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Ex-Bull proud of what he has done

NEW ORLEANS -- He was sitting at a table by himself, soaking in the hundreds of media and NFL personnel crowded into a ballroom at the Freemont Hotel, and Patriots rookie offensive tackle Kenyatta Jones was keeping it real.

The former standout from South Florida, the first Bull to be drafted (fourth round, 96th overall), is the first Bull to reach the Super Bowl. It's one achievement that can't be erased from the school's record books.

"It's hard to put how I feel into words," said Jones, who played in five games, but was inactive for the playoffs. "You know that anything is possible but to be honest, I never thought it would be possible. I never thought I would be in the Super Bowl in one year."

Although he is unlikely to play Sunday, Jones said he has learned a lot and is proud of what he, and ex-USF teammates Anthony Henry and Bill Gramatica (who were picked 97th and 98th, respectively) have done in the league.

Henry, taken by the Browns, led the AFC with 10 interceptions and Gramatica, the younger brother of Bucs kicker Martin, is off to a strong start with the Cardinals.

"We're a Florida school and have guys from Florida," Jones said. "We were not Division I, but Florida football is great even small schools can put it out. All we did was ask for a chance and we got those chances (with the Bulls) and once we got our chance we did something with it."

HOW'S THAT FOR MOTIVATION: Patriots coach Bill Belichick's most memorable act of inspiration came after New England defeated the Dolphins 20-13 Dec. 22 in Foxboro Stadium. The next day, Belichick gathered the team on the field, dug a hole and performed a unique ceremony.

"He had the ball and it had Miami with the score and the date on it," fullback Marc Edwards said, "and he threw it into the hole and had the captains bury it. He said, "That game is over with. It is time to move on.' It was the same with all our wins. (He would say), "Hey, that was a great win, but we're moving on. It's over with so let's get focused on next Sunday."

Rams coach Mike Martz also has his brand of motivational expertise. He prefers to draw upon his vast knowledge of the Civil War.

"It's fascinating to read about some of the things these people, who had such a huge impact on history, went through and how extreme some of the situations were for these guys," Martz said. "There are a lot of things from the situations within the Civil War to draw from to talk to players about ... (such as) illustrations for courage and commitment."

MUMS THE WORD: Trash talk has become an integral part of the landscape of pro sports. The bigger the game, the more "colorful" the conversations between opponents. But that's not the case for this game, considering how close the last contest between the teams was.

"I don't think there will be a lot of trash-talking in this game," Rams linebacker London Fletcher said. "There is a lot of respect for each team. You don't get to this point without being an excellent football team. You're playing on the biggest stage. I don't see where trash-talking is going to be an issue."

But for those who aren't inclined to buy into the lovefest, here is a take from Fletcher's teammate, cornerback Dre' Bly:

"I just like to have fun and I am a very energetic guy. I like to get going and get my teammates going. I don't purposely try to talk trash. I just like to have fun and express myself. ... I think we have mutual respect for each other, but you can't say what's going to happen on game day. This is the game of the year, so anything can happen. I know that I am going to be juiced up and ready to go, so my mouth might move."

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