ABOARD THE CORNUCOPIA MAJESTY, near Jersey City — The light snow and bitter chill that enveloped New York Harbor on Sunday evening might not have meant much to the Denver Broncos, comfortable in the cold. They have been reminded often, however, that this Super Bowl week would be different.
Stepping aboard a 210-foot luxury cruise liner serving as the team’s news media headquarters this week, the Broncos arrived to a scene that shaded toward the surreal.
The vessel — named the Cornucopia Majesty, typically reserved for weddings and corporate events — was docked in Liberty Harbor Marina just a few feet from the team’s hotel. But why settle for holding news conferences on land?
As Broncos Coach John Fox spoke, a low hum from an idling motor provided light background noise. The Statue of Liberty could be viewed through a porthole off starboard.
All of it served as a reminder that both teams, the Broncos and theSeattle Seahawks, could be dealing with another level of distraction playing a Super Bowl a few miles from New York City.
At the end of the day, each one of these games gets bigger,” Fox said. “Once you get into the playoffs, they get bigger every week. This is the biggest of the biggest. We call it noise. You’ve got to be able to drown that out, still focus on your job and your preparation, and I think our guys have done an outstanding job.”
Peyton Manning, playing in his third Super Bowl, said the additional news conference requirements of Super Bowl week were just part of the honor of playing in this game. He said the key for players was maintaining focus during practices and film sessions.
“I thought we had an excellent week of practice last week,” Manning said. “We hope to continue that here in New York. I think we will be able to do that.”
Manning was asked several different ways about the possibilities of snow and bitter cold at MetLife Stadium: how to prepare for it; how to handle it; how to learn from past performances in it; and whether he could use the cold weather to his advantage.
“I don’t — um,” Manning said, fumbling for a response, “I don’t really know how to answer that.”
Others played down the potential effects the weather might have on the game. Broncos receiver Wes Welker said the talk of blizzards and below-freezing temperatures reminded him of playing pickup games in snow as a child.
“It’s part of what football is supposed to be,” Welker said.
Across town, the Seahawks later arrived to a less imaginative but perfectly suitable ballroom setting at the team hotel for their news conference. Rows of cameras four deep and at least 10 across formed a half-moon around the table for cornerback Richard Sherman, who whistled in admiration when he saw the crowd.
But after his postgame comments at the N.F.C. title game, Sherman was far more subdued Sunday night, choosing his words carefully. He said, in fact, his life had not changed all that much in seven days.
“I’ve made it to the Super Bowl,” Sherman said. “It’s changed in that regard. I’ve gotten a few more phone calls. But it hasn’t changed much. We’ve got one more game to play. We’ve been preparing like it’s another game. That’s the status quo.”
The Broncos defeated the Giants at MetLife Stadium early in the season, and Manning said he has tried to soak up what he remembered about dealing with the tricky wind conditions and the setup of the stadium. He said his brother Eli had been helpful through this playoff run. But when it has come to preparing for the Seahawks, who also beat the Giants, Eli was less forthcoming.
“He said don’t ask him for a whole lot of help there,” Peyton Manning joked.
Naturally, too, Manning’s career longevity came up, and he was asked if he thought Sunday’s game could be his last. He had spoken recently with John Elway and Ray Lewis, two star players who finished their careers with wins in the Super Bowl.
“I still enjoy playing football,” Manning said. “I feel a little better than I thought I would coming off this surgery. I still enjoy the preparation, the work part of it. Everybody enjoys the games, everybody’s going to be excited playing in the Super Bowl. But I think when you still enjoy the work part of it, you probably still ought to be doing that.”
After they finished, the Broncos took an elevator from the third level of the ship to the main floor. A crowd of reporters gathered around the exit, but nobody moved — a camera crew was having difficulty unloading equipment along the ship’s narrow plank.
It was the first traffic jam of Super Bowl week, and it came aboard a cruise ship.
