6. Most surprising person there had to be Woody Johnson, owner of the Jets. One of his buddies noticed our microphones and joked that Johnson should talk to us. Without missing a beat, our producer Matt, a Jets fan, said, “Tell him to start spending money in free agency.”

We got a nice Jersey “OH!” after that.

5. FoxSports’ Jay Glazer, wearing a shirt with a pot leaf on it, and Jim freaking Gray having the balls to walk down and get their picture taken. No one stopped Gray.

4. Okay, this wasn’t from last night, but I’ve seen Jared from the Subway commercials everywhere this week. He asked our film crew if we wanted to follow him around as he “eats healthy” all across Phoenix. Uhh, sorry.

Yesterday, at the media center, I saw him run into someone he knew. “Wassup, wassup, wassup?” the Big Fogle let out while giving out some man hug love. If you are going to hear Jared from Subway say one thing in his life; that should be it.

3. Speaking of man hugs, the red carpet man hug is its own special brand of awkwardness. A mostly grumpy T.O. and Nick Lachey had one last night.

But the moment that encapsulated the ridiculous nature of the evening was the man hug by A.C Slater and “E” from Entourage. Slater’s face lit up as if he was seeing his long last best friend, while E got a look on his face like “Who is this jobber?”

I half expected Slater to push E and say, “Screw you, preppy.”

2. There is nothing more awkward than the “star” that walks down the aisle looking for interviews but gets turned down. A handful of people that no one knows will do it with publicist in hand whispering to the media, hoping for a bite.

Then there is Jerry O’Connell, star of the timeless television show My Secret Identity and cinematic classics like TomCats and Kangaroo Jack

He walked with some family members, slowly lingering in between each interview like the Frog on radio row. After he finished a spot next to our area, he paused for a few beats, looked up at our producer, and asked, “Everybody alright here?”

1. Santonio Holmes and McLovin from Superbad showed up together and did all interviews as a twosome. They said they met at a party earlier in the night and then left the party together. I’d love to hear that conversation.

McLovin says he first approached Holmes and told him he was a fan. Holmes appreciated McLovin’s pot-smoking scene. We have video, but I’m not sure this actually happened.

***

Man, I am ready for this game to start. The parties are well worth the experience to see what they are like one time, and for the unintentional comedy. But I’m not one of the beautiful people. I just have a media pass.

I knew that most everything happening in Phoenix this week had nothing to do with football, but the spectacle still caught me by surprise. It’s the most American holiday possible, millions of dollars being spent to promote and encourage millions more to be spent, signifying nothing.

With all that said, I’m coming away from the week more grateful than I began it for the experience. Being around the players, writers, and league officials has only convinced me more how much I love the football culture, and the game itself. Its addictive and you want to be around it more, understand it better, and make your own small contribution.

Now the fun part comes.

I’ll be back tomorrow live at the Stadium blogging before and during the game. We’ll also be filing some post-game stories and video for NBCSports.com.