Peyton Manning’s streak of 227 consecutive starts for the Indianapolis Colts, the second-longest run by any NFL quarterback, will come to an end Sunday, the team announced on Wednesday.

The Colts said they will start backup Kerry Collins at Houston in their NFL season opener, ending a run of 208 regular-season starts in a row plus playoffs for the 35-year-old superstar who has a five-year contract worth $90 million.

“To say I am disappointed in not being able to play is an understatement,” Manning said. “I simply am not healthy enough to play and I am doing everything I can to get my health back.”

Manning, who sparked the Colts to a 2007 Super Bowl triumph, has not fully recovered from neck surgery last May 23 to repair a nerve. He had back pain after practicing last week for the first time. New tests have been scheduled.

“The team will do fine without me, and I know for sure that I will miss them much more than they miss me,” Manning said.

“The best part about football is being out there on the field playing with my teammates. It will be tough not to be out there playing for the organization and our fans.”

Only retired Brett Favre, whose run of 297 games in a row ended last season, has played more consecutive NFL games at quarterback since Manning’s streak began after he was drafted first overall in the 1998 NFL Draft.

“It’s going to be a little different without Peyton. He is one of a kind,” Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. “Most teams have had quarterbacks that have missed time. Ours has just been highly unusual.”

The Colts are entering uncertain territory but remain confident.

“He is a great player,” Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney said of Manning. “There are 52 other guys on the team. One guy does not win the game.”

Collins, 38, came out of retirement a few weeks ago to join the Colts in case Manning was not ready to start. Collins took the New York Giants to the Super Bowl in 2001.

“I really do feel like I’ve come a long way in a short period of time,” said Collins. “My comfort level is still pretty high.”

By JIM LITKE
Indianapolis, you were warned.

Fans in every NFL city think the Super Bowl host jinx is just a myth until it lands on their town. But there’s a variety of reasons why no team that has provided the stadium for the big game has ever played in it. And at the rate they’re piling up reasons, the Colts — host of February’s title game — might be the first knocked out of the running even before the regular season kicks off.

After a decade as the league’s most stable franchise, and arguably its most successful, Indy is suddenly the capital of chaos. A bad wing threatens to snap Peyton Manning’s NFL-best consecutive-games streak, and depending on who you talk to, it might be the least worrisome of his injuries. Owner Jim Irsay has been on a Twitter binge, mischievously tweeting that he was chasing one aged quarterback (Brett Favre) when he wasn’t, then announcing the actual signing of another (Kerry Collins) before letting his team in on it. Not everyone thought it was funny.

“Who says Kerry’s going to be the starter?” star receiver Reggie Wayne grumbled, putting in a bid for longtime backup Curtis Painter to get the job. “Just because we bring him in doesn’t mean he’s the starter.”

And then there’s this: Indy just hired disgraced former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel as a game-day consultant to help with video-review challenges, but decided he won’t start until he has served his NCAA suspension and then some. The last time things were anywhere near this crazy was 10 years ago and four questions into a postgame press conference and Jim Mora, the coach at the time, was standing at the podium.

“Playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game! Another game!”

Mora was replaced by Tony Dungy at the end of the 2001 season and that hasn’t been a problem since. The Colts won a Super Bowl, reached another, made an NFL record-tying nine straight postseason appearances and won more regular-season games than anybody. So steady was the organization, from Irsay and vice chairman Bill Polian on down, that Dungy basically handed his clipboard to longtime assistant Jim Caldwell in January 2008, and the team barely skipped a beat — until this past offseason.

Everyone assumed the steadiest franchises would be hurt the least by the lockout; just the opposite appears to have happened to the rock-steady Colts. The first hint of a crack in the foundation appeared in late May, when Manning underwent surgery on his neck. But that seemed almost routine when Irsay handed him a five-year extension worth $90 million at the end of July. Since then, reports on Manning’s readiness have been all over the map.

He was held out of the preseason, then upgraded from the physically-unable-to-perform list just in time to merit a “doubtful” on the injury for this weekend’s opener against Houston. Yet fans encouraged by Manning’s uncanny ability in past seasons to show up for the bell should remember that not a single Colt listed as “doubtful” all of last season played the game that week. Given the uncertainty surrounding Manning’s status at the moment, and how much it has unsettled the rest of the team, they’d take one week without him in a heartbeat.

