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PHOENIX - An historic Super Bowl is before us.Next Sunday, Seattle goes for a second straight title, seeking to be the first team to repeat since the Patriots a decade ago. A victory, particularly a convincing one, would stamp the Seahawks as one of the great teams of the Super Bowl era.Meanwhile, New Englands coach and quarterback chase a record-tying fourth Super Bowl ring.Yet, as has been the custom this season, major distractions have taken focus away from the field.As much as Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll and Richard Sherman might want the spotlight to shine only on the game itself — and the potential achievements at hand — much of the buildup to the kickoff will be about anything but.From the New England under-inflated balls saga to injuries for All-Pro defensive backs Sherman and Earl Thomas to Marshawn Lynch being fined yet again for his code of silence with the media, the 49th Super Bowl has taken on a circus atmosphere.Which seems fitting given all that has gone wrong for the NFL off the field — even as pro football remains as popular as ever.Just finding any comments about the matchup of the dynamic defence from Seattle and the potent offence from New England has been a chore. Everything else, it seems, has been in play.Indeed, heres how Seahawks All-Pro cornerback Sherman, recalling last year, describes the upcoming week:To us, it was just another week in the season, obviously. Youre with these guys 180 or 190 of the 365 days, so you get to spend a special week with them. You get to know their families a little better because its not just them there, but its their families, their sons and daughters.A lot of times you dont get to meet them during these weeks, were always at work from eight to six and everyone goes home. You get one day during training camp to meet peoples family, but thats about it. So you have a good time getting to know people more.Notice, no mention of football.But Sherman does insist the left elbow he hurt in the NFC title game will be no factor.If I had to slap my brother, Id be able to do it, he said jokingly.Not much light-hearted stuff coming from New England. Not much football talk, either.Belichick, who can equal Chuck Nolls four Super Bowl rings as a head coach, is grilled about the air pressure in a football, not about the pass pressure Seattle can bring on Brady.Brady, in turn, gets cross-examined about the weight of the footballs, not about the weight of trying to reach Joe Montana/Terry Bradshaw territory with a fourth Super Bowl triumph.Obviously Id much rather be up here talking about the Seahawks and preparing for the Super Bowl, which weve been trying to do for the last few days, he said.As for Lynch, while its certain the Patriots are scheming how to slow down Beast Mode, the league is trying to figure out what to do with him on media day and beyond. Lynch was fined $20,000 Thursday for an obscene gesture in the NFC championship win over Green Bay.In November, he was nailed for $50,000 for not adhering to the league media policy. Another $50,000 from 2013 that was withheld with the expectation he would co-operate in the future also was collected because, well, Lynch didnt speak up when required to.Some folks in the NFL offices must be wondering what else could happen to shift the focus from Patriots-Seahawks.What the football-watching world hopefully prefers is to get back to the machinations on the 100-yard gridiron. Such as the key showdown between All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski and Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor, perhaps the only defender who can somewhat match Gronks power and speed.Such as how Seattle avoids the pitfalls that plagued it for much of the NFC title game, when it fell behind 16-0.And how high-priced Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis performs in his first Super Bowl after seven seasons of falling short (on the field if not at the bank).Theres also what some have dubbed Petes Revenge, recalling how Carroll was canned by the Patriots after the 1999 season and replaced by Belichick. Carroll went on to phenomenal success at Southern California even as his successor was turning New England into a power. Hes displayed no animosity toward the Patriots organization — anything otherwise would have fit in with the theme of the 2014 season and the past few weeks, of course.It was a real challenge, said Carroll, who went 28-23 in three seasons with the Patriots. Its a great place to be in sports: a great town, a great following, much like it is here (in Seattle). Just tremendous support and all, really heartfelt.That was the old days and all of the old facilities; it wasnt quite as nice as it now, I am sure. Still, the whole setup was really exciting to be around, they had such history. It didnt work out. We did some good stuff while we were there, but it didnt work out and time to move on.Yep, maybe its time to move on from all the tangential stuff and concentrate on what the Super Bowl is supposed to represent: football.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL JB Shuck Pirates Jersey . Ben Street scored twice for the Heat (17-5-1), who won their fourth game in a row and 13th in their last 14 outings. Brett Bulmer scored the lone goal for the Wild (6-11-0), who dropped their sixth straight contest. Erik Gonzalez Jersey .2 million in 2012, according to tax returns the league has submitted. http://www.pittsburghpiratesprostore.us/Jameson-Taillon-pirates-jersey/ . Yet coming off consecutive series losses at St. Louis and Pittsburgh, Los Angeles needed some sort of spark as August approaches. The Dodgers found it in the ballpark of their biggest rival, and left the Bay Area in first place following an emphatic three-game swing. Starling Marte Jersey . Horford is out 3-to-4 months with a torn pectoral muscle for the Hawks, who have won two straight and five of six games. Atlanta improved to 2-0 on the residency with Saturdays 93-91 triumph over Minnesota, as Ivan Johnson scored his teams final four points, including the game-winning free throw with 4. Roberto Clemente Pirates Jersey . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014.LONDON - Formula One should consider introducing closed cockpits after Jules Bianchis crash at the Japanese Grand Prix, according to the Williams team leadership.The Frenchman, who drives for Marussia, is in a critical but stable condition in hospital after sustaining a head injury when his car hit a crane during Sundays rain-shortened race.Enclosed cockpits could provide greater protection for drivers skulls.Its something we have to look at, Claire Williams, deputy team principal at Williams, said on Wednesday. If it can improve safety then of course it has to be on the agenda as a conversation to have. Enclosed cockpits arent easy technically for us to integrate into a Formula One car and of course they change the very nature of what a Formula One car looks like.We have to look at all the options available to us whether its an enclosed cockpit or not, but those conversations need tto go on behind the scenes.ddddddddddddilliams declined to discuss if the closed cockpits had been rejected by F1 because they were deemed to be ugly.We have to find ways to ensure our drivers are as protected as possible, Williams said on the sidelines of the Leaders Sport Business Summit in London. The esthetics of a Formula One car — yes they are important, they are the very fiber and DNA of Formula One and what cars look like is important — but safety has to be paramount.According to a report issued by FIA after the race, Bianchi lost control of his car, travelled across the run-off area and hit the back of the tractor that was being used to remove Adrian Sutils Sauber car. Bianchi was unconscious when he was taken from Suzuka to the hospital.The next race is the inaugural Russian GP on Sunday in Sochi, the Black Sea resort that hosted this years Winter Olympics. ' ' '