NEW ORLEANS -- If the San Francisco 49ers are looking for "distractions" this week, they don't have to look far.
As we approached the team hotel on a balmy New Orleans night, it was hard not to notice that Bourbon Street was only two blocks away. Harrah's Casino is just a few blocks in the other direction.
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If ever there was a recipe for a Eugene Robinson moment, this is it.
"We've addressed it. ... We talked about what's expected when we came down here," tackle Joe Staley said Sunday evening after the 49ers' first media session in New Orleans.
He said the 49ers got a "heads up" about the "lay of the land." More than any other Super Bowl city, the players (and media) are right in the middle of a thriving party that will go on long after the Super Bowl leaves.
The 49ers won't have team curfew the first couple nights in town. Staley said he believed curfew starts on Tuesday night.
It's hard to imagine a Jim Harbaugh-coached team having an off-field problem this week. The 49ers put a very businesslike face on Sunday night, like Harbaugh.
In many ways, players are victims of this era. In the '60s and '70s, players could party all week without the worry of a camera phone or TMZ. (Or NFL.com.)
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