The Colts have already auditioned more free agents in this preseason camp than the total for nearly the past decade. And talk about mixed signals. In Collins’ only preseason appearance, Wayne and front-line receivers Dallas Clark and Pierre Garcon, as well as top running back Joseph Addai, stayed glued to the sideline. That indicated Manning was likely to be ready. Now, the Colts are stacking up running backs and getting Collins as many repetitions with the first team as time allows. Plus, Painter still has a job, indicating Manning is unlikely to be ready until, well, until when?

“As of now Peyton continues to deal with a complicated neurological recovery, the end date of which is unpredictable,” the Colts said in a statement.

Anyone who knows more is invited to call Caldwell.

“It’s been an incredible feat,” the coach said. “He’s been an iron man, there’s no other way to put it. It’s doubtful that he plays this week, but it takes a very unusual individual to have that streak.”

Much the same could be said about the Colts’ unbroken run of success. What’s been almost as remarkable, up until now, anyway, is how well they’ve managed to keep nearly all of the drama that accompanied bottled up between the white lines.

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke@ap.org. Follow him on http://twitter.com/JimLitke

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The best clutch kicker in league history is staying put. So is Bob Sanders’ replacement.

On Wednesday, Adam Vinatieri and Melvin Bullitt both agreed to three-year deals, keeping them in Indianapolis. Details of the deals were not immediately available, and team spokesman Avis Roper said the Colts would not confirm any transactions until later this week because players cannot officially sign contracts until Friday.

Vinatieri’s agent, Gary Uberstine, confirmed the move in an e-mail to The Associated Press. Bullitt took to the local airwaves to confirm his deal.

“It was `Let’s get this done, let’s move past it, let’s get ready for the season,’ ” he told radio station 1070 The Fan Wednesday afternoon.

Bullitt has been a backup to the oft-injured Bob Sanders since joining the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2007, but is expected to become a full-time starter this season after Sanders’ release. Sanders, the 2007 NFL defensive player of the year, signed with San Diego before the NFL lockout began.

Getting both deals completed quickly at least provides some answers for a team scrambling to put its roster together before players report to training camp Sunday.

Still, the biggest concern — a new long-term contract for four-time MVP Peyton Manning — has not been resolved . Team owner Jim Irsay has repeatedly promised to make Manning the highest-paid player in league history. Tom Brady currently holds that distinction with an annual average salary of $18 million.

Indy placed the exclusive franchise tag on Manning in February, a move that prevents him from negotiating with other teams and would pay Manning about $23 million this season if he signed the deal. Clearly, the Colts would prefer a long-term deal that lowers Manning’s salary cap number for this season and clears enough room to sign more of their own free agents.

“I hope it can get done quickly and I think it should get done quickly,” Irsay said Monday night. “Under this system, you can’t pay a player $25 million or you won’t be able to compete.”

While the Manning negotiations continue, the Colts have been busy signing undrafted rookies and agreeing to deals with Vinatieri and Bullitt.

The 38-year-old Vinatieri is one of just seven players in league history to score 500 or more points with two different teams (Patriots, Colts).

He made the 48-yard field goal that gave New England its first Super Bowl win after the 2001 season He also made the tying kick in regulation and the winner against Oakland in the snow during the 2001 playoffs, a game best remembered as the “tuck rule” game. Two years later, Vinatieri made another Super Bowl winning kick against Carolina.

And he played an integral role in the Colts’ 2006 Super Bowl run, making five field goals in a 15-6 win at Baltimore, going 3 for 3 against New England in the Colts’ AFC title game comeback, and 3 for 4 on a rainy Miami day to help beat Chicago in the title game.

After missing much of the 2009 season following hip surgery, Vinatieri played in all 16 games in 2010 and made 26 of 28 field-goal attempts.

Bullitt came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 200, started 21 games in 2008 and 2009 and had five interceptions in his first three NFL seasons. Last year, after replacing the injured Sanders as the starter again, Bullitt had season-ending surgery on his right shoulder in October.

More roster moves should be coming by Friday night.

