THURSDAY MORNING NOTES
From everything I've read, the reviews on Indianapolis as a Super Bowl host city are extremely good. The proximity of Lucas Oil Stadium to the major hotels & other Super Bowl parties & venues is unmatched. The other component of the Indianapolis experience is the city's people, friendly, polite & helpful. I've heard this adjectives so many times this week. As a mid-westerner myself, I'm certainly not surprised. The people are one of the main reasons we moved back to this part of the country after 20-years in Las Vegas. After the ice storms in North Texas last February, the decent weather Indy is having this week certainly has brightened everybody's spirits.
One intriguing matchup for Sunday's Super Bowl is when New England's Julian Edelman is on the field against any of the Giant wide receivers. This is a key matchup the Giants want to exploit, I can't see a way he can stay with any of the talented & quick New York WR's.
Best Super Bowl prop bet I've seen(thanks to my Vegas pals) is over/under field goals by Giants' kicker Lawrence Tynes at 1 1/2. I love the over, in the last 14 games, Tynes has attempted at least two field goals & he's an 80% efficient kicker.
The average cost of a 30-second TV commercial during Super Bowl 46 is $3.5 million. All the spots have been reserved months in advance. The Super Bowl commercials have always been a sideshow for the game, often times more entertaining than the actual game itself. As far as the halftime show, Madonna, I'm not too enthusiastic, never been a fan. Good time to visit the bathroom, rush the buffet table & get a cold one.
In the "What were They Thinking" story of the day. The NBA, in their infinite wisdom, scheduled the Orlando Magic to visit the Indiana Pacers Saturday night. Problem? Well how about the twenty hotel rooms the Magic requires on every road stop? To say every room in Indianapolis is sold goes without saying. The NBA had to rewrite their schedule because of the lockout & their shortened season, but the Super Bowl has been on the calender for four years now, what were they thinking? The Magic will fly into Cincinnati Friday & stay there overnight & have their shoot-around Saturday morning there. Then it's back on the plane to fly 25-minutes to Indianapolis, go to the arena, play the game & go back to the airport for a red-eye flight back to Orlando. Real nice planning.
Sam Hurd, former Dallas & Chicago WR, is facing federal drug conspiracy charges & this morning a judge in Dallas scheduled his trial to start on April 2nd. Hurd & his attorney said they wanted a speedy trial so he could prove his innocence. Now it appears they will ask for a delay in the start of the trial. Hurd has pleaded not guilty, he was arrested outside a Chicago steakhouse after receiving a kilo of cocaine from a confidential informant & an undercover D.E.A. agent.
As I speculated yesterday, the Pittsburgh Steelers interview with Todd Haley was borne out of respect for his father Dick, former Steeler DB & director of player personnel. Sources close to Mike Tomlin have said he would never hire Todd Haley, they have very little in common philosophically. The fact the Steelers have interviewed as many as five candidates for the vacant offensive coordinator's position & Haley was the only one mentioned on the team's website points to it as more of a favor than a real serious job interview.
The Colts have hired Greg Manusky as their new defensive coordinator. A former Chiefs linebacker, Manusky held the same position for three years with the 49ers & then last season with San Diego before being fired at season's end.
One intriguing matchup for Sunday's Super Bowl is when New England's Julian Edelman is on the field against any of the Giant wide receivers. This is a key matchup the Giants want to exploit, I can't see a way he can stay with any of the talented & quick New York WR's.
Best Super Bowl prop bet I've seen(thanks to my Vegas pals) is over/under field goals by Giants' kicker Lawrence Tynes at 1 1/2. I love the over, in the last 14 games, Tynes has attempted at least two field goals & he's an 80% efficient kicker.
The average cost of a 30-second TV commercial during Super Bowl 46 is $3.5 million. All the spots have been reserved months in advance. The Super Bowl commercials have always been a sideshow for the game, often times more entertaining than the actual game itself. As far as the halftime show, Madonna, I'm not too enthusiastic, never been a fan. Good time to visit the bathroom, rush the buffet table & get a cold one.
In the "What were They Thinking" story of the day. The NBA, in their infinite wisdom, scheduled the Orlando Magic to visit the Indiana Pacers Saturday night. Problem? Well how about the twenty hotel rooms the Magic requires on every road stop? To say every room in Indianapolis is sold goes without saying. The NBA had to rewrite their schedule because of the lockout & their shortened season, but the Super Bowl has been on the calender for four years now, what were they thinking? The Magic will fly into Cincinnati Friday & stay there overnight & have their shoot-around Saturday morning there. Then it's back on the plane to fly 25-minutes to Indianapolis, go to the arena, play the game & go back to the airport for a red-eye flight back to Orlando. Real nice planning.
Sam Hurd, former Dallas & Chicago WR, is facing federal drug conspiracy charges & this morning a judge in Dallas scheduled his trial to start on April 2nd. Hurd & his attorney said they wanted a speedy trial so he could prove his innocence. Now it appears they will ask for a delay in the start of the trial. Hurd has pleaded not guilty, he was arrested outside a Chicago steakhouse after receiving a kilo of cocaine from a confidential informant & an undercover D.E.A. agent.
As I speculated yesterday, the Pittsburgh Steelers interview with Todd Haley was borne out of respect for his father Dick, former Steeler DB & director of player personnel. Sources close to Mike Tomlin have said he would never hire Todd Haley, they have very little in common philosophically. The fact the Steelers have interviewed as many as five candidates for the vacant offensive coordinator's position & Haley was the only one mentioned on the team's website points to it as more of a favor than a real serious job interview.
The Colts have hired Greg Manusky as their new defensive coordinator. A former Chiefs linebacker, Manusky held the same position for three years with the 49ers & then last season with San Diego before being fired at season's end.
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