NOTEBOOK Super Bowl XXXVIII

A mother's courage: The Carolina Panthers might consider thanking Stephen Davis' strong-willed mother for their championship run. Davis recounted how he mulled quitting football before his junior year of high school when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer 14 years ago. "I was the youngest child and nobody was there to take care of her," he said. "I wanted to stay home and take care her, but she wouldn't let me do it." She survived and watched her son become a high school standout in Spartanburg, S.C., a college standout at Auburn and then head into the pros. And now the Super Bowl. "I have a lot of time set aside for her and my wife and kids," Davis said.
Prickly Pat: New England offensive lineman Matt Light stopped shaving during training camp and grew a red goatee that hangs several inches off his chin. He hasn't gotten a haircut, either. It's hard to believe that well-groomed guy on his credential is really him. "I'm lazy, man," he said. "This is what happens when you don't get to a barber for seven months." His long chin hair would seem like an inviting target for a defensive player. They can't get to it, though, because it folds up nicely under his chin strap. Light has shaved away the sides of the beard and plans to get the rest cut "as soon as I possibly can" after the Super Bowl.
Father's day: Super Bowl Sunday for Panthers tight end Kris Mangum couldn't be any more different from 10 years ago. It was game day in 1994 that Mangum's father, who played defensive line for the Boston Patriots in 1996 and 1967, suffered a stroke and was wheeled out of the family home on a stretcher. "That night we spent at the hospital and watched the Super Bowl," he said. "He was alert, he had a minor stroke. Then a week later, he had a massive stroke. Two months later, with all the complications, his heart gave out on him." Mangum, who has his dad's old Patriots helmet, said he got a call soon after the Pats beat the Eagles in the NFC championship game. "My mom called and she said, 'You know, you are playing your dad's old team,' " Mangum said. "I know he's watching and he's here."
Rockin' Bill: Conference alignment is the secret to the odd-couple friendship between Patriots coach Bill Bilichick and rocker Jon Bon Jovi. "Jon is a big New York Giants fan, no ifs, ands or buts about it," Belichick said. "After I left the Giants, fortunately I have been with AFC teams that have not conflicted with the Giants. He has been able to have somewhat of an allegiance to an AFC team as long as it does not interfere with the Giants." Their interests did collide a little this season when the streaking Patriots beat the sputtering Giants 17-6, though New York was in no danger of contending for a playoff spot.
Winning with Flair: The Panthers haven't reached the pinnacle of popularity in Charlotte, according to defensive end Mike Rucker. Pro wrestler Ric Flair is still king. "Ric is an icon, not only in Charlotte, but all the way across the world," Rucker said. "I remember as a kid watching him. There is no way that you can get bigger than Ric, especially in [Charlotte]." Flair was among the thousands of Panthers fans who attended a rally in downtown Charlotte last Friday. Flair won't be watching in Houston, Rucker said, because he's got a match in Pittsburgh. "It's kind of sad that he can't be here because he is just as much of a part of this thing as we are, being a part of Charlotte," Rucker said.
-- Associated Press