Irsay has acknowledged the Colts will have to cut some players, perhaps even a “well-known” player. Though he did not identify any individuals as potential cap casualties, speculation has centered on longtime right tackle Ryan Diem. He is scheduled to make $5.4 in base salary this season, the last on his current deal.

“I’m like everybody else, I suspect something is going to happen,” said Cliff Brady, Diem’s agent. “I know they’re trying to get Charlie Johnson done.”

Johnson has been the starting left tackle the last two seasons in Indy and is an unrestricted free agent.

Indy used its first two draft picks in an obvious attempt to upgrade the offensive line. But it’s unlikely the Colts want two rookie linemen protecting their high-priced franchise quarterback, who is still rehabbing from offsesason neck surgery.

In addition to Bullitt, Johnson and Vinatieri, the list of free agents Indy would like to retain includes running back Joseph Addai and linebacker Clint Session, both starters.

Another possible cap cut could be cornerback Kelvin Hayden, whose base salary this season is expected to be nearly $9 million. It was Hayden who picked off the pass against Chicago and returned it for a touchdown to seal the Colts’ Super Bowl win.

“We are talking to some of our own guys,” general manager Chris Polian said Tuesday. “We will not have the ability to retain all of our free agents. We will try to retain as many as we can, but I would not expect that to be 100 percent across the board.”

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy stood on opposite sidelines four years ago, vying to become the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl championship.

Dungy and his Indianapolis Colts walked away with the prize that rainy February night in Miami, beating Smith’s Chicago Bears 29-17, but there aren’t hard feelings on either end. In fact, Dungy will stroll into Chicago’s Halas Hall on Monday as Smith’s invited guest.

“We’re just going to talk football for a day,” Smith, who served as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ linebackers coach under Dungy from 1996 to 2000, recently told the Chicago Tribune. “There aren’t a whole lot of us still in our system who believe in it the way we do. We’re pumped up about him coming.”

The NFL lockout, which is in its third month, is keeping players from meeting with their coaches, so Smith is spending the time with his staff for what he calls “football enrichment.” That includes daily clinics in which the offensive coaches teach the defensive coaches what they do, and vice versa. The coaches also have scouted their own team and its rivals, particularly the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

And then there will be the visit from Dungy, a former foe who’ll dispense some friendly advice after two seasons away from coaching.

“We would like to have the players out here, but it’s not like we don’t have anything to do,” said Smith, who had scheduled a minicamp this weekend but saw it canceled by the lockout. “I can’t say I’m getting bored. It’s the opposite. There is learning every day. It has been awesome.”

Smith believes the Bears are close to claiming the Lombardi Trophy, but he knows they must leap a green-and-gold hurdle in the Packers, who won the NFC Championship Game in Chicago nearly five months ago.

“Everything has to be about beating our rival, as it is every year,” Smith said. “And there is a little bit of added emphasis on it this year. They are at the top of the hill.

“We match up pretty good with them,” Smith added. “Your gauge has to be the Super Bowl champion. We beat them here. They beat us there (and at Soldier Field in the playoffs). All three games could have gone either way. There should be some more classic matchups between the two of us. We can’t wait.”

INDIANAPOLIS, May 21 (UPI) — Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay says the NFL must resolve its labor issues by July 4 if it wants to have a normal football season.

Irsay is hosting an owners meeting in Indianapolis next week, The Indianapolis Star reported. The city is also hosting the Super Bowl in February — if there is one.

NFL players have been locked out for three months, although there has been little impact on the sport. Irsay called on both owners and players Thursday to develop a sense of “urgency” so training camp can begin on schedule.

“There has to be some real urgency to get this thing resolved and really have a full season with a training camp and pre-season games,” he said. “It would be very unfortunate if we get a deal done Oct. 1 that we could have gotten done on July 10. The losses are great if we start missing pre-season games and early games.”

INDIANAPOLIS, May 21 (UPI) — Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay says the NFL must resolve its labor issues by July 4 if it wants to have a normal football season.

Irsay is hosting an owners meeting in Indianapolis next week, The Indianapolis Star reported. The city is also hosting the Super Bowl in February — if there is one.

