Matt Light remembers a ‘priceless moment’ from the Patriots’ last Houston Super Bowl
"I’ve got that from every angle from every camera in the stadium."
Former Patriots offensive lineman Matt Light has a level of experience in the Super Bowl that few other players in NFL history possess. Traveling to the Super Bowl five times as a member of the Patriots, Light is now interested in trying to send others to get a taste of football’s grandest stage.
In the buildup to Super Bowl LI, Light is helping to promote a charitable raffle in support of the Light Foundation and the Greater Boston Food Bank. The winner gets a trip for two to Houston for the Super Bowl. Tickets cost $1, with the deadline occurring on Friday, February 3rd.
Looking back on his own career at the Super Bowl, Light answered a few questions in regards to his memories both in preparation and playing. Here’s what he had to say:
Obviously there are huge differences in your experience at the Super Bowl now vs. when you were a player. What stands out to you now that you’re retired from the NFL?
ML: Well, obviously I enjoy waking up when I want. But yeah, a few things. As a fan, you’re actually not as in tune with the real buzz that’s created around the Super Bowl as much as the players are. Players are so entrenched in their normal operating procedure, and then on top of that they’re dealing with things they never deal with during the regular season or during the previous playoff rounds.
It’s such a heightened sense of awareness. They’re on their way to starting that journey. And when they get down to Houston, they’re going to have to meet with FBI and local law enforcement and get the lay of the land in what to stay away from in the Houston area that could become problematic. You know nobody on the outside sits in on those meetings. That’s a different deal. They’re dealing with all their family members and people they left behind that aren’t on the team trip and all the stress of that. And then they have all the stuff on media row and “Opening Night” or whatever, so it’s an absolute circus. From a fan’s perspective, we only get to see kind of the cool little soundbites. It’s a much more intense process for the team and the players.
Did you get any particular advice before your first Super Bowl that stuck with you?
ML: Well, a lot with the conversations about this took place all last week. Look, it’s not a mystery that coach Belichick and his entire staff run a very tight ship. And they also are very efficient at what they do and put a lot of time into everything. And it’s so different than the preparation that was put into this Super Bowl run. I mean every team starts planning [for the Super Bowl] the week of the AFC Championship Game, because the truth is you can’t turn on that big of a switch after the AFC Championship. You have to get some power going in that direction before.
They have a great model and a great template that they put over everything that these players have to go through. It comes down to really getting them to focus on what’s most important. Last week, it was tickets and hotels and all that junk early in the week. And they provide assistance in all those areas for every players. And then once that gets acknowledged, then it quickly moves onto the film study and what they need to improve and really getting to know the opponent. That’s where their focus will be now.
And having played in five Super Bowls, what advice would you give to those taking the field for their first Super Bowl?
ML: Well, you trust what you’ve done to get you there. You don’t try to do any more than you have to, but you maximize every second you have there. And you look forward to the best party in the world, which is the after-party of a Super Bowl when you win. All the fun and the festivities that are taking place before, that’s for your friends and your family. What happens after the game is the best party on earth if you walk away victorious. So you just have to find a way to block out all the noise and do the things that got you where you are today.
As far as the actual game, the 49ers from Super Bowl XXIII all have that famous anecdote about Joe Montana spotting John Candy moments before his Super Bowl-winning drive. Do you remember any especially funny or memorable stories from your Super Bowls?
ML: The one that got a lot of attention, but not in the moment, was the Super Bowl [XXXVIII] streaker. That was in the Carolina game in Houston actually. I don’t remember seeing anybody in the stands or waving or anything, but when that moment happened, that was one of the all-time shocks. I remember watching some of the tape that I was able to find of some of the cameras that were inside the stadium that day. And you watch the security people who were lining the field completely. There was this woman standing in the end zone looking at the crowd who was oblivious to the streaker, and he was doing the “Riverdance” on the 50-yard line. And halfway through his routine, she realizes what’s taking place. The look of just absolute shock on her face I will never forget. That was a priceless moment. I’m pretty sure he was promoting Golden Palace dot com, but if he was going to go back and do it, I hope he does it this week in radio row and he puts playoffraffle.com on his back because that would be pretty sweet.
Matt Chatham leveled him, and he never saw it coming. He looked left, looked right, looked back left and Chatham nailed him. It was priceless. I’ve got that from every angle from every camera in the stadium. Got that in my vault.
In regards to Brady and Belichick, do you think that even before the kickoff of Super Bowl LI that they’re already the best quarterback-coach duo of all-time?
ML: I don’t know how you possibly can rack up any more of a relationship between a coach and a quarterback than what those guys have already done. And I don’t know that they would care to be the best tandem in the league, but for argument’s sake, I think whatever case you make on their behalf is damn solid.
And also you have a Super Bowl raffle going on right now?
ML: Yeah, we’re pulling the raffle winner Friday at 11 a.m. and these online raffles are incredible. I mean as much excitement as there is around this team, the fans and everybody else, it’s amazing how much we all benefit from their success. So we’re looking to do that through this raffle for the Light Foundation and the Greater Boston Food Bank, which are two causes that I’ve been a part of for quite some time. Obviously the Light Foundation is something that we formed in 2001, working with kids from all over the country, leadership camps, the whole nine.
But man, I’ll tell you, these raffles are incredible. It’s the easiest thing in the world. It’s a dollar a ticket, and the winner gets the ultimate package. We pay for everything. It includes your airfare, hotel stay, obviously a ticket to the Super Bowl. The whole thing is just incredible. So when we pull the winner on Friday, I’ll be calling them and then they’ll jump on a flight on Saturday to head down, go to the game. It’s awesome. We raise a lot of money doing these things. I like telling people this: If you have a kid, or if you’ve got a nephew or just a rabid Patriots fan you like, buy them $10 of tickets or $100 of tickets. If they win, you’re the greatest friend on earth!
