Day two of Super Bowl week can be surmised in two words: Media Day.

One of the bigger changes teams go through in preparation for the Super Bowl is living, working and training away from their own facility. Most everything outside of practice –- film study, meetings –- is done at a hotel. Arizona may be making its first trip to the Super Bowl, but it isn’t unfamiliar with dealing with an extended road stay.

Maybe it’s a direct result of going second among today’s two media sessions, but there’s a decidedly different feel at the Grand Hyatt, where the Cardinals are taking questions now. That doesn’t include the heat -– it’s still muggy inside the media tent –- but it does include the vibe, which is more relaxed.

You know it’s the Super Bowl just by the police presence everywhere. In addition to our police escort on the bus ride over here and the bag check on the way in to the Steelers’ media tent, there is probably one police officer for every 10 journalists in here.

Troy Polamalu has to be one of the softest spoken people to ever put on a football helmet. You wouldn’t know how intense he can be on the football field based on his quiet demeanor off it.

Mike Tomlin is certainly dressed for the part, wearing a gold suit with a white pocket square. Big Ben is showing off his Steeler pride in his own way — with a bright yellow polo shirt and a pair of baggy Jeans.

As a large group listens to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin in one part of the media tent, his players are trickling into the back to take their seats at smaller, more intimate podiums.

You can’t make this up. The 20 or so Steelers fans who are standing outside head coach Mike Tomlin‘s press conference let out “whoos” every time they see a player, and it actually makes it difficult for him to hear questions.

The Steelers are getting set for their opening press conference of the week. The first thing you notice inside the massive white media tent that houses the press conferences, other then the stifling heat, is that the decor is all black. I can’t help but think that’s on purpose, but NFL.com’s Vic Carucci isn’t so sure.

It’s Monday morning, and Tampa is stretching its proverbial legs before the game.

It’s no accident that Arizona’s illustrious draft class of 2004 has correlated into the team’s first Super Bowl appearance.

With all the distractions that players face before the Super Bowl, the biggest might be tickets. Everyone wants some, and there aren’t enough to go around. Cardinals players received their Super Bowl tickets after practice today, and the tough task of deciding who receives them began, according to the Arizona Republic, which reported on the scene in Tempe, Ariz.:

After three months of playing in cold weather, the Steelers offense is ready for a climate change. It should find just that at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla., where the forecast calls for temperatures in the mid- to upper 70s throughout next week.

For the Cardinals and Steelers, there was time for one more workout before leaving their homes and preparing to head to Tampa, Fla. Both teams practiced Saturday and reported to be in good shape health-wise.

Going to the Super Bowl is exciting. It must be even more so for Elijah Smith. The 5-year-old son of Steelers DE Aaron Smith has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, which is cancer of the white blood cells. However, doctors have cleared Elijah to travel to Tampa to see his father’s team play the Cardinals for the NFL title.