NFL players have been locked out for three months, although there has been little impact on the sport. Irsay called on both owners and players Thursday to develop a sense of “urgency” so training camp can begin on schedule.

“There has to be some real urgency to get this thing resolved and really have a full season with a training camp and pre-season games,” he said. “It would be very unfortunate if we get a deal done Oct. 1 that we could have gotten done on July 10. The losses are great if we start missing pre-season games and early games.”

Bob Sanders was worth every penny for the Indianapolis Colts.

That might seem like a ludicrous statement to some. Sanders sat out with injuries more often than he played. The last three seasons have been an absolute wash, with Sanders sidelined by too many ailments to describe without a medical dictionary nearby. We saw him fly into the action at safety only once last season, in the opener in Houston. He made about $700,000 per snap.

Sanders, who was released Friday by the Colts, was worth every penny because of the 2006 playoff run.

Ironically, 2006 was a year when he missed the bulk of the season, playing only four regular-season games, right up until the playoffs.

Then, in one magical four-game run, Sanders returned as Superman, turning the Colts’ pathetic defense into the NFL’s best. He transformed the unit overnight and the defense inexplicably took the lead in driving the Colts to their only Super Bowl title.

Everyone ran all over the Colts during the regular season that year. No one ran on them in the postseason, save for one breakaway run by the Bears’ Thomas Jones. The Colts were last against the run in the regular season; they were first in the postseason. The difference was Sanders. In four playoff games, he had 22 tackles, four passes defended, one forced fumble and two interceptions.

I don’t believe the Colts could have won the 2007 Super Bowl without Sanders.

So, yes, given the historical value of a Lombardi Trophy, I believe Sanders was worth every penny. I had no problems when the Colts signed him to a $37.5 million deal after his 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year season. That may be Monopoly money to the rest of us, but in NFL terms, he’d earned it.

When Sanders was on the field, he was an absolute terror on opposing running backs, receivers and coordinators. You couldn’t contain him. You couldn’t ignore him. He was a force of nature.

“He’s what you would look for if you were designing a safety for this system,” then-Colts coach Tony Dungy said. “I think it’s a mesh of a perfect guy playing in a system that’s designed for him. Every now and then you get that guy who really fits the job description. I think that’s what we have in Bob.”

Do I understand why the Colts cut Sanders loose Friday? Absolutely. They had paid him, handsomely, for delivering that Super Bowl title and following that with a monster year. But the pay didn’t stop when his health finally did. And 2010 was the point when all the Colts were paying for were memories.

Sanders was due to make a base salary of $5.5 million next season, assuming there is a next season. Considering he has played in only nine games in the last three seasons, there is no justification to continue to pay him as if he’s the league’s best safety. Over the course of his seven seasons with the Colts, he played in 48 games and missed 64. It’s not his fault; he can’t help it that his body couldn’t keep up with his reckless abandon. Neither could he change the way he played.

I’ll miss Sanders because he was thrilling to watch, captivating to listen to on occasions when he talked at length with the media and an inspiration to average-sized guys everywhere. (Note: His biceps were the average size of most men’s thighs.)

The Colts will miss the Sanders of 2005, playoffs 2006 and 2007. There was no more dominant defensive force in the league during that stretch.

Colts owner Jim Irsay thanked Sanders for his contributions as he announced his release via Twitter. (This is the world we live in.) Sanders, in a statement released by the team, thanked Irsay and said he would always consider himself a Colt.

I’m guessing the Colts made an offer to Sanders that would have allowed him to return at a substantially reduced salary. Rare is the great player whose pride will let him accept such a deal without trying for more elsewhere.

I have no doubt that some team, probably the Tennessee Titans – who constantly collect cut Colts – will give him a chance to prove that he has some games left in him.

The Colts have a number of players up for free agency and they can’t afford to pay Sanders millions on hopes and dreams any longer.

In retrospect, however, Sanders was worth every penny while he lasted. If you need proof, stop by the Colts complex sometime and ask to see the Lombardi Trophy.

INDIANAPOLIS — A bill that would eliminate local gun regulations has Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay worried he wouldn’t be able to ban guns from Lucas Oil Stadium during the team’s games.

Sponsors of the bill moving through the state Legislature, however, said it would not prevent a sports team from setting its own attendance rules.

