ILLUSTRATION BY KIP AOKI / KAOKI@STARBULLETIN.COM

Where Eagles Dare

Philadelphia hopes to swoop down
and snatch the Super Bowl trophy
away from the favored Patriots

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. » The teams in today's Super Bowl are so low-key and generally self-effacing they are overshadowed by the perceived mediocrity of the host city.

But if last night's spectacular fireworks show at the St. Johns River landfall was any indication, expect an electric Super Bowl XXXIX at Alltel Stadium.

Super Facts Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots . This is the fifth appearance for New England and the second appearance for Philadelphia. Where: Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Fla. (Seating capacity: 76,877). This is the first game hosted by Jacksonville. Kickoff: Today at 1:30 p.m. Hawaii time. TV: By FOX-TV (KHON in Hawaii) to more than 200 stations throughout the United States plus Bermuda and Guam. Radio: KKEA 1420-AM Players share: Winners: $68,000 per man. Losers: $36,500 per man. Sudden death: If the game is tied at regulation time 60 minutes, it will continue in sudden death overtime. The team scoring first (by safety, field goal or touchdown) will win. Trophy: The winning team receives permanent possession of the Vince Lombardi Trophy, a sterling silver trophy created by Tiffany & Company and presented annually to the winner of the Super Bowl. The trophy was named after the late coach Vince Lombardi of the two-time Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers prior to the 1971 Super Bowl. Attendance: To date, 2,984,890 have attended Super Bowl games. The largest crowd was 103,985 at the 14th Super Bowl at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. At the Super Bowl Star-Bulletin writer Dave Reardon is reporting from the Super Bowl, his first as a fan and a reporter

The location will probably never be determined a classic. And if the game is, it will be more because of grit and teamwork than flash and individualism.

The Philadelphia Eagles have a tight end who was supervising a construction site three weeks ago.

The New England Patriots have a cornerback who was a student at the University of Pittsburgh last semester.

Jacksonville has a shortage of hotel rooms and taxi cabs.

No one is mistaking Northeast Florida for heaven. And Jeff Thomason and Hank Poteat probably won't make the game's most exciting plays today. But even the brightest stars of the conference champions do not possess the flair of previous Super Bowl legends like Joe Namath and Joe Montana.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Eagles receiver Terrell Owens are the teams' most famous players, but there's no clear consensus that either may be the MVP tonight.

Corey Dillon is just as good a candidate as those two. If the Patriots control the line of scrimmage early, the Eagles' All-Pro secondary could have a long night trying to stop Dillon and the seven-point favorites.

Dillon, the AFC's third-leading rusher in his first year with New England, was named to next Sunday's Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium.

He is just one of several All-Pro players for New England. But reports from the Patriots' last two practices suggest a certain unevenness. Coach Bill Belichick complained ever so subtly about New England's shortened practices later in the week. Ironic, considering the fact that the Patriots were accused of letting their home field be abused by the weather before they played Indianapolis in the divisional playoffs.

Despite all the talk of no-name stars, this game's most flamboyant figure is its biggest X-factor. All week, Owens proclaimed himself well enough to play, but he missed yesterday's walkthrough to rest his ailing right leg. Eagles coach Andy Reid said it wasn't a big deal, but that it was a game-time decision -- a decision that has been pored over all week.

Brady could engineer his third Super Bowl victory in four years, which would put him among the elite quarterbacks of all time. Under Brady, the Patriots are 8-0 in the postseason, which may be part of the reason the Eagles appear to be more excited about being in the Super Bowl than the Patriots.

"Just because we have camcorders, doesn't mean we're caught up in it," Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said. "This is footage. This is something we can show our grandchildren. We are not used to it, but we are not going to sit in a room and kick our feet up and start dwelling on being in the Super Bowl. We have a job to do."

Unfortunately for the Eagles, one of their starters prepared for the biggest game of his life by basking in the spotlight.

Eagles receiver Freddie Mitchell riled up Patriots safety Rodney Harrison by saying he didn't know the names of the players in the New England secondary.

This is just what the Patriots like -- a team to publicly say it doesn't think much of their ability.

Mitchell knows he made a mistake.

"I really wanted the attention to be on Donovan McNabb and how he has overcome all of these obstacles," Mitchell said. "Instead, they are talking about me and Rodney Harrison. I'd really love for the focus to be off me."

But the focus is on every player in the Super Bowl. Even if he was a college student or construction worker last month.