy
My heart skipped a beat when I caught this guy in the corner of my eye. I honestly thought it was Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston speaking with a Mexican television personality. (Yes, that's Ines Sainz, who has a lurid place in New York Jets lore.) Anyway, this guy probably shouldn't be on this list and yet, here he is. Too late to turn back now.
3. Easel Guy
Easel Guy never moved. He set up shop in front of Tom Brady's riser an hour before Media Day started and he remained there until Russell Wilson stepped off the same riser almost four hours later. He also wore a leather Peanuts jacket, which bumps him up a spot. WTF Score: 8/10
2. Pick Boy
It's hard to believe, but Pick Boy -- a staple at this event -- has grown his brand to the point that he was in near constant demand for interviews. Truthfully, he's really a full-on Pick Man at this point. It's uncomfortable in the way sitcoms are when the cute little children grow into adolescent monsters. Still, Pick Boy has carved out a niche on this day. For this, he is rewarded with a silver medal.
1. Barrel Boy
Also clearly not a boy, but look at this guy! Sometimes you just have to check your inhibitions at the door and fulfill your ambition to be a star.
Odell Beckham got famous (1 p.m. MT)
Meanwhile, in non-Media Day related news ...
This is, without a doubt, one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of. I will absolutely be there.
Oh, the humanity! (12:30 p.m. MT)
I'm not going to complain about how crowded Media Day is, because I imagine there's already hundreds of bitter reporters doing that at this very moment. (I just checked Twitter and was thunderously correct.)
But yeah, it's crowded here. Crazy crowded. Like, college frat party crowded. The key to survival is not dragging your feet (there are cables everywhere) and keeping your head up. You're guaranteed a collision -- possibly even with a 310-pound offensive linemen -- if your eyes are locked in on your iPhone.
I did manage to get in close with Rob Gronkowski, which I wrote about right here. That's a hard guy to dislike. He's like a big happy human golden retriever.
Gronk told me his party bus -- driven, we presume, by his immortal consigliere Bobby Goons -- is making the journey from Foxborough to Arizona as we speak. That's quite a trip.
Media Day is here (9:30 a.m. MT)
We are live from US Airways Center, home of the 2007 and 2009 WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury. You can almost smell the mystique when you step into the building.
US Airways Center is also the home of Super Bowl XLIX Media Day, which, just so you know, is FUELED BY GATORADE. The upshot is that we have an endless supply of free sports drink available, which would work in our favor in the event of a Phoenix zombie apocalypse. Gotta electrolyte up in that spot.
Speaking of Brady, this is happening in the middle of the scrum waiting for his arrival:
Yeah, this is Media Day.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast reacts to the Patriots' deflated footballs controversy and tells you whom to trust in Super Bowl XLIX. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