Irsay told reporters Thursday that the Colts rely on the city’s Capital Improvement Board, the agency that owns the stadium, to enforce the team’s weapons ban. Colts general counsel Dan Emerson said the bill’s provisions would prevent a city agency from enforcing the ban.

“We want to make sure the CIB can do gun checks at our games,” Irsay said. “It’s stated on the ticket that you can’t bring a firearm into the game. We want to make sure that remains, so that games remain without guns being at them.”

The state Senate approved the bill in a 38-12 vote Monday, and it is pending with the House. The bill would not allow local governments to regulate firearms except to ban them from buildings housing courts. State law bans guns from school property.

Sen. Brent Steele, R-Bedford, said he was surprised by the Colts’ reaction and didn’t believe the bill would affect the team’s gun rules.

“We have a constitutional right to carry, but we don’t have a constitutional right to attend a Colts game,” Steele told WTHR-TV. “They sell the ticket. By me buying that ticket, I agree to their terms. If they say no guns in there, it’s no gun.”

Sen. Jim Tomes, R-Wadesville, told WXIN-TV that the bill was meant to simplify regulations for gun owners by eliminating city ordinances that complicate the current state law.

Emerson, the Colts attorney, said he read the bill as not allowing the city’s Capital Improvement Board to enforce any gun rules at Lucas Oil Stadium or the agency’s other sports venues — Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers, and Victory Field, where the minor league Indianapolis Indians play baseball.

Emerson said it raises potential worries about security at Lucas Oil Stadium for next year’s Super Bowl.

“There is no limitation or exception for the Super Bowl or Colts games or Pacers games or the Indians or anything,” Emerson said. “It’s an overreach.”

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Often-injured safety Bob Sanders has been released by the Indianapolis Colts, the team said Friday.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection played in only nine regular-season games the past three seasons.

Sanders, who will be 30 next week, missed the final 15 regular-season games and the playoff loss to the New York Jets in 2010 after tearing his right biceps tendon in the season opener.

“We thank Bob for all his incredible contributions, from his Super Bowl interception to his defensive player of the year honor,” Colts owner Jim Irsay said in a statement.

Sanders, a second round draft pick by the Colts in 2004, earned Pro Bowl honors in 2005 and 2007 and was the NFL’s defensive player of the year in 2007.

His Super Bowl interception came in the Colts’ 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears to conclude the 2006 season.

(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina. Editing by Steve Ginsburg)

Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts get the chance next season to do what the Dallas Cowboys failed to do this time. They could become the first team to play a Super Bowl in their own stadium.

“It’s exciting. I’m sure Dallas had to deal with those questions all year,” Manning said in Dallas this week. “We have a great stadium to have the event and I know the people there are excited. Playing there, it’d be very special. … That will be the motivation, like all teams, to get to Indy.”

After the Green Bay Packers play the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cowboys Stadium on Sunday, the next Super Bowl – the 46th in NFL history – will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in heart of the Indianapolis.

“Last year, I remember kidding the Dallas folks that we should have a home-and-home the next two years,” Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard said. “That’s not going to happen, obviously.”

The Cowboys (6-10) didn’t even make the playoffs, getting off to such a bad start that Wade Phillips was fired midway through this season. Indianapolis won 10 games and made its record-tying ninth consecutive playoff appearance, then lost to the New York Jets.

If the Colts make it 10 playoffs in a row, they will have the opportunity for a hometown Super Bowl.

“It’s certainly possible. Peyton is still at the top of his game. His supporting cast is very, very strong. I’d love to see it,” Ballard said. “Some people say, ‘Oh, no, you don’t want that because then you won’t have as many visitors.’ I don’t believe that. Look at Butler. Them being in the Final Four actually generated more interest.”

The Colts have been to the last two Super Bowls in Miami, winning the 2007 game over the Chicago Bears and then losing to the New Orleans Saints last year.

The 2013 Super Bowl will be played in the Louisiana Superdome, the home of the Saints.

“I’d like a rematch,” Ballard said.

—

CENTER STARTER: Doug Legursky prepared all week like he was going to play in the Super Bowl. Good thing, because the Pittsburgh Steelers’ backup guard is making his first NFL start as a center Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

Rookie Pro Bowl selection Maurkice Pouncey was ruled out of the Super Bowl because of a high left ankle sprain.

