Super Bowl Capsules: Payton's emotional style has paid off for Saints

MIAMI — There’s Peyton, then there’s Payton, and in that order.

Peyton Manning is the marquee name in this Super Bowl.

Sean Payton is the other Payton, the one getting second-billing behind the Indianapolis Colts’ star quarterback and pitchman extraordinaire.

Yet the New Orleans Saints’ head coach is making his own mark with creative, aggressive play-calling that has produced the NFL’s top offense two straight seasons and three of the past four.

"He has an incredible knack for finding weaknesses and setting plays up and then taking advantage of opportunities that the defense presents. He’s a very aggressive play caller," Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell said. "What I mean by aggressive is he’s just not one of those guys that is just going to settle for 5- and 6-yard passes. He’s going to throw that thing deep on you often and early, so you have to be ready."

The scary thing for the rest of the league is that the 46-year-old Payton is in only his fourth season as a head coach. And he believes he can get better.

"You’re learning all the time," Payton said Friday. "Certainly, just as we ask our players to improve, study, hone their skills, the same has to be expected of us. There’s certain experiences that are hard to simulate, maybe, and each year, something — something maybe little, something maybe big — comes up, and you deal with it and reflect.

"You try to look at ways where you can improve as a head coach. I think that’s the nature of teaching — at least good teaching."

During a typical practice, he might as well be professor Payton, calmly delivering instructions to the team or engaging in friendly one-on-one conversations with quarterback Drew Brees about the nuances of certain plays.

His competitive juices really start flowing on game days, when he looks like a man possessed.

He paces, waves his arms, shouts, points at the video board and runs down the sideline to throw a red challenge flag after a disputed play. A Saints touchdown might produce a fist-pump, with a leg kick for good measure.

There are the fiery glances shot at players, assistant coaches or officials — his way of saying, "Get it right!" without uttering a word.

"We’ve all seen that look," Saints linebackers coach Joe Vitt said. "You can definitely get a picture of him on game day, the look in his eyes, the way he purses his lips, the way he sets his jaw."

Then there is Payton, the master motivator.

"I marvel at the way he is able to say the perfect thing at the perfect moment, whatever it might be, whether it’s a motivational word or an inspirational story," Brees said.

"He is able to always have his finger on the pulse of the team and know this is the time to press forward and work or this is the time to back off and have a little fun. He has a knack and ability to use humor or a joke to challenge you," he said.

One example came during practice between the first and second games of this season. Veteran safety Darren Sharper intercepted Detroit rookie Matthew Stafford twice in Week 1, but was unable to score.

Payton lightheartedly reminded the entire defense that Sharper, in his 13th season, was nearly over the hill, and that everyone would have to make a block for him to return an interception for a score. Payton even told Sharper he’d buy him dinner if he managed to do it.

During the next game at Philadelphia, Sharper intercepted Kevin Kolb at the New Orleans 3 and ran it back 97 yards for a TD.

Sometimes Payton’s approach is more solemn. Players find inspirational messages or poems in their lockers. Other times, he uses props. During this postseason, he’s given players commemorative baseball bats as a way to inspire his team to "bring the wood" to its opponents.

He calls on motivational speakers. Payton brought in former San Francisco safety Ronnie Lott to address the team during preseason, then invited him back the night before the Saints’ NFC title win over Minnesota. Other speakers have included former NBA coach Avery Johnson, NBA general manager Joe Dumars, former college head coach Bill Mallory, former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden.

Payton’s strength as an offensive coach stemmed from his playing days as a quarterback in high school in Naperville, Ill., and later in college at Eastern Illinois. His brief pro playing career included stints in arena football, with the CFL and with the Chicago Bears as a replacement player during the 1987 strike.

There was a final stop in England with the Leicester Panthers, and that’s when he realized he wouldn’t make a living in football by playing it.

Despite those early experiences, Payton does not consider himself a "players’ coach," a term he said makes him cringe.

"It’s important you’re demanding," Payton said. "It’s important you’re fair. I think you don’t want to settle for anything less than exactly what you’re looking for and it’s not our job to be the players’ friend. It’s our job to teach and motivate, give them a plan to be successful and make tough decisions."

In any event, his players speak highly of him. They admire what he’s accomplished in New Orleans and the path he took to get there, starting as a graduate assistant at San Diego State in 1988. His other stops as a college assistant included Indiana State, Miami (Ohio) and Illinois before he got his first NFL job as an assistant in Philadelphia in 1997. Later, there were stints with the New York Giants and finally the Dallas Cowboys under Bill Parcells.

"I wouldn’t want to play for anyone else," Brees said. "I get a proud feeling when I think of him and the road he has traveled to get to where he’s at right now and all he has invested and how hard he has worked."

Gay, Hamilton miss Saints practice

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — New Orleans Saints cornerback Randall Gay missed practice Friday because of a stomach illness, but was listed as probable for the Super Bowl against the Indianapolis Colts.

Gay, a regular in formations with five defensive backs, was one of only two players to miss practice.

