Fullback Bruce Miller uncovers the answer NEW ORLEANS – It's baffled TV viewers for years, and it's even confused players on the San Francisco 49ers.
It's the red Sharpie that dangles around Jim Harbaugh's neck and flaps all over the place when he's in the middle of one of his sideline temper tantrums.
It is not a piece of jewelry, though. That's something Harbaugh wanted to clarify right away when asked about his "necklace" during a press conference Monday.
PLAYERS POLL: 61% disapprove of Goodell's job performance
"I take offense at you calling it a necklace. It's a whistle," Harbaugh said to a round of laughter in the ballroom of the team's hotel. "A coach should go to practice with a whistle and I just clip a pen on it. It's really not complicated at all."
Actually, it is.
Fact is, no one has ever seen him use the marker. At least not that they can remember.
"No, I've never seen him use it. I haven't," fullback Bruce Miller said. "He's got everything written down already."
Added offensive guard Alex Boone, "Oh man, you think it's a fake Sharpie? I've never seen him use it, now that I think about it. You know what, I'm going to ask him. I'll get the answer for you."
PHOTOS: 47 memorable Super Bowl moments 
I: In the first Super Bowl at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Packers asserted the NFL's supremacy over the AFL by trouncing the Chiefs 35-10. As part of the historic game, Green Bay's Max McGee had seven catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns, including this juggling act. Football would never be the same.
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II: In his final game as head coach, Vince Lombardi's Packers cruised to a 33-14 win over the Raiders to win the Super Bowl. It was only fitting that Lombardi was carried off the field, partly by Jerry Kramer, in one of the most memorable images in Super Bowl history.
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III: Joe Namath guaranteed the Jets would beat the Colts in the Super Bowl, and New York delivered with a 16-7 win. What else could "Broadway Joe", who was named MVP of the game, be talking to reporters about here moments after the game?
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IV: The Jets' Super Bowl III victory in 1969 was considered a fluke in some quarters. The Chiefs forever struck a figurative and literal blow for the AFL one year later, finalizing the disbanding league's record in Super Bowls to 2-2, by thoroughly dominating the heavily favored Vikings 23-7. NFL Films blazed a new trail, mic'ing up Kansas City coach Hank Stram, who gleefully touts his call of "65 Toss Power Trap", which produced a 5-yard TD run by halfback Mike Garrett.
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V: Marred by 11 turnovers, Super Bowl V is perhaps the sloppiest installment in the game's history. But at least it finally infused an element of drama. Rookie Jim O'Brien's 32-yard field goal with 5 seconds to go gave the Colts a 16-13 victory over the Cowboys. It might not have come to that if O'Brien had not had an extra-point attempt blocked earlier in the game.
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VII: The Dolphins were perfect at 17-0, but in their 14-7 win over the Redskins, kicker Garo Yepremian provided one of the biggest gaffes in Super Bowl history. His kick was blocked, he recovered, then tried to pass in haste, only it was deflected into the hands of Mike Bass (41), who took it to the end zone for Washington's only touchdown of the game.
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VII: The Dolphins capped off their undefeated 17-0 season by carrying coach Don Shula off the field after beating the Redskins 14-7 to win the Super Bowl.
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X: Lynn Swann caught just four passes, but he made them count while terrorizing Cowboys cornerback Mark Washington. Swann put his ballet skills to use with a 32-yard grab in the first quarter that set up a Steelers touchdown. His most memorable catch is this diving/juggling 53-yarder before halftime, though it didn't lead to any points. Finally, Swann's 64-yard TD hookup with Terry Bradshaw in the fourth quarter staked Pittsburgh to an insurmountable lead.
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XI: The icing on the cake of the Raiders' 32-14 win over the Vikings was Willie Brown's fourth-quarter interception returned 75 yards for a touchdown. It was game over after that -- if it wasn't already before.
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XI: No defensive back was more feared more than the Raiders' Jack Tatum during the 1976 season, and he showed why with this vicious hit that knocked off Vikings receiver Sammy White's helmet during Oakland's 32-14 win.
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XII: This Super Bowl was a blowout pretty much from the opening whistle. But Cowboys wideout Butch Johnson stamped his spot in NFL lore by splitting two Broncos defensive backs in the third quarter by laying out for a 45-yard Roger Staubach TD pass that just managed to stick on Johnson's fingertips as he rolled into the end zone. That gave the Cowboys a 20-3 lead in the third quarter. Game, set and match.
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XIII: Jackie Smith is often blamed for losing the Super Bowl for the Cowboys. Playing in his final game, the Hall of Fame tight end, who was wide open in the end zone, dropped what would have been an easy 10-yard TD pass. Yet the play occurred late in the third quarter, and the Cowboys wound up kicking a field goal to cut the Steelers' lead to 21-17. Pittsburgh went up 35-17 in the final period and weathered a late Dallas rally to hold on for a 35-31 victory. But laying all the blame at Smith's feet (or hands) seems rather unfair.
