SUPER BOWL XXIV: DENVER BRONCOS vs. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS : NOTES : Day One: Broncos’ Jackson Shows He Can’t Be Stopped

It was Super Bowl media day at the Superdome Tuesday, and Denver wide receiver Mark Jackson was holding court from a podium.

“So, what do you think of media day?” someone asked.

“God created media day on Day One,” Jackson said. “It’s the greatest thing in the world. Where would we be without media day? No one would care about this game if it weren’t for media day.”

Another question: “What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen in town so far?”

“Cyndi Lauper,” was the answer.

Any reporter hanging around Jackson’s podium got a notebook full of quotes.

If the Broncos somehow win the Super Bowl, Jackson is the guy Johnny Carson should get on the “Tonight” show. He could do his own standup routine.

“You know what I want to see on the first play is a double reverse flea-flicker,” Jackson said. “Yeah, I’d love to see that. Probably won’t, though.”

On John Elway: “He gets that look in his eyes and starts screaming at you in the huddle, and he elevates the whole team to a higher level.

“If he doesn’t have that look (Sunday), I think I’ll punch him or run a bad route just to get him to start screaming.

“We don’t want John playing on his heels.”

When Jackson played at Purdue, his quarterback was Jim Everett.

“Jim has matured and he’s a great quarterback, but he’s not the motivator John is,” Jackson said. “They’re two different guys.”

Jackson was asked, just for fun, to predict the score of Sunday’s game.

“Oh, 28-6,” he said. “The 49ers, of course. Shoot, then we wouldn’t cover even the spread. That (is bad).”

Of 49er receivers Jerry Rice and John Taylor, Jackson said: “You know, we wear the same numbers, 80 and 82.”

Jackson is No. 80, and Vance Johnson, the Broncos’ other starting receiver, is No. 82.

Rice is No. 80, Taylor No. 82.

“That’s a good little item, huh?” Jackson said. “I figured that one out myself.

“Of course, Rice and Taylor are a lot bigger and faster than Vance and I.”

Jackson, of course, was purposely being humble.

“We’ve been practicing,” he said. “We’ve been working on saying things like, ‘Ah, I don’t know,’ and ‘On any given day, anything can happen.’

“You know, they should hold this media day on Monday (after the game) and just invite the winners. Then they could talk all the trash they wanted.”

The New Orleans dining experience took on a competitive air Tuesday night when San Francisco 49er owner Eddie DeBartolo and Denver Bronco owner Pat Bowlen found themselves eating in different rooms of the same restaurant, Pascal Manale’s.

DeBartolo fired first, conspiring with a waiter to have a piece of raw chicken, covered in garlic, sent over to Bowlen’s table.

Bowlen, who by this time in the meal had wrapped a napkin around his head, looked around to retaliate and had a friend peel a 49er pennant off the wall. Not exactly sure how to fold, spindle or mutilate the thing, Bowlen handed it to a female companion, who, with Bowlen, walked over to the DeBartolo table and wrapped it around the face of a member of the party. “Eat this,” she said.

A tentative truce was called and both owners left the restaurant laughing. DeBartolo, however, remembered to take the pennant with him.

A key for the Broncos Sunday will be the condition of running back Bobby Humphrey, who suffered cracked ribs on his right side in the AFC title game.

Humphrey said his ribs felt fine Tuesday, but he’ll know more after today’s workout.

He’ll put on a flak jacket and undergo his first contact since the injury. He’ll also try carrying the ball in his left hand.

“I’ll play,” he said. “It’s just a matter of how much pain I’ll have and how much I can stand. I’m not going to say I’ll be a key factor in the game, but I know, as a group, the team is counting on me.”

Humphrey’s backup, Sammy Winder, said: “If he can walk, he’ll play. He’s a tough young man.”

The 49ers placed fullback Keith Henderson on injured reserve because of a pinched nerve in his neck.

If another 49er ends up on injured reserve, Steve Bono, the former UCLA quarterback who plays behind Joe Montana and backup Steve Young, will suit up.

As things stand now, Bono is on the 49ers’ inactive list, as he was for five games during the regular season and both of the 49ers’ playoff games.

But he’s not complaining.

“I’m just thrilled to be here,” Bono said. “I’ve got a good chance of picking up a Super Bowl ring.”

Bono was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers after last season, his fourth in the NFL, and only two teams showed interest in him, the 49ers and the Rams.

“It wasn’t much interest on the Rams’ part,” he said. “I liked the situation with the 49ers.

“In order to make the team, all I had to do was beat out one player.”

That player was Kevin Sweeney, former Fresno State and Dallas Cowboys quarterback. Last summer in Visalia, Bono and Sweeney played in a charity basketball game organized by Denver wide receiver Michael Young.

It was fairly evident then who was the better athlete. While the 6-foot-4 Bono was doing behind-the-back slam-dunks, Sweeney was struggling to get the ball up the court.

Bono got to play in one game for the 49ers, coming in against the New York Jets and completing four of five passes, including one touchdown play of 45 yards to Rice.

Steve Sewell, who doubles as a running back and wide receiver for the Broncos, attended Riordan High School in San Francisco before going to Oklahoma.

“I grew up as a big 49er fan,” Sewell said. “They’re now my second-favorite team.”

Commentator John Madden has said that if he were coaching the Broncos, he’d forget about trying to establish a running game and just bring in four wide receivers on every play.

“Just line ‘em up sideline to sideline and have Elway work out of the shotgun formation,” Madden said.

Vance Johnson, shrugging, said: “I guess John Madden can say anything he wants. Hey, did I make the All-Madden team?”

He was told he didn’t.

Rickey Nattiel, the Broncos’ No. 4 receiver, on Madden’s plan: “Sounds good to me.”