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2B – Daily News – Wednesday, February 2, 2011 Ho-hum media day for Super Bowl QBs Super Bowl XLV ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger dodged the tough character questions the way he avoids pass rushers. Aaron Rodgers didn’t have to. He didn’t get any. Roethlisberger is on the verge of joining an elite group of quarterbacks who are three-time Super Bowl winners; Rodgers has yet to play in one. Roethlisberger has a troubled past; Rodgers had a tough act to follow. The two met the masses at Super Bowl media day on Tuesday for what turned out to be a study in contrasts. Roethlisberger, who has led the Pittsburgh Steelers to their third Super Bowl in six years, deflected talk about his four-game suspension to begin this season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Instead, he used a smile and what sounded like a well- rehearsed reply when pressed about the punishment, stress- ing his desire to be a model citizen. ‘‘I want to be the guy people look up to,’’ he said, smil- ing through a beard he said will be gone by Monday, win or lose. ‘‘I want to be that kind of husband, father and grandfa- ther some day if I am lucky enough.’’ Rodgers, who is leading the Packers to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1998, didn’t have anything more dif- ficult to address than replacing Brett Favre in 2008. ‘‘I just wanted to be honest through the entire time,’’ he said of the will Favre-won’t Favre return saga that was set- tled when the Packers dealt their longtime QB to the Jets. ‘‘It was a difficult situation. It was tough to stand up every day in front of media not knowing what questions were coming at me and how the fans were going to react that day in prac- tice. But the whole time the organization stood by me and they told the truth, and I told the truth, and we moved on together.’’ Speaking of moving, no one was getting anywhere fast Tuesday morning after a snow and ice storm — weather suited for Pittsburgh and Green Bay — crippled the Dallas area. And no one bothered turning up the heat inside cavernous Cowboys Stadium, site of Sunday’s title game. The chill left many players shivering. Even Roethlisberger, who handled questions better than he did the cold, asked for someone to crank up the burners — to no avail. ‘‘You’ve got to fight through a lot of difficult things in life, and this is no different,’’ he said, referring to the penal- ty he received from Commissioner Roger Goodell after accusations of sexual assault were made by a 20-year-old college student in March. The quarterback was never prose- cuted over what was the second such set of allegations against him. ‘‘You’ve got to keep plugging along.’’ He took about a dozen questions on the subject, and pret- ty much stayed with the same answer: ‘‘That’s a reflective question. This is not the time for reflection.’’ MCT photo Green Bay Packers quarterbacks Matt Flynn and Aaron Rodgers pose for a picture,Tuesday. Rodgers, on the other hand, had no problem looking back. The six-year pro compared his sitting for three years behind Favre to what Steve Young experienced in San Fran- cisco behind Joe Montana. ‘‘I reached out to Steve when I became a starter, among some other guys, too,’’ Rodgers said, noting that he has not spoken with Favre about being a Super Bowl QB. ‘‘I want- ed to talk to a lot of guys who’d been there and had success in the NFL. Steve obviously had a very similar (situation), being a guy who followed a legend. He’s been great. Steve has been a great guy to lean on and he’s made time for me and is somebody who I really appreciate.’’ Young’s not a bad role model. He won a Super Bowl and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Roethlisberger, however, admitted he wanted no part of ‘‘filling the shoes’’ of Terry Bradshaw, the quarterback of the four-time champion Steel Curtain team of the 1970s and also a Hall of Famer. Bradshaw criticized Roethlisberger’s conduct last year, as well as the Steelers’ reaction to it, not- ing the team traded Santonio Holmes after his off-field prob- lems, but kept the quarterback. But the two have since smoothed over their relationship. ‘‘Ben is making a great attempt to change not only his perception with media and the fan base, but the image thing that has taken a beating,’’ Bradshaw said. ‘‘And he says he’s changing, that he’s back to the way he was raised. He said he got carried away with winning so young. I’ve given him glowing praise all year and rightfully so.’’ More significant than making amends with Bradshaw was smoothing over any rough spots with his teammates and coaching staff. ‘‘There’s a big group I always had the support of ... and a couple maybe I was not as close to as I wanted to be and needed to be,’’ Roethlisberger said. ‘‘And I really worked hard to be closer with and be a better teammate with (them).’’ If some teammates were skeptical that he could make such a change, they are silent now. His supporters have increased all through the roster — just as they have in Pitts- burgh now that he has the Steelers in their eighth Super Bowl; they’ve won a record six. ‘‘Ben is a highly respected member of our football team, not only because of what he’s done this year, but, just as large, his body of work and the person that he is,’’ coach Mike Tomlin said. ‘‘We all fall short of perfection. We all make mistakes. His are well documented. He’s doing the best that he can in terms of moving forward with it, as are his teammates.’’ Brady wins top offensive player award NFL DALLAS (AP) — Tom Brady tore up the NFL with his precision passing and dynamic guidance of the New England Patriots’ offense. That was in 2007, when he ran away with The Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year award. Ditto for 2010. Brady won the honor Tuesday for the second time in four seasons. The record- setting quarterback, who had a string of 355 passes without being intercepted, received 21 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league. He easily beat Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick, who got 11 votes. ‘‘To me it comes down to the mental toughness and determina- tion of the players and coaches,’’ Brady said. A unanimous choice for the All-Pro team, Brady threw for 36 touchdowns while being picked off just four times. When he won the award in 2007, Brady set an NFL mark with 50 touchdowns passes as New England went undefeated in the regular season. Oddly, the Patriots did not win the championship in either of those seasons, but have won it three other times. Brady doesn’t sense much dif- ference in the guy who took New England to a 16-0 mark back then and a league-best 14-2 this season. ‘‘I feel our team really grew together over the course of the sea- son. It was a privilege to be a part of this team,’’ he said. ‘‘My only disappointment is that we couldn’t take advantage of our opportunity in the playoffs, but hopefully we learn from that and use it as moti- vation toward accomplishing our goals for next season.’’ What Brady is doing isn’t much different: He’s winning, and he’s piling up dominant stats. Brady led the NFL with a 111 passer rating. His 65.9 completion percentage was second to Philip Rivers of San Diego — by .1. Nobody came close to his touch- down to interception differential. Ellis looks to end Warriors' All-Star drought Golden State Warriors OAKLAND (AP) — Monta Ellis wants to redec- orate the Golden State War- riors practice facility. There's a banner that stretches above the floor and honors every All-Star in franchise history, and the sixth-year guard figures it's long overdue for an addi- tion. In what is by far the NBA's longest drought, the Warriors haven't had an All-Star since Latrell Sprewell in 1997. "I was 12," Ellis said. "I was playing in mud and eating mud pies at that time." In other words, no recol- lection. Ellis might be the best chance the Warriors have had in years to put someone on the All-Star team. He is No. 6 in the league in points (25.1), first in minutes played (41.1) and is averag- ing a career-high 5.6 assists per game. "Offensively, he's com- plete," Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said. "There's not much he can't do offensive- ly." All that might still leave Ellis at home when the game's elite take the floor in Los Angeles for the All- Star game Feb. 20. Among his competition for essen- tially three