Reserve running back Lynell Hamilton, a special teams standout, was the other. Hamilton has missed practice all week with a sore left ankle and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

The Saints’ final practice on the campus of the University of Miami lasted just under two hours and was their shortest workout of the week.

"I think we had a good week of work," Saints coach Sean Payton said.

The Saints did not conduct Friday’s practice at full speed, but tight end Jeremy Shockey, who has been nursing a sore right knee, appeared involved in every snap in most drills for the third consecutive day.

As is customary before their home games, Saints players and coaches ate charbroiled oysters from New Orleans-based Drago’s Restaurant after practice.

Payton said his players will have a midnight curfew Friday and an 11 p.m. curfew on Saturday.

"We prepared for this game like it’s a Sunday night game," Payton said, referring to 6:25 p.m. kickoff. "At halftime, because it’s longer than usual, we will want the guys to maybe eat a little and also remove their shoulder pads and get a dry T-shirt."

New Orleans plans to conduct a final walkthrough practice at Sun Life Stadium on Saturday.

Indianapolis Colts

Caldwell enjoying Colts’ Super Bowl journey

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Colts coach Jim Caldwell would rather keep his private talks, well, private.

Good luck during Super Bowl week, when everyone is expected to speak into a microphone.

"Obviously, it is not my favorite thing to do," he said Friday. "I think when you get in situations like this, you have to be able to find some enjoyment in it."

Holding daily news conferences. Providing regular injury updates. Answering questions that range from the mundane to the inane.

This is fun?

It’s not exactly a vacation in the Florida sun, but Caldwell is getting used to it.

"I don’t mind it, it’s just I rarely have to do three or four in a row," he said.

Caldwell’s soft-spoken, quiet style is a perfect fit for Indianapolis.

Fans in America’s heartland prefer old-fashioned values to big-city arrogance, and nobody complains when a team is winning.

Caldwell has succeeded at both, helping the Colts reach Sunday’s game against New Orleans.

He graduated with honors from the Tony Dungy school of public relations and the milestones are already piling up.

Since replacing Dungy in January, Caldwell has set the NFL record for most consecutive wins to open a career (14) and become the fifth rookie coach to make the Super Bowl. A win Sunday will put him on the short list of rookie winners — San Francisco’s George Seifert and Baltimore’s Don McCafferty are the only ones to win as first-year coaches.

What’s more impressive is that the 55-year-old Caldwell has done it his way.

He preaches humility. He demands perfection. He shows compassion, and when he runs out of words, he cites passages from the Bible or Chinese proverbs or books to make his point.

"Often times I use things that mean something to me, that I can relate to and hopefully they can understand why it means something to me," he said. "I do it often. I read as much as I possibly can. I am constantly in search of knowledge. I think, particularly in the game we play, communication is key and you have to find ways to be creative in that area."

Even if you make those points behind closed doors.

Some in Indy expected Caldwell to be Dungy’s twin. He’s not.

Caldwell changed defensive coordinators and special teams coaches within a month of replacing the Super Bowl-winning coach. In April, he was adding the 300-plus-pound defensive tackles Dungy rarely wanted.

At training camp, Caldwell took a tougher tack by benching left tackle Tony Ugoh for the versatile Charlie Johnson. Three months later, he did it again, moving the unheralded Kyle DeVan into Mike Pollak’s spot at right guard.

The coaching transition, scripted in January 2008, couldn’t have gone any smoother.

Indy won another division title, completed a 23-game winning streak and had a shot at a perfect season before pulling its starters in Week 15. The results could prompt other successful teams to consider following the Colts’ lead.

"From continuity’s sake it could be good, but it can be costly," Colts owner Jim Irsay said. "I had to pay Jim much more immediately than he would have been making in the position he had been in. I think in some organizations you’re going to see, if there’s been a lot of success and there’s a clear candidate, you may see a team protect their guy."

Other victories could make a more lasting impact.

Caldwell is the fourth black head coach to reach the Super Bowl in four years. Dungy and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin both won. Two black general managers, Arizona’s Rod Graves and the Giants’ Jerry Reese, also have made it over that span.

So the usual questions about black coaches have dissipated. Last week, in Indy, Caldwell took only two questions about the issue, a dramatic change from four years ago when the biggest storyline was Dungy and Lovie Smith being the first black coaches to reach the Super Bowl.

"The fact that it is not a big subject is a sign we’ve made progress," said NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson said. "But we still want the Rooney Rule in place so there isn’t any slippage."

Another sign of progress: Black coaches are starting to getting more chances in the college ranks, too.

"When you see the success Tony Dungy, Lovie Smith, Mike Tomlin and Jim Caldwell have had, it makes things a lot easier," said Floyd Keith, executive director of the Black Coaches and Administrators. "That means we’ve come forward as a culture and the quality of a coach and a person is the thing that’s being judged. That’s the way it’s supposed to be."

Caldwell has never considered himself a trendsetter.

But the man who grew up in Beloit, Wis., who coached in small towns such as Carbondale, Ill., who worked with championship coaches such as Joe Paterno, Bill McCartney, Howard Schnellenberger and Dungy, is focused on one thing.

Winning in his own eloquent way.

