Bruce Matthews has played in 13 career playoff games, but he'll make his first Super Bowl start Sunday.

OK, so "win one for Bruce" doesn't have quite the ring to it as "win one for Sweetness," or "win one for Big John," but by hanging around the Houston/Tennessee franchise for 17 years, Matthews somehow has gravitated into the role of revered veteran. Just ask his teammates.

"We have a lot of reasons to win this game, and Bruce is one of the main ones," Titans receiver Yancey Thigpen said. "We want to win for a guy who has played as long he's played and who has dedicated himself to an organization as long as he has."

Linemate Brad Hopkins was even more succinct: "I always tell him it must have been great blocking for Red Grange."

Well, most of his teammates have a certain respect for the old man, even if the old man doesn't feel like one.

"I don't feel like an older guy," Matthews said. "If I wasn't reminded of it every day by my teammates and the media ..."

But by virtue of his longevity, the 38-year-old guard has become something of an institution. Fifteen years ago, Payton finally reached the Super Bowl with the Chicago Bears, the only franchise he ever played for. Two years ago, it was Elway and the Broncos, the only franchise the quarterback ever played for.

Now it is Matthews' turn to be the veteran stalwart with a chance to cap a stellar career with a Super Bowl title. But the only thing about it that seems to tickle Matthews is he's still is playing for the same team.

"I never felt the need to go to another team," he said, "even when the Oilers were labeled as kind of losers, or 'can't win the big one.' "

Drafted in 1983, Matthews has gone through plenty of highs and lows with the franchise, including two 2-14 seasons, a 3-13 and a couple of 5-11s. A 12-time Pro Bowl selection, Matthews has been in the playoffs before, of course, but this is his first trip to the big stage.

"If I hadn't made it here, I'd still be able to say 'I had a pretty good career. I had a good run,' " Matthews said Tuesday during the kind of media blitz reserved only for Super Bowl participants. "I had resigned myself to the notion that if I didn't make it, no big deal. Now that I'm here, I realize what a great loss it would have been not to make it here."

But you won't get any of the clichéd this-makes-it-all-worthwhile quotes out of him. Matthews made it abundantly clear through answers to even the most inane questions -- and repeats of those same questions by subsequent waves of reporters -- that he is simply a football player. This is what he does, and while winning certainly makes it more enjoyable, he wouldn't think of walking away just because his team was struggling.

Of course, he knows he's going to have to walk away eventually.