“I’m approaching it the same way I’ve done every game this entire year, going into it prepared as if I’m going to play,” Legursky said this week. “If I don’t do it that way and I get thrown in there, I’m not prepared. So I’m not going to make that mistake.”

Pouncey’s ankle never healed enough for him to practice this week, and he was ruled out Friday. When Pouncey got hurt in the AFC championship game, Legursky took over snapping the ball to Ben Roethlisberger.

Legursky, an undrafted free agent out of Marshall in 2008, started four games in place of injured guard Trai Essex early this season. Those are Legursky’s only starts in 24 career regular-season games.

—

UNDER A DOME: The Super Bowl at Cowboys Stadium will be the 13th played indoors. The NFC has a 9-3 advantage in championships settled under a dome.

Pittsburgh and Green Bay won their only indoor Super Bowls. The Steelers beat Seattle at Detroit’s Ford Field in 2006, and the Packers defeated New England at the Louisiana Superdome in 1997.

—

SUPER FOOD FARE: Pasta bars, Texas chicken fried turkey sandwiches and sushi platters are just a few of the unique food options at Cowboys Stadium for the 100,000 or so fans attending the Super Bowl.

For heartier appetites, there will one-pound hamburgers topped with fried onions and smoked chopped barbecue. Or some chunky “Bent Buckle” Texas chili served in a sourdough bread bowl.

Looking for an adult beverage and a Super Bowl keepsake? Get both with a Texas-sized margarita known as a “Cowboyrita” served in a souvenir glass. The Mexican hot chocolate and hot Bloody Mary drinks will come in souvenir thermal travel mugs.

Food prep for Sunday included sauteing more than a ton of peaches for cobbler, grilling 15,000 Kobe beef sliders, peeling 70,000 pieces of fresh jumbo shrimp and training 250 chefs to work the different food stations in the stadium. There will be more than 3,000 concessions workers on duty.

Fans are expected Sunday to consume more than 12 tons of nachos, five tons of cheese steak and four tons of hot dogs. And wash it down with 15,625 gallons of soda, 8,000 gallons of bottled water and 160 tons of ice – enough to make three hockey rinks.

—

MORE CHEESE THAN TOWELS: There have more people searching for “cheesehead hats” than “Terrible Towels” leading up to the Super Bowl. At least online.

According to Yahoo!, there were 66 percent more online searches this week about the cheesehead hats worn by Green Bay Packers fans than the Terrible Towels waved by those cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A very popular search question was “What does the ‘G’ in the Packers logo stand for?” Easy answer: Green Bay, the team’s hometown.

—

AP Pro Football Writer Jaime Aron contributed to this report.

HONOLULU — When Ray Lewis stepped off the plane from his cross-country flight and was greeted with a lei and an aloha, it finally hit him that he was voted back on the island.

“That’s when you say, ‘OK. I’ve made it again.’ You really appreciate it,” the Baltimore Ravens’ All-Pro linebacker said. “This is the reward. With the Pro Bowl being here, this is the reward.”

Sunday’s Pro Bowl marks the return to Hawaii — where it had been since 1980 — after a spending a year in Miami in an experiment by the NFL to combine the All-Star game activities with the Super Bowl.

“This is where everybody wants to go,” said Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzales, making his NFC-leading 11th appearance in the Pro Bowl.

Hawaii is paying $4 million per game to hold the Pro Bowl this year and in 2012 when Indianapolis hosts the Super Bowl. But the Pro Bowl site hasn’t been determined beyond that, with the 2013 Super Bowl scheduled for New Orleans and 2014 slated for East Rutherford, N.J.

But Hawaii, which has become synonymous with the Pro Bowl, is reeling from $844 million projected deficit over the next 2½ years.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie in his first State of the State address on Monday suggested diverting some of the $44 million the Hawaii Tourism Authority spends on marketing to infrastructure needs.

The Democrat and former longtime congressman also wants to decide the fate of aging 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium, which hosts the Pro Bowl. He said other than maintenance related to health and safety, “I will divert all other capital improvement dollars for Aloha Stadium to other projects.”