"This game, which I’ve said before time and time again, does not take great speechmakers. It’s not inspiration by exhortation," he said. "There’s an old passage in the Bible that says ‘When words are many, sin is not absent. He who holds his tongue is wise.’ So I kind of like to hold my tongue as often as I can."

-- Michael Marot

Wayne leaves practice early after hurting knee

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Reggie Wayne gave the Indianapolis Colts quite a scare Friday when he pulled up short on a pass route.

He’s still expected to play in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

The four-time Pro Bowl receiver left practice 20 minutes early after aggravating an injured right knee.

Coach Jim Caldwell said Wayne hurt the soft tissue below his kneecap. Wayne is listed as probable and Caldwell plans on him playing against New Orleans. Wayne got through the injury most of the season.

But the Colts still don’t have an answer on All-Pro defensive end Dwight Freeney. He hasn’t practiced since tearing a ligament in his right ankle during the AFC title game.

Freeney wanted to test the ankle Friday and he still could. Caldwell said Freeney might do some running or participate in a simulated practice later in the day. Freeney hopes to work out Saturday and is listed as questionable.

Earlier Friday, Caldwell said Freeney’s recovery was "trending in the right direction," a message he reiterated after the workout at the Miami Dolphins’ team complex.

"This is right in line with our plans," Caldwell said. "He’s making very good progress.

The Colts got good news on two other starters.

Left guard Ryan Lilja returned to practice after missing Thursday’s workout with a sore back. He is listed as probable.

Starting cornerback Jerraud Powers practiced for the first time since hurting his left foot against Baltimore on Jan. 16. Before practice, Caldwell announced that Powers had undergone surgery to repair a fracture. He also is questionable for the Saints game.

Indy has one more workout scheduled, a 40-minute walkthrough Saturday at noon, and Caldwell liked what he saw.

"These practices were right in line with what we’ve done all year, and we’re pleased," he said. "Things have worked out great for us here."

-- Michael Marot

Caldwell says Freeney still improving

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell sounded optimistic Friday that defensive end Dwight Freeney could play against the New Orleans Saints in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

"He’s trending in the right direction," Caldwell said at his final pre-Super Bowl news conference.

Freeney has been receiving treatment several times daily since arriving in South Florida last week, trying to speed up the recovery after tearing a ligament in his right ankle during the Colts’ AFC championship game victory over the New York Jets.

Earlier this week, Freeney said he believes he’s improving. However, he still hasn’t practiced with the team.

"He’s getting better, but we’ll see," Caldwell said. "It’s still a day-to-day situation."

Freeney isn’t the only injury concern for the Colts.

Offensive lineman Ryan Lilja has been bothered by a sore back and couldn’t practice Thursday, but Caldwell said the team expects one of Peyton Manning’s top blockers to be ready for the game.

It’s still wait-and-see on cornerback Jerraud Powers and his ailing left foot.

Caldwell revealed Friday that Powers had "an internal fixation of a fractured foot," which typically means a plate or screws were inserted to hold a fracture in place.

Still, Caldwell sounded upbeat.

"He feels that he’s going to be able to play," he said. "It’s just kind of up to the doctors ... if he’s able to run and run without any inhibitions whatsoever. He’s moving along and moving well and we’ll see."

-- Tim Reynolds

Super Bowl Notebook

Caldwell says resting starters was right move

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell has been asked plenty of times about his decision to rest some Colts down the stretch of the regular season and not focus on chasing a potentially perfect record.

He stands by the choice, and points to Marty Schottenheimer as a reason why.

"You’re hired to win Super Bowls," Caldwell said Friday in his final news conference before Indianapolis faces New Orleans in Sunday’s Super Bowl. "You’re not hired to have outstanding seasons. There’s been a number of guys, you can probably check back three or four years ago, and there was a coach in this league, a great coach who got fired because he was 14-2 and lost in the first round of the playoffs."

That would be Schottenheimer.

He was fired by the San Diego Chargers after going a league-best 14-2 in the 2006 regular season. The Chargers lost their first playoff game to New England 24-21, and Schottenheimer was dismissed about a month later.

"What does that tell you? It’s pretty simple for me to understand that the most important thing is to get where we are today and have an opportunity to win it all," said Caldwell, whose Colts started 14-0 this season before dropping their last two games entering the playoffs. "So that’s what our focus entailed."

The 1972 Miami Dolphins remain football’s lone start-to-finish perfect team, finishing 17-0. Caldwell said he hasn’t seen former Dolphins coach Don Shula since arriving in the Miami area for the Super Bowl.

"His record still stands," Caldwell said.

NOT UPSETTING

If the New Orleans Saints win the Super Bowl, it’ll be considered an upset.

That’s fine with the Saints.

Listed by oddsmakers as five-point underdogs for Sunday’s showdown with the Indianapolis Colts, the Saints — who seem to be the sentimental pick, given what their city has gone through in recent years following Hurricane Katrina — say they don’t necessarily mind being the underdog.

"Not at all," Saints guard Carl Nicks said. "At the end of the day, I’ll have the ring, and if that happens, anyone can say what they like."

