MORGANTOWN -
Some professional football players go their entire careers
without ever stepping foot on the field for a Super Bowl. For Selvish Capers,
it took just two seasons.
The former WVU offensive lineman won't be suiting up and
playing tonight, but he will proudly slip on his No. 60 New York Giants jersey
and watch a season's worth of hard work pay off on the field.
"I'm blessed," Capers said in a phone interview Sunday. "A
lot of athletes don't get to experience this, especially not in their second
year. I'm blessed to be here and I'm definitely living it up and looking
forward to this victory that we're trying to get today."
Capers and his Giants teammates have been in Indianapolis
since Monday putting together a mix of work and play to make the Super Bowl
week one to remember.
On Tuesday, he took part in his first Super Bowl media day,
which is famous for being just about the most ridiculous farce of a reporting
event that exists in sports and one that generally yields as many
non-sports-related questions as inquiries regarding the game.
A photo of Capers wearing a sombrero and dancing with
Televisa's Marisol Gonzalez inside Lucas Oil Stadium made it clear that the
lineman was enjoying himself, a little kid experiencing any little kid's dream
of the biggest game in football.
"The media day was the big day. I wasn't expecting all those
pictures," Capers laughs. "I wasn't that big of a focal point on media day, but
it was a good experience and I got to interact with the media and talk to the
fans. But at the same time, we're out here for business, so we've got to take
care of business also."
The business side of the trip began the very next day when
New York had its first of three full practices leading up to Saturday's
walk-through.
A year ago, he was at home watching all these festivities as
a member of the Washington Redskins, the team that took him with the 231st
overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft. The Redskins released Capers in
September just before his second season began, and he signed to the Giants'
practice squad the following month.
"D.C. was great. They gave me the opportunity to be drafted
and to play in the NFL my first year, so I have nothing but love for D.C. and
for the Redskins organization," says Capers. "I wound up playing for the Giants
and have an opportunity to play for a Super Bowl. Everything happens for a
reason and I was blessed in both situations."
Everything happens for a reason is a mentality that Capers
must have been carrying with him for a number of years now. When he got to West
Virginia University, he was a tight end with incredible size. Maybe too much
size. So his coaching staff decided put a few extra plates of dinner in front
of him and turn him into a tackle.
He didn't like the move at the time, but now he clearly sees
it paying off.
"When they switched me, I was still a little mad probably my
whole first year," says Capers. "That kind of was like a shock to me and I felt
like the coaching staff was doing me dirty, but at the same time, they saw the
bigger picture and saw that my career could go a whole lot further if I just
made that switch."
It's tough to go much further than a Super Bowl appearance,
but Capers is still working toward the day when he can move up from the
practice squad and begin playing as part of the active roster. Until then, he
gives everything he's got on a daily basis to improve the athletes who will
represent the Giants on the field tonight.
"They us that, too, that we help them out by giving them the
looks they need in practice," says Capers. "Our practices are our game film.
That's our audition tapes for the coaches to let them know that we may be ready
to be on the active roster."
Since he has been in the NFL, Capers has made a conscious
effort to make himself a viable option at any position along the offensive line
so if ever a spot comes open, he can be the one to fill it.
A season as an NFL starter, or even a fully-dressed backup,
continues to serve as motivation for a player who believes he is yet to truly
experience the role he set out to achieve at this level of football.
But whether active roster or practice squad contributor,
Capers will do all he can on Super Bowl Sunday to help the Giants raise the
Lombardi Trophy.
If they do, you can bet he will enjoy the shower of confetti
as much as anyone else on that field.
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