SUPER BOWL / COMMENTARY : Bionic Beauty: Head and Shoulders Above the Rest

NEW ORLEANS —  The ideal composite player in Sunday’s Super Bowl:

BRAIN--Karl Mecklenburg, Broncos linebacker. Son of Ph.Ds., graduated from Minnesota with degree in biology. As 12th-round draft pick, didn’t expect to make it in the NFL and wanted to go to medical school. Made Pro Bowl this season for fourth time in five years.

EYES--Joe Montana, 49ers quarterback with full-field vision. NFL MVP hit 70.3% of his passes this season, often throwing to second or third receivers, sometimes even a fourth. “His eyes go to the right guy,” marvels Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. “What’s great about him is he does it so quickly--1-2-3, bang!”

GAME FACE--Roger Craig, 49ers running back. Backfield partner Tom Rathman describes it simply as “those big bug eyes.” Linebacker Keena Turner elaborates: “You see a very focused look, and when he’s on the field and about to make things happen . . . the eyes seem like they’re about to pop out of his head.”

SHOULDERS--Bubba Paris, 49ers offensive tackle. Wears size 50-52 shoulder pads, largest on the team but not noticeably wider than his waist. Reported to New Orleans somewhere around 350 pounds and growing.

TORSO--Michael Carter, 49ers nose tackle. Wears size 54 jacket. Says center Jesse Sapolu, who lines up opposite Carter in practice: “He takes up two spaces.”

RIGHT ARM--John Elway, Broncos quarterback. Has a 36-37-inch sleeve and once threw a ball 75 yards in a game but insists, “I’ve never really turned it loose.” Receivers proudly show off the Elway Cross, the “X” left by the point of the ball on their chests. After his worst season since he was a rookie (53.6% completion-rate and 18 interceptions to go with 18 touchdowns), Elway had the best playoff game of his career in the AFC championship game: 385 yards and three TDs.

LEFT ARM--Steve Young, 49ers backup quarterback. In relief of Montana, including three starts, completed 64 of 92 passes for 1,001 yards and eight touchdowns. Actually had a higher average gain per attempt than Montana (10.88 vs. 9.12) as well as a higher touchdown percentage (8.7 vs. 6.7). Set a team record completing 11 of 12 passes on two separate occasions.

HANDS--Tom Rathman, 49ers fullback. Team’s second-leading receiver with 73 catches and second-leading runner with 79 carries, 305 yards. Fumble that led to loss to Rams was only his second in four-year pro career and only one all season. Dropped just four passes. “I’ve felt all along I have adequate hands,” he understates.

FEET--Jerry Rice, 49ers wide receiver. Speedy broken-field runner after the catch and a master at getting both feet in bounds on the out patterns. “It’s almost like doing a dance,” Rice explains. “Almost like a ballet, walking the sidelines.”