SUPER WEATHER

Indications are that Sunday’s Super Bowl will be dry, and played in cool air by South Florida standards.

Forecasters say a cold front is expected to bring the chance of rain Saturday, especially in the morning. Saturday night should have a low around 50 degrees and the projected temperature for kickoff is 66 degrees, a few degrees below normal for this time of year in the Miami area.

By game’s end, the temperature could fall into the upper 50s, which might seem downright balmy by Indianapolis’ February standards.

MAN OF THE YEAR

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will announce the winner of the Walter Payton Man of the Year award on the field moments before kickoff of Sunday’s Super Bowl.

The finalists are London Fletcher of the Washington Redskins, Mike Furrey of the Cleveland Browns and Brian Waters of the Kansas City Chiefs. Each spoke about the award Friday, as did Payton’s daughter Brittney, who was flanked by her mother Connie Payton and brother Jarrett Payton, who played at the University of Miami.

"My dad cherished this award because it recognized him not just for his skill and ability on the football field, but for his commitment to giving back through community service as well," Brittney Payton said. "We are honored to be in the company of these three outstanding athletes and humble community servants."

ON THE ROAD

Some Saints fans are making the almost 900-mile trek to the Super Bowl in RVs.

Alvin Boseman, 65, of New Orleans, will be making his way to South Florida in an RV packed with relatives and friends.

"The reason was to be together," said Boseman, who says he’s been a Saints fan since the franchise was born.

On game day, Boseman and his entourage will be tailgating with ribs, chicken, gumbo, hot dogs and homemade chili, just to name a few entrees. The entire trip is costing almost $5,000, but breaks down to about $500 a person. And there are other pluses.

"We don’t have to rush. We can take our time," Boseman said.

Recreation Vehicle Industry Association spokesman Jon Tancredi said his data shows plenty of Colts and Saints fans were renting RVs for the Super Bowl. And it’s not just Saints fans, either: Gene Weitzel, general manager of Family RV Rentals in New Whiteland, Ind., said he has rented seven RVs so far to people willing to make 18-hour drive from the Indianapolis area.

LEGACY GIFT

The NFL is donating $1 million to South Florida Youth Education Towns, part of its Super Bowl legacy program.

It’s the 17th year of the NFL building YETs — state-of-the-art facilities that provide tutoring, mentoring, training and other services — to children. There are two of the YETs in South Florida, one in Miami, the other in Fort Lauderdale, both opened after previous Super Bowls.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the program is "one of the game’s greatest achievements."

-- Tim Reynolds

Elsewhere

Injury cover-ups are always a big part of big game

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Dwight Freeney headed for the elevator in the team hotel, trailed by a few intrepid members of the media.

One focused a camera on his ailing right ankle. Another snapped pictures. Yet another jotted down notes.

No sign of anyone in a trench coat, but that wouldn’t have been too far-fetched.

NFL teams are downright cloak-and-dagger when it comes to injuries, giving medical reports a significance roughly akin to state secrets. Everyone else tries to figure out what’s really going on inside the human body, looking for the slightest hints.

The biggest question of Super Bowl week: Will Freeney, the Colts’ star defensive end, be on the field Sunday night when Indianapolis takes on the New Orleans Saints?

This is about all you’ll get out of Freeney: "I’m feeling better."

Late in the AFC championship game, he landed awkwardly on his right ankle and tore a ligament. Now here he is, less than two weeks later, desperately hoping that he’ll be recovered enough to play in an even bigger game.

Freeney hasn’t practiced since his injury. So he’s not playing, right?

The Colts weren’t saying. They don’t have to. NFL rules merely require that teams on Wednesday and Thursday disclose which of three categories their players fall into: didn’t practice, had limited participation or went through the entire workout.

Come Friday, the report gets a little more detailed, with coaches required to assess whether a player is doubtful (25 percent chance of playing), questionable (50 percent) or likely (75 percent). About the only way an opponent — and all the rest of us — really know for sure is if a team lists a player as out.

While commissioner Roger Goodell has tried to crack down on teams that abuse the injury report, there’s little incentive for a team to be totally forthcoming. Just say doubtful and you’re largely covered if the star player doesn’t dress. Hey, a team can say, we gave him only a 25 percent chance of playing.

In early December, Saints coach Sean Payton said cornerback Jabari Greer was getting better after being hobbled by a hernia.

What the coach failed to mention was Greer had surgery one day earlier. Then again, he probably was doing better the next day, so maybe Payton gets by on a technicality.

Freeney acknowledged there’s plenty of subterfuge and deception when teams talks about injuries, especially to key players. Knowing that someone is out can make it easier for an opponent to work on its game plan. Plus, a banged-up player has reason to worry about providing too much information to those guys on the other side on the line. A player with a sore right ankle, let’s say, might be vulnerable to re-injuring himself on certain plays. There could even be an opponent with more sinister motives, looking to deliver a little extra blow to the ailing body part.

So, Mr. Freeney, even if you knew for sure whether or not you’re playing Sunday, would you tell us?

"Probably not," he said with a sly grin.

As Freeney headed to the elevator, he hobbled along with a noticeable limp.

