TAMPA, Fla. — A soft-spoken mountain of a man, Chris Kemoeatu all but vanished amidst the zany carnival Tuesday at Raymond James Stadium.

Clearly out of his element, the former Kahuku High star took a seat in the lower bowl and enjoyed the annual spectacle otherwise known as Super Bowl Media Day.

With a cross-dressing Telemundo reporter and the "Tonight Show's" flamboyant Ross "The Intern" Mathews among the horde of media members scurrying about, the Pittsburgh Steelers left guard enjoyed the show.

"It was exciting, like a zoo out there with all the reporters," said Kemoeatu, just before Pittsburgh's Wednesday practice.

While several Steelers teammates — Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, James Harrison and Troy Polamalu — have received plenty of attention throughout the week, Kemoeatu has been largely overlooked.

But the former All-State defensive player of the year for the 2000 Red Raiders is one of the biggest reasons for Pittsburgh's appearance in Super Bowl XLIII.

With the free agent departure of seven-time Pro Bowler Alan Faneca, the 6-foot-3, 344-pound Kemoeatu stepped into the starting lineup and hasn't missed a game.

"Fantastic for a first-year starter," Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said. "He hit the wall around Thanksgiving like all first-year starters do and he bounced back and has played extremely physical and tough for us."

Kemoeatu admits it was not easy replacing Faneca with just two career starts before this season. Learning new line mates and establishing communication took time.

But expectations in Pittsburgh, which won Super Bowl XL in 2006 behind a strong Faneca-led line, were high and fans in the Steel City were quick to criticize.

"This is his fourth year but until you're actually on the field playing there's only so much development you can do," Steelers center Justin Hartwig said. "From the beginning of the season until right now he's progressed tremendously, mostly from the mental side of things. ... Him seeing things and reacting to them instead of being out there thinking."

As Kemoeatu and the line improved so too did the Steelers offensive production. Pittsburgh averaged 20.8 points through 10 games with a 7-3 record. Winners of seven of their last eight, the Steelers averaged 24.5 down the stretch and into the playoffs.

While Kemoeatu was not the only reason for Pittsburgh's late surge, offensive line coach Larry Zierlein insisted he was a big factor.

"I'm sure that (Kemoeatu) learned a lot from Alan (Faneca)," Zierlein said "But he's unique; he's his own player. He's not the same type of player Alan is, obviously. Alan was an athletic, great combination blocker kind of guy and (Kemoeatu) is more of a mauler. ... I think he's got a bright future."

Beating Arizona Sunday would jump start that future with a second Super Bowl ring for Kemoeatu. His 2006 ring remains in its box.

"It's a little different coming in this year," Kemoeatu said. "The first time I came out I wasn't dressed or anything, but as far as being a part of it and actually playing in the game, I'm excited about it. It's going to be crazy coming out of the tunnel."