PHOENIX -- Steelers Hall of Famer Chuck Noll might lose his exclusive standing as the only coach with a 4-0 record in the Super Bowl, as New England's Bill Belichick is 3-0 and heavily favored Sunday to dispatch the Giants.

Several other Steeler Super Bowl records, however, are perfectly safe.

Such as:

• Franco Harris' 101 rushing career rushing attempts, 31 more than Dallas' Emmitt Smith. Neither is expected to play.

• Terry Bradshaw's record for highest average gain per pass attempt, 11.1 yards. Bart Starr is second at 9.6. If you're wondering, Tom Brady's average gain per pass play in the Super Bowl is 4.1

• The Steelers' 57 rushing attempts against Minnesota in Super Bowl IX. There have been six games in which both teams had fewer rushing attempts.

• John Stallworth's career record for high average gain per Super Bowl catch, 24.4 yards.

• Stallworth's record for highest average gain per catch in one game (40.33 yards vs. the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV) and Lynn Swann's second-place figure (40.25 yards vs. Dallas in Super Bowl X) might seem perfectly safe, but Randy Moss could catch three 50-yarders against a patchwork New York Giants secondary.

Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, who contemplated retirement right through a lengthy training camp holdout last summer, indicated this week that he hasn't thought much of it since. He also said he learned that training camp is the best forum for such thoughts.

"If they say to me that training camp is one week, it definitely would make me think, 'Wow, this may not be a bad job,' " he laughed. "But it's more than just that. Me being out of training camp was more than just not being willing to work. I've always worked at training camp. I mean 14 years. I've always done two-a-days. I've never said, 'Coach, I've been in the league a long time. I need to do one-a-days.'

"I've never done that. I work out every day after practice. I do everything that I did at 21 years old and just starting out. It was more of a desire to find if I really wanted to play football. I didn't want to be here with my body, but my mind was somewhere else.

"That's what being away from training camp did for me. This year or next year when I need to make a decision on what I am going to do, if I have to go to training camp as part of that business, that's what you have to do."

New York running back Brandon Jacobs was perfecting his no-one-gave-us-a-chance act yesterday, just in case the Giants upset the Patriots.

"Everybody is saying now that we don't have a chance," Jacobs said, "but with us 53 players, we have a chance. I like the chances.

"I like being the odd man out. I like being the underdog. I like being all that stuff. I like being the team that is terrible. I like that [this] is the worst team in the league as people have labeled us ... "

Yep. He's about ready.

Those Hines Ward motivational tapes must be working.

Giants wideout David Tyree, interim director of the Phoenix Institute for the Perfectly Obvious, left us to ponder this yesterday

"We have to play like it's our last game," Tyree said, "because it is."

Also from the Institute, Plaxico Burress' soon-to-be-famous "I'm not Ali," line.

Here is the context, a response to Question No. 198 on the matter of Plax's prediction of a 23-17 Giants victory.

"It's all entertainment; we're all having fun with it," Plax said.

"The prediction has gotten so much play. I think it's kind of old at this point. We can still laugh about it and have fun with it.

"That was one of the things that made Muhammad Ali great. He made predictions and went out and got it done. I'm not saying I'm Muhammad Ali. He added a little fuel to the fire and a little excitement to the show. We're just having fun with it."