Then again, maybe it was all a ruse, designed to make everyone believe he’s not playing.

The Saints aren’t taking any chances.

"Obviously, we would love for him not to play in the game," New Orleans running back Reggie Bush said. "But we have to prepare like he’s playing in the game. We’re going to continue to chip block. We’re going to continue to do whatever we can to keep the pressure off (quarterback Drew Brees). That’s not a secret."

Freeney plans to test his ankle during Friday’s practice, then see how it feels the following day.

Giving a glimpse into the seriousness of his injury, he conceded that his ankle looked downright nasty the day after he was hurt.

"I didn’t even recognize my ankle," he said. "It was huge. It was like a softball."

Freeney provided another possible clue when asked to assess his chances of playing.

"I’m not going to say it’s set in stone," he said. "Miracles do happen."

Hmmm, did he say it would take a miracle to play? That doesn’t sound too promising. And when he said the Colts would be able to manage without him, that set off another red flag.

"We’re kind of built for the next man up," Freeney said. "We’ll be fine if I’m not out there."

That’s a pretty strong clue. Or was it?

"My ankle is getting better," he insisted. "As long as it’s moving in the right direction, that’s all I can ask for."

-- Paul Newberry

After weeks of furor, public gets to see Tebow ad

NEW YORK — No one except a few insiders has seen it. Yet a "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life" ad featuring football star Tim Tebow and paid for by a conservative Christian group is already perhaps the most hotly debated Super Bowl commercial ever.

When the 30-second ad finally airs in the first quarter of Sunday’s CBS telecast — at a cost estimated at $2.5 million — it’s expected to show the devout quarterback and his mother, Pam, sharing the story of how she gave birth to him in the Philippines in 1987 after spurning a doctor’s advice to have an abortion for medical reasons.

In the past two weeks, as news of the ad spread, it has generated a vast, often passionate national discussion — the subject of countless newspaper columns, blogs and tweets, and fodder for dozens of advocacy groups to spar over abortion, women’s rights and free speech.

Broadcasting and marketing experts say it’s the first politically tinged advocacy ad ever with a national buy on a Super Bowl. The audience is projected at 100 million viewers.

The idea for ad originated last year with a staff member at Focus on the Family, an evangelical Christian organization based in Colorado Springs, Colo., that provides advice on marriage and parenting, and also has campaigned vigorously against abortion, same-sex marriage and comprehensive sex-education.

Focus found willing partners in Pam Tebow, a missionary and evangelist, and her youngest son, Tim, whose Heisman Trophy-winning career at Florida was interspersed with missionary outreach of his own.

Only on Jan. 15 did plans for the ad become public, when Focus issued a press release about it. Initially, Focus was coy about the ad’s precise message, but president and CEO Jim Daly was more explicit in a video posted online Thursday.

"Over 50 million children have lost their lives due to abortion," Daly said. "We simply want to ask people the question: Can we do better? I think we can."

The controversy over the ad was slow to build but ignited on Jan. 25 when the National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority and other liberal women’s groups launched a protest campaign aimed at pressuring CBS to scrap the ad. Abortion-rights advocates joined in.

"We support every woman’s ability to make the decisions that are best for her and her family," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "But Focus on the Family wants to take options away from women."

Anti-abortion groups and other conservative activists swiftly mounted a counterattack, denouncing the campaign against the ad as a clumsy attempt to squelch free speech. But the ensuing back-and-forth did not break down neatly along ideological lines.

The New York Times, for example, supports abortion rights in its editorials, but disagreed with those calling for the ad to be withdrawn.

"Viewers can watch and judge for themselves," the Times said. "Or they can get up from the couch and get a sandwich."

Other examples of how the controversy has played out:

— Plans for a media availability with Tebow inside the Super Bowl media center were abruptly canceled Friday, shortly after reporters were told no questions would be answered about the ad. Tebow walked out of the area flanked by about a dozen people including security, only saying "Sorry" when asked if he would stop to take questions.

— Focus on the Family confirmed it has purchased air time on a CBS pregame show for a different version of the Tebow ad that will air during the game.

— In Michigan, a Republican congressional candidate, former NFL player Jay Riemersma, plans to host a pre-Super Bowl rally Sunday in support of the ad.

— Planned Parenthood, which supports abortion rights and often spars with Focus on the Family, produced an online video response to the Tebow ad. It features former NFL player Sean James and Olympic Gold medal winner Al Joyner talking about the importance of women being able to make their own health decisions without government interference.

— The Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group, launched a Web site called blockhardfortebow.com, and said more than 50,000 people submitted comments in support of Tebow and the TV ad.

All along, CBS stuck by its decision to air the ad, while announcing that it would be receptive to other "responsibly produced" advocacy ads — a shift from a past policy that kept Super Bowl commercial time free from political and ideological messages.

"CBS is potentially going to revolutionize network advertising for big events with this," said Charles Taylor, professor of marketing at Villanova School of Business. "I’d hate to see an event like the Super Bowl become partly an advocacy contest."

In the future, Taylor said, Super Bowl broadcasters might face demands for air time from opposing sides on divisive issues.