reserve spots — coaches vote for two guards and two wild cards, which is usually split between one guard and one big man — are San Antonio's Manu Ginobili, Utah's Deron Williams, Phoenix's Steve Nash, Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Gordon. Ellis' incredible scoring has done little to change the fortunes for Golden State (20-27) this season, and that could be the biggest reason he gets passed over again. "I think for us now, we're not even looking at him as a possible All-Star. He's an All-Star, we know that," Warriors coach Keith Smart said. "But he's making plays. When you get guys starting to make wow plays in practice, that's when you know he's at a different level. There have been times in practice where Monta has done something where players are like, 'Wow. How'd he do that?' So we've seen and every- body is starting to see a guy who is putting on a show." About the only place Ellis can be guarded is off the floor. He prefers to keep his personal life private and doesn't speak to the media often — and rarely in an individual session. After his worst game of the season Sunday night, when he scored two points on 1 for 9 shooting in a win over Utah, Ellis was long gone by the time reporters were allowed to enter the locker room. The tattoo-covered guard who walks with a strut and plays with a you- can't-stop-me attitude is still loose with teammates and close with family. He's just not big on self-promotion or politicking. "I'll let my play do the talking," he often says. Even that hasn't always been positive. Ellis signed a $66 mil- lion, six-year deal after he averaged 20.2 points during the 2007-08 season. Then he sustained a serious ankle injury that summer on his motorized scooter and missed most of the season, earning a 30-game suspen- sion without pay because he wasn't supposed to be riding such a vehicle. Some Golden State fans even booed Ellis, and he became the poster boy for the franchise's latest strug- gles. Before last season, the Warriors drafted Stephen Curry, another undersized guard who dominates the ball, and it seemed Ellis' days with Golden State might soon be over. Ellis even publicly expressed his discontent with the point guard dynamic, and he had a less- than-ideal relationship with Curry in the early part of the young guard's otherwise sensational rookie season. These days, the Ellis- Curry tandem has been the main catalyst in the small strides the Warriors have made. Their relationship has vastly improved, and fans have noticed. Ellis is regularly hearing "M-V-P" chants when he's shooting free throws. "Half the people in the Bay Area once thought, 'He has to go,'" Smart said of Ellis. "Now when you start hearing your fan base chanting a couple of letters in your building, that just shows you a guy who has turned his life around and his game around that speaks volumes." Those around the league have begun to take notice. Ellis has 11 games with 30 points or more already this season, a game-win- ning shot and a tying shot at the end of regulation to force overtime — both in thrilling fashion. That includes three games with 40 points or more, with a season-best 46 points in a victory over Houston in the regular-season opener. "He's having an All-Star kind of year," said San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who will coach the West team. Whether Ellis has done enough to become an All- Star will be known Thurs- day, when the league announces the game's reserves. The Warriors, with names such as Rick Barry and Wilt Chamber- lain proudly painted on their All-Star wall, are hop- ing this is the year they can finally add to their mural. "To be honest, it would- n't mean as much as if we made the playoffs. But the LOCAL Red Bluff Parks and Recreation Basketball Jan. 31 results Mt. Lassen 59, Brewers Arena 54, 2 OT Brian Stone 25 points Colier Heding 23 points McGlynn Law 54, Domminicks 44 Jim Weber 22 points Mike Weibling 17 points last time a Warriors players made the All-Star was, what, '97, Sprewell? It'd be a boost for us," Ellis said. "It would mean we're get- ting the recognition, teams starting to look at us more NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL Pct GB Lakers 33 15 .688 — Phoenix 22 24 .478 10 WARRIORS 20 27 .426 12.5 Clippers 19 28 .404 13.5 KINGS 12 33 .267 19.5 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 40 7 .851 — Dallas 32 15 .681 8 New Orleans32 18 .640 9.5 Memphis 25 24 .510 16 Houston 22 27 .449 19 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Okla. City 30 17 .638 — Utah 29 20 .592 2 Denver 28 20 .583 2.5 Portland 25 22 .532 5 Minnesota 11 36 .234 19 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL Pct GB Boston 36 11 .766 — New York 25 22 .532 11 Philadelphia 21 26 .447 15 New Jersey 15 34 .306 22 Toronto 13 36 .265 24 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 34 14 .708 — Miami Orlando 31 18 .633 3.5 Atlanta 30 18 .625 4 Charlotte 20 27 .426 13.5 Washington 13 35 .271 21 Central Division WL Pct GB NCAA Tuesday’s Top 25 results No. 2 Kansas 88, Texas Tech 66 Mississippi 71, No. 10 Kentucky 69 No. 19 Wisconsin 66, No.11 Purdue 59 No.23 North Carolina 106, Boston College 74 Florida 65, No. 23 Vanderbilt 61, OT Today’s Top 25 games No. 5 Duke at Maryland, 6 p.m., ESPN No.6 UConn vs.No.17 Syracuse, 4 p.m., ESPN No.7 San Diego St.at Colorado State, 6 p.m. No. 8 BYU at Wyoming, 5 p.m. No. 12 Villanova vs. Marquette, 4 p.m. No.14 Missouri at Okla.St., 6 p.m., ESPN2 No. 18 Minnesota at Indiana, 3:30 p.m. No.22 Utah St.vs.Nevada, 8:05 p.m., ESPN2 No. 25 West Virginia vs. Seton Hall, 4 p.m. Today’s other televised games Virginia Tech at N.C. State, 4 p.m., ESPN2 Southern Cal at UCLA, 8 p.m., CSNB Chicago 33 14 .702 — Milwaukee 19 27 .413 13.5 Indiana 18 27 .400 14 Detroit 17 31 .354 16.5 Cleveland 8 40 .167 25.5 ————————————————— Tuesday’s results Boston at Sacramento, late New Orleans 97, Washington 89 Houston at L.A. Lakers, late San Antonio at Portland, late Today’s games Indiana at Cleveland, 4 p.m. Philadelphia at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Toronto at Atlanta, 4 p.m. Charlotte at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Dallas at New York, 4:30 p.m. Memphis at Minnesota, 5 p.m. New Orleans at Okla.City, 5 p.m., NBATV Houston at Utah, 6 p.m. Milwaukee at Phoenix, 6 p.m. Portland at Denver, 6 p.m. Chicago at L.A.Clippers, 7:30 p.m., NBATV Monday’s late result L.A. Clippers 105, Milwaukee 98 like a great, young blos- soming team and with many more years left to develop into a powerhouse that we focus to be." NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA Dallas 30 16 5 65 148 141 Ducks 28 20 4 60 140 146 Phoenix 25 17 9 59 149 145 SHARKS 25 19 6 56 139 138 Kings 27 22 2 56 143 125 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA Detroit 30 13 6 66 166 143 Nashville 27 17 7 61 136 122 Chicago 27 20 4 58 164 143 St. Louis 22 20 7 51 130 146 Columbus 23 22 5 51 134 159 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 32 10 9 73 169 122 Minnesota 26 19 5 57 131 134 Colorado 25 19 6 56 161 165 Calgary 25 21 6 56 147 154 Edmonton 15 26 8 38 122 168 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA Philadelphia 33 13 5 71 174 134 Pittsburgh 32 15 4 68 158 117 N.Y.Rangers 29 20 4 62 151 130 N.Y.Islanders 16 27 7 39 123 163 New Jersey 17 30 3 37 103 147 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 29 15 7 65 155 114 Montreal 28 18 5 61 133 125 Buffalo 23 21 5 51 137 144 Toronto 20 25 5 45 128 156 Ottawa 17 26 8 42 109 162 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 32 15 5 69 158 154 Washington 27 15 10 64 142 132 Atlanta 24 20 9 57 153 170 Carolina 25 20 6 56 155 158 Florida 22 22 6 50 134 135 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. ————————————————— Tuesday’s results Phoenix at San Jose, late Boston 3, Carolina 2 Calgary 3, Nashville 2, SO Chicago 7, Columbus 4 Minnesota 1, Los Angeles 0, SO Montreal 3, Washington 2, SO New Jersey 2, Ottawa 1 N.Y. Islanders 4, Atlanta 1 Pittsburgh 4, N.Y. Rangers 3, SO Tampa Bay 4, Philadelphia 0 Toronto 4, Florida 3, SO Vancouver 4, Dallas 1 Colorado at St. Louis, ppd., snow Today’s games San Jose at Anaheim, 7 p.m., CSNC Detroit at Ottawa, 4 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m., VS Florida at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. Vancouver at Phoenix, 6:30 p.m. Los Angeles at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m.