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XIV: The Steelers were already the first team to win three Super Bowls and seemed a shoo-in to make it four against the Los Angeles Rams, whose 9-7 regular-season record is still tied for worst among Super Bowl participants. But the plucky Rams were clinging to a 19-17 lead in the fourth quarter until Terry Bradshaw launched a bomb to John Stallworth that went 73 yards for the game-clinching TD. Rams, vanquished. Steel Curtain, vindicated.
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XV: Tom Flores (second from left) guides the Raiders to a convincing 27-10 victory over the Eagles, making Flores, who's Latino, the first minority coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl.
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XVI: The Bengals, down 20-7, threatened to make a game out of this Super Bowl when they had first-and-goal at the 3-yard line. The 49ers didn't allow a score after stopping two runs and a pass attempt, setting up fourth-and-inches. And on the final play, San Francisco's defense held Pete Johnson to no gain, completing the greatest goal-line stand in Super Bowl history, which was key to the Niners' 26-21 victory.
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XVII: The Redskins trailed 17-13 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game at the Dolphins' 43-yard line when coach Joe Gibbs decided to go for it on fourth-and-1. The handoff is to John Riggins, who runs left and breaks the tackle of Don McNeal, on his way to scoring the go-ahead touchdown. Riggins finishes with 166 yards and is named MVP as Washington wins 27-17.
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XVIII: Marcus Allen produced one of the most dazzling plays in Super Bowl history on the final play of the third quarter. A play intended to run to the left off tackle turned into Allen, noticing a bunch of defenders on that side, reversing all the way back to the middle and sprinting up the gut for a 74-yard touchdown. It was the dagger in the Raiders' 38-9 win over the Redskins.
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XIX: It was billed as a battle of top quarterbacks, Joe Montana vs. Dan Marino, who entered the game after a record-setting regular season. But this Super Bowl was no match as Montana thoroughly outplayed Marino, going 24 of 35 for 331 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 59 yards and a score, in leading the 49ers to a 38-16 win over the Dolphins.
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XX: The third quarter of this Super Bowl is when the Bears really pulled away from the Patriots. As part of Chicago's 21-point third quarter, coach Mike Ditka lined up defensive lineman William "Refrigerator" Perry as a running back, and Perry delivered a 1-yard touchdown to give the Bears a 44-3 lead. They went on to win 46-10, cementing themselves as one of the greatest teams in NFL history.
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XXI: The Giants dominated the Broncos 39-20 to win the Super Bowl, leading to this moment: the first Gatorade bath in Super Bowl history, with Harry Carson, disguised as a security guard in a yellow jacket, dousing coach Bill Parcells on the sideline.
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XXII: Doug Williams was named MVP after going 18 of 29 for 340 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in the Redskins' 42-10 win over the Broncos, on his way to becoming the first African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
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XXIII: To finish off what could be the greatest drive in Super Bowl history, Joe Montana connected with John Taylor for the game-winning 10-yard touchdown with 34 seconds remaining to give the 49ers a 20-16 win over the Bengals. The play, a the culmination of an 11-play, 92-yard drive that began with 3 minutes and 10 seconds, gave San Francisco its third championship of the decade, cementing the franchise as the team of 1980s.
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XXIV: As part of the most lopsided win in Super Bowl history, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice put on a show for the ages. Montana was 22 of 29 for 297 yards and a then-record five touchdowns, and Rice had seven catches for 148 yards and a record three touchdown catches in the 49ers' 55-10 victory over the Broncos, giving San Francisco its fourth championship of the 1980s.
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XXV: Two words Bills fans always will cringe at: "wide right". Because that's where Scott Norwood's 47-yard field goal sailed with 8 seconds remaining to give the Giants a 20-19 victory.
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XXVII: The Cowboys' 52-17 win over the Bills was laughable, but nothing about the game was as funny as Leon Lett's showboating just before the goal line on a fumble return and Don Beebe slapping the ball out of his hands.
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XXIX: Steve Young needed to get the monkey off his back, and he did in the biggest way, going 24 of 36 for 325 yards and six touchdowns, breaking Joe Montana's record, in the 49ers' 49-26 thrashing of the Chargers.
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XXX: With the Cowboys clinging to a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter, Super Bowl MVP Larry Brown came up with the second interception of the game, which was critical to Dallas holding on for a 27-17 win over the Steelers. Brown was the first cornerback to ever be named the game's MVP.
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XXXI: In the third quarter, the Patriots cut the lead to 27-21, but on the ensuing kickoff Packers return man Desmond Howard took the ensuing kickoff a Super Bowl record 99 yards for a touchdown to help Green Bay hold on for the 35-21 win. As a result of a big day of returns, Howard became the first special teams player ever to be named Super Bowl MVP. Anne Ryan, USA TODAY Sports