There have been plenty of past controversies over Super Bowl ads, but generally it’s been a question of taste, or lack of it

The Go Daddy Group Inc., for example, welcomes debate over its risque ads. This year, it has made available online a provocative spot that was rejected by CBS — featuring a fictional ex-NFL player savoring his new career as an effeminate lingerie designer.

After the 2007 Super Bowl, the General Motors Corp. drew criticism from a suicide prevention group for showing a robot jumping off a bridge in a dream sequence after messing up on the job.

According to a Marist poll released Friday, Americans are conflicted about some of the issues raised by the ad brouhaha.

Asked about advocacy ads during the Super Bowl, 49 percent of the poll respondents said they were inappropriate and 44 percent said they were acceptable. But 60 percent supported the decision by CBS to air the Tebow ad.

Like the ad or not, it will appear Sunday evening, along with pitches for beer and soft drinks, cars and candy bars, Denny’s restaurants and the new "Dante’s Inferno" video game. Among the many Americans who annually watch partly because of the ads, there’s been some notes of regret.

"The Super Bowl is a time for football and idiotic, lighthearted commercials," wrote freshman Lauren Hadley in the University of South Carolina’s student paper. "It’s not the appropriate time to preach ethics and morals to America."

-- David Crary

Gov’t buys $2.5M in Super Bowl ads to boost census

WASHINGTON — Faced with record levels of red ink into the foreseeable future, Washington is spending $2.5 million to create buzz for the census — by advertising during the Super Bowl.

The Census Bureau is hoping to exploit the strong ratings from this annual attraction, aiming to get more participation from people who now seem disinclined to mail back a government questionnaire or even answer the door.

Census officials call it a good investment, saying the front-end costs of purchasing the ads can be quickly recouped if they succeed in encouraging people to mail back their census forms. A recent poll found nearly 1 in 5 residents said they may not fill them out, mostly because they were unfamiliar with the census or weren’t interested.

The government relies on the census not only to learn about Americans and their lives but also to parcel out federal dollars and, as required by the Constitution, to determine the number of U.S. House seats representing each state. The census officially began last month in rural Alaska, and most of the U.S. will receive forms by mail the week of March 15.

Not everyone is happy about spending taxpayer money to tout the census during the Super Bowl.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., tweeted this week that the government "shouldn’t be wasting $2.5 million taxpayer dollars to compete with ads for Doritos!" Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., called on the Census Bureau to justify every dollar of its $133 million ad campaign, citing the tight economic times.

There’s no such lack of interest on the part of the mayors, county commissioners, governors, U.S. House members and state legislators — a host of public figures ranging from city hall to the U.S. Capitol. Those people hang on every census because the head count determines the size and shape of legislative districts and, equally critical, just how much money the various localities get from some $400 billion in federal aid.

Plans for the Super Bowl commercials come after the House voted Thursday to increase America’s debt by $1.9 trillion — to $14.3 trillion — or over $40,000 for every man, woman and child the Census Bureau hopes to catch in its count.

In the ads, actor Ed Begley Jr. plays a film director who discusses with flourish a new project that will create a portrait of "every man, woman and child in this beautiful country of ours ... a snapshot of America." Looking quizzically, two onlookers whisper, "Isn’t that what the Census is doing?"

It’s an ad buy the Census Bureau believes worked well during the 2000 census, when it ran similar spots during the Super Bowl for the first time. This year’s $2.5 million deal, which the agency says could reach 45 percent of all U.S. adults, includes two 30-second pregame spots, two or three on-air mentions by sportscaster James Brown and a 30-second ad during the third-quarter.

The Census Bureau says few events can match the Super Bowl’s reach of 100 million TV viewers. That’s because for every percentage point increase in the mail response rate, it saves an additional $85 million to find and count those people.

"The Super Bowl is the top-rated and most highly anticipated television event in the U.S.," Census director Robert Groves wrote in a blog post Friday. "Advertisers are mentioned in multiple news media outlets and viewers will typically look to view them online almost immediately after airing. Therefore, airing once in the Super Bowl creates significant buzz leading to additional viewing potential."

The government plans additional census spots during the Winter Olympics and the Daytona 500, as well as road tours throughout the country, including the Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans and Chinese New Year celebrations in San Francisco.

Segments are also planned in social media, such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube.

Subsequent census ads will encourage people to mail in their form with themes such as "It’s in your hands" and "We can’t move forward until you mail it back." They will be followed later by spots aimed at letting people know that census-takers may be visiting their homes.

-- Hope Yen

10 ads to look for during the Super Bowl

Ten ads to look for during the Super Bowl, which airs Sunday on CBS:

ANHEUSER-BUSCH: The brewer has five minutes of ads this year to pitch Bud Light, Budweiser and others. Scientists choose to drink when they realize an asteroid is coming and a man loves Bud Light so much he builds his house out of its cans. Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong appears in an ad for low-calorie beer Michelob Ultra.

