Super Bowl Opening Night Had Everything

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The week of festivities leading up to Super Bowl LII is officially underway as Opening Night came and went. The media circus inside the Xcel Energy Center featured several thousand media members from the typical sportswriters and reporters to comedians and everything in between.

Guillermo of Jimmy Kimmel Live spent some time inside a trash can, Nancy Kerrigan asked questions of the players for Inside Edition and a man wearing the underdog mask made popular by Eagles players Chris Long and Lane Johnson asked questions of players on both teams.

The New England Patriots were first to meet with the media. They spent an hour answering questions. Their session featured Quarterback Tom Brady sitting on his riser with a glove over his right hand shielding any images of the condition of his throwing hand. Brady reportedly received 12 stitches in that hand prior to the AFC Championship Game.

The Patriots were followed by the Philadelphia Eagles. Nearly all of the Eagles took the stage armed with cell phones out and recording the moment.

While the Eagles were enjoying the event, they did not appear to get lost in it. They appeared loose, but not overly careless. Many of the young players indicated they were instructed to slow down and enjoy this experience. Brent Celek played in an NFC Championship Game early in his career in 2008 and never made it back until last week. Celek warned the young players that they must not take this opportunity for granted.

Most of the fans in attendance were locals taking it all in. That means they had hoped to see the Minnesota Vikings in this game. The Eagles eliminated their team a week ago and that led to numerous boos during the evening. A group of Eagles fans were quick to return the insult by engaging in the Skol chant.

The Super Bowl atmosphere is ripe with excitement, intensity and entertainment. Opening Night definitely set the stage for what should be a fun and interesting week leading up to Super Bowl LII.