SUPER BOWL rivals Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots arrived in New Orleans on Sunday, kicking off the chaotic week of parties and celebrations that are an annual part of American football's championship.
"I know it's going to be crazy. That's what makes the Super Bowl great," the Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre said.
"A lot of practice and preparation have gone into this moment. So why not enjoy it? Last year at this time, I was home playing golf wishing I was getting ready for a Super Bowl."
Now Favre and his Packer team mates are in a city known for nightlife and fun while trying to prepare for the most important game of their careers, next Sunday's 31st Super Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome.
The French Quarter beckons. The civic motto is "Let the good times roll." The weather is warm. The jazz is cool. The lure is seductive.
It is no coincidence that New Orleans is hosting a record eighth Super Bowl. NFL owners, players and fans enjoy the Mardi Gras atmosphere around the National Football League title game whenever it is played here.
"Everything runs pretty smoothly until Thursday when the wives and families com down," Packer coach Mike Holmgren said.
"Then all of a sudden they want to go sightseeing or to the French Quarter. And you can't."
Just ask Green Bay reserve quarterback Jim McMahon about how hard life can get in a city nicknamed "The Big Easy."
McMahon showed his rear to a helicopter and insulted New Orleans women 11 years ago, swirling controversy before he led Chicago past New England 46-10 in the second biggest rout in Super Bowl history.
"He has kind of filled me in on how to moon helicopters, talk about the women down here and all of that stuff," said Favre who spent his youth in a small town 96 km away. "I know exactly what not to do by talking to him."
The only other current Packer to play in a Super Bowl is Don Beebe, a receiver who played for Buffalo's four losing teams from 1991 to 1994.
"I have McMahon on one side and Beebe on the other, like the little bad angel and the little good one," Holmgren said. "That should cover things.
He noted Beebe and McMahon can especially help Packer veterans who have played the NFL for decades to get to the Super Bowl.
"Jim knows how to go to the Super Bowl and win. I don't," Beebe said. "Anything we say is going to help. But we are a mature enough team. We have a goal. The leaders on this team know what we're here for."
"We're not going down to have a big party," Packer centre Frank Winters said. "We're going down to win a championship."
The Packers will prepare in the suburban, training home of the NFL New Orleans, Saints.
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