BOOST MOBILE: The 1985 Chicago Bears reunite to perform a new version of the Super Bowl Shuffle, this time pitching the prepaid wireless carrier. Original shuffler Jim McMahon stars, riding on an electric scooter. Other originals including Mike Singletary, Willie Gault, Otis Wilson, Richard Dent, Steve Fuller and Maury Buford, reappear, as does coach Mike Ditka. William "Refrigerator" Perry is absent.

COCA-COLA: The world’s largest soft drink maker has two Super Bowl ads this year. In one, miserly Mr. Burns, the richest man on "The Simpsons," loses his fortune but finds happiness. In another, a man goes sleepwalking through an African safari.

DENNY’S: The restaurant chain is giving out free Grand Slams again and shows what the announcement will mean for chickens, who are urged in the ad to take any unused vacation time so they can miss out on the extra work involved in serving more people.

DOCKERS: Men march across a hillside, singing happily about not wearing pants. But the ad for Dockers, a Levi Strauss & Co. brand, tells men it’s time to "wear the pants" as part of a new campaign to reinvigorate sales of khakis.

KIA: Children’s toys, including a teddy bear and sock monkey, joyride in the Sorrento SUV. They go bowling, get a tattoo, and party in Las Vegas, set to rock tune "How do you like me now?" by British band The Heavy.

HOMEAWAY.COM: The vacation rental site launches a yearlong campaign tied to the Griswold family of "National Lampoon’s Vacation" fame. The ad, starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo as the quirky, traveling Griswold family, sends viewers to a 15-minute film on the company’s Web site.

SNICKERS: Actress Betty White plays football and tears past her opponents to set herself up for a pass in this ad for the Mars brand. In a teaser, the announcer says, "She’s one of the most respected actresses in Hollywood but would you want her on your team? Watch the Super Bowl and find out." "Barney Miller" actor Abe Vigoda also appears.

VOLKSWAGEN: The car brand reinvents the game of "punch buggy" to acquaint Americans with its lineup. In the new version called "Punch Dub" (short for "W"), people hit each other when they see any type of Volkswagen, and shout out its color. Comedian Tracy Morgan appears.

TACO BELL: Basketball star Charles Barkley rhymes about everything diners can get in the NBA 5 Buck Box.

-- Emil Fredrix

Super Sunday is not about football at ‘Faith Bowl’

BOSTON — It’s tied by its name and air date to Super Bowl Sunday, but the Catholic "Faith Bowl" being broadcast nationwide has no link to football, unless you count talk about the saints.

The third annual Faith Bowl will run just before and after the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints meet to settle Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday. There’s no hype or Hail Mary passes, just former major league All-Star Mike Piazza and current pro Mike Sweeney talking about faith and family in a roundtable discussion hosted by former Minnesota Twins reliever Bobby Keppel.

Hollywood-based Family Theater Productions created the show, and its aim is simple, said the Rev. Willy Raymond, the Catholic company’s national director: to use high-profile Catholics to reach men and young people with a faith message at a time when they gather in hordes around the tube.

"It’s no secret if you go into any church on Sunday morning, there are a lot of men who are missing. ... and especially older people, rather than younger people," Raymond said. "The audience that’s missing is the audience we are going after with this."

The Faith Bowl was born after Family Theater began gathering Catholic athletes and actors for an annual retreat at the Franciscan order’s Serra Retreat Center in Malibu, Calif. It struck them that a show highlighting the athletes’ faith on Super Bowl Sunday would be great outreach, Raymond said.

Faith Bowl III was taped in November at the end of this year’s retreat.

Professional athletes live in a hyper-reality of big temptations, but Piazza said the basic struggles are the same as any Faith Bowl viewer. Catholicism can offer perspective and a peace that’s tough to find, he said.

Piazza, who is married with two young daughters, said that at the start of his career, he had a "‘I-wanted-to-be-a-rock-star’ type of mentality, and I realized once I got there that it was very empty at times. ... I just have never been as happy as I have being a good husband and father."

Raymond said no one is pretending the Faith Bowlers have all the answers just because they have celebrity.

"These guys are not theologians," he said. "They’re in the struggle. They’re doing the best they can, and they’re good examples of guys that have made it in one world and still are serious about trying to be disciples of Christ and good people, good men."

Among the outlets carrying the Faith Bowl are Boston-based CatholicTV, which says it’s piped into 5 million to 6 million homes via various cable providers. Another national Catholic broadcaster, Eternal Word Television Network, is also carrying the program.

No one is measuring the show’s ratings, so it will be impossible to know whether it’s a hit or fails to outdraw an average half-hour of local cable access TV. Piazza said his hopes for the Faith Bowl are modest.

"To me, if there’s just one person out there who sees this, and says, ‘Hey, I saw Mike, and I thought about it, and went back (to church),’ that’s pretty much all I need," he said.

-- Jay Lindsay

La. student, principal clash over Colts jersey

NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana high school student says he was sent home for wearing an Indianapolis Colts jersey Friday — the day the principal encouraged students to wear New Orleans Saints black and gold as the teams get ready to face off in the Super Bowl.

"If they tell other students to support their team, why can’t I support mine?" Brandon Frost, 17, told The Associated Press. The senior at Maurepas High School moved three years ago from Indianapolis to the rural town 30 miles from Baton Rouge.

