In the NFL, the Policy Is Written in Stone

Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, at a news conference in Detroit last week to promote the Super Bowl halftime show, was asked if the conservative NFL was worried about his language.

“They’re always worried ... ,” Jagger said, adding that he had heard the league was concerned “Aretha [Franklin] was going to strip as she does the national anthem.”

Fortunately, that didn’t happen.

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Conflicting standards: “The Stones will perform on a 5,800-square-foot stage in a show full of smoke and pyrotechnics,” wrote the Miami Herald’s Greg Cote before Sunday’s game, “as the NFL continues to be all about understatement.”

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Trivia time: The Seahawks’ Shaun Alexander led the NFL in rushing with 1,880 yards. Who was the last running back to win the rushing title and play in the Super Bowl in the same season?

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A special moment: John Madden, who Saturday was among six men voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, figured if he were lucky enough to be elected he’d be informed by a phone call. But Madden was in an ABC production meeting Saturday when he found out by watching the announcement on NFL Network.

“John is never at a loss for words,” said ABC publicist Mark Mandel, who was also in the meeting. “But when he heard the news, he was speechless.”

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A Steeler town: Before Sunday’s Super Bowl, Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News reported that “98.99% of Detroit would be rooting for the Steelers; the other 1.01% drink $6 cups of coffee.”

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Factor fact: “In terms of the unknown, the unexpected and the unpredictable,” wrote the Chicago Tribune’s Mike Downey, “Antwaan Randle El of the Pittsburgh Steelers was asked if he could turn out to be the ‘X factor’ for his team in the Super Bowl.”

His response, according to Downey: “No, I’m the El factor.”

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Incidental information: Ron Rapoport of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Mike Holmgren and Bill Cowher both have taken teams to more than one Super Bowl -- Holmgren three and Cowher two.

“And they have other multiples in common as well,” Rapoport wrote. “Holmgren has four daughters and Cowher has three. Neither has a son.”

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Looking back: On this day in 2000, Randy Moss had nine catches for 212 yards and Mike Alstott scored three touchdowns as the NFC defeated the AFC, 51-31, in the highest-scoring Pro Bowl.

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Trivia answer: The Denver Broncos’ Terrell Davis, who led the NFL in rushing in 1998 with 2,008 yards and then played against Atlanta in the Super Bowl.

And finally: Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel, on Buffalo Bill owner Ralph Wilson, 87, hiring Marv Levy, 81, as general manager: “I can hardly wait to see the Bills’ cheerleading squad next year. It’ll be Betty White, Bea Arthur and Della Reese in bloomers dancing to ‘The Chattanooga Choo Choo.’ ”

Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.