A Livingston Parish School Board member said Frost wasn’t sent home, but was told he couldn’t wear the blue jersey at school. Keith Martin, whose district includes Maurepas, said the school uniform had been relaxed only for black and gold.

He said he planned to ask school system attorneys whether that violated Frost’s right to free speech, as the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana contends.

State ACLU director Marjorie Esman sent a letter to Principal Steven Vampran, asking him to wipe Frost’s record of any discipline stemming from the incident.

Vampran declined to comment.

Martin said he had talked with both Vampran and Frost’s father, Larry Frost.

"I think we got things worked out," Martin said.

According to Martin, a friend of Brandon Frost’s had asked Vampran on Thursday whether Brandon could wear a Colts jersey, and had been told "no."

During a class on Thursday, Frost said, he talked about his plans to wear his jersey rather than Saints colors. He said the teacher warned him he’d get in trouble.

Larry Frost said he didn’t know about that when Brandon asked Thursday whether he could wear the jersey. He said he told his son to come home if he was hassled too much.

The Colts and Saints play Sunday in the Super Bowl, and emotions have run high in Louisiana as fans celebrate the first Super Bowl appearance for the beleaguered franchise.

Brandon Frost said Vampran called him out of his first class Friday and told him, "I don’t recall saying you could wear a Colts jersey on Black-and-Gold Day."

He said he told the principal that his father had given him permission to go home if it was a problem.

"He started to get angry with me," Frost said. "I thought I remember him saying, ‘If you like Indiana so much, why don’t you go back?"’

Vampran has acknowledged that he should not have said that, Martin said. He said no one sent Frost home — but no one kept him from leaving rather than changing shirts.

Larry Frost said he called the ACLU rather than the school because he was too angry.

"Louisiana would be proud of him anyway," Larry Frost said. "He wore Joseph Addai’s jersey."

The Colts running back is a graduate of Louisiana State University.

-- Janet McConnaughey

Pete Wentz says Fall Out Boy not completely done

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Pete Wentz says talk of Fall Out Boy’s demise has been blown out of proportion — but he isn’t sure when the rock band will performing together again.

Earlier this week, lead singer Patrick Stump told Spin.com that the group was done after Wentz tweeted that he didn’t see a future for the platinum band.

But on Friday, Wentz said band members are just doing things apart and it’s not clear where their future lies.

"We just haven’t had the time to say anything. All I have been able to do is say, ‘Man, I miss doing Fall Out Boy,’ and I got to a better place hanging out with my son," the bassist said of his infant son Bronx.

"Now I’m OK if Fall Out Boy comes back or doesn’t come back. Like, if it’s fun for everyone to do again, we’re going to do it ... I just want it to be authentic when we come back," said Wentz, in town for Super Bowl festivities.

Though he was at a Venus Williams rooftop party to DJ on Friday afternoon, he said he couldn’t see himself doing music seriously on his own: "I don’t know that I’m really cut out to be a solo artist. It’s never really been an aspiration of mine."

Wentz said he has e-mailed Stump and the two are still cool with each other.

"We just wanted to talk about how blown out of proportion it’s gotten. It’s to the point where we’re gonna make ‘I Quit Fall Out Boy’ T-shirts, just goofing around about it," he said. "We don’t want any animosity about it at all."

-- Nkesa Mumbi Moody

Venus Williams getting attached to football

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — There’s nothing like part-ownership in a pro football team to get you excited about the sport.

Venus Williams says she’s becoming a bigger football fan since she and sister Serena became investors in the Miami Dolphins.

"My love of football has really grown. I’ve really gotten really attached to the sport," Williams said Friday. "I think football players are the ultimate athlete. I think tennis players are too, but we’re not risking our lives out there."

Williams joined with Tide to host a rooftop party Friday attended by Terrell Owens, Kelly Rowland, Gabrielle Union, Pete Wentz and sister Serena, among others.

Serena — who just won the Australian Open championship, as well as the doubles title with Venus — said she’d like to change football to see more dancing celebrations in the end zone after touchdowns. She also picked her favorite for the Super Bowl — the Indianapolis Colts.

That might mean good news for the New Orleans Saints, though: "I keep rooting for the losing team, so this could be trouble."

Wentz also was rooting for New Orleans because he loves the city, but admitted that he’s not much of a football fan: "I only recently found out as of two nights ago that I like a sport other than soccer, and that’s basketball."

-- Nkesa Mumbi Moody

Strahan says parties real draw of Super Bowl

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The Super Bowl is just an afterthought for Michael Strahan.

The former Super Bowl champion says the real draw is the days of partying leading up to Sunday’s game.

At a party Thursday, he said: "By the time you get through the partying, who cares about the game, to be honest with you." He added: "If you party right, the game is the last thing you worry about, you wake up in the fourth quarter."

Strahan — now a Fox Sports commentator — won with the New York Giants in 2008. He didn’t party during that Super Bowl but didn’t feel like he missed anything because he had been to so many Super Bowls before that.

Says Strahan: "If you focus enough and win the Super Bowl, the party is after anyway."

-- Nkesa Mumbi Moody