It’s unclear what this will mean for the future of the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, but they will play key points in future negotiations between the NFL and the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

If the players have any say, they clearly want the game to stay in the islands.

“There’s no better place to have it,” Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said.

Atlanta Falcons fullback Ovie Mughelli said there’s no comparing Hawaii.

“Nothing against Florida, but Hawaii is Hawaii,” he said. “For guys who worked hard through minicamp, training camp, the offseason and go through bumps and bruises, I feel Hawaii is so much a better way to reward them than just going down to Miami.”

Lewis, who lives in Miami and starred at the University of Miami, said having the game back home wouldn’t be a reward for the players since they play in Florida during the season.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson said, “We can go to Miami any time. Going to Hawaii, over the water, is special.”

Even the Miami Dolphins linebacker Cameron Wake prefers Hawaii.

“For them to have the Pro Bowl in Miami, I just got to drive down the street, that isn’t as much fun as coming out here and getting away to this beautiful city,” Wake said. “The views are amazing. The people have been so accommodating and so pleasant. I put in a vote for Hawaii. My vote is in.”

The players say the tropical scenery and weather can’t be beat. Temperatures this week were mostly in the high 70s, perfect for the Pro Bowlers who went golfing, fishing, jetskiing and toured Pearl Harbor with their families.

“This is like heaven. I’ll die and go to Hawaii. That’s all right with me,” Houston Texans running back Arian Foster said.

A few players even hit the waves such as Denver Broncos receiver Brandon Lloyd. But Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick wasn’t getting anywhere near a surfboard.

“I don’t surf,” Vick said. “I watch National Geographic too much, and I’ve seen too many catastrophic situations.”

The players also spent a lot of time lounging at the hotel pool or one of the lagoons at Ko Olina Resort. And the rookies were invited — because they’re the ones stuck with the hefty food and drink tabs.

“Everybody’s been trying to get my room number, but I’ve been trying to keep it a secret,” New England Patriots rookie cornerback Devin McCourty said. “As long as they don’t get my room number, I’ll be all right.”

Tennessee Titans rookie kick returner Marc Mariani said he’s had to pickup several tabs and will find out the damage when he checks out of the hotel.

“The guy that’s making the least is buying drinks for the top dogs,” he said with a laugh. “But it’s fine. We’re having fun.”

 

Despite sabotaging the Indianapolis Colts’ playoff dreams twice – thwarting Jim “Captain Comeback” Harbaugh in 1995 and tripping Nick “It’s just a flesh wound” Harper 10 years later – it’s time to give the Pittsburgh Steelers their due.

As soon as they escort New York Jets coach Rex Ryan’s ego off center stage, the Steelers will be back in the Super Bowl and proving again what ought to be obvious: They’re the NFL’s best franchise.

You can rehash the recent Patriots vs. Colts debate over their flashy won-lost records and their model-marrying, commercial pitchmen quarterbacks. Fact is they’re sitting at home this weekend.

The Steelers are in the AFC Championship game against the Jets on Sunday, their 15th conference title game since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. They’re looking at the possibility of an eighth Super Bowl appearance, which would tie the record of the Dallas Cowboys, who haven’t done squat lately. (That last note was added to appease Steelers fans appalled at the idea of sharing anything with the Cowboys.)

The Steelers already own the ultimate NFL record: six Super Bowl wins.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t do well with his free time but he could win his third Super Bowl title, which would bring him even with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

All the Steelers have to do is beat the Jets. That’s no easy task, as Brady and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning can attest. But I wouldn’t bet against them.

The Jets beat the Steelers 22-15 in Week 15. You would think that would have led Ryan to spend this week boasting about his team’s inevitable repeat win, perhaps making it “personal” against James Harrison. Instead, Ryan apparently took a vow of silence, interrupted only by genuflecting on the awesomeness of the Steelers. Curious. Was he trying to throw the Steelers off, since they were bracing for a trash-talk marathon? Was he listening to Roger Goodell, who told all teams to turn down the yapping? Who knows?

It doesn’t really matter. The Steelers almost always do their talking on the field, with their play.

I’m sure Pittsburgh looked at the first Jets game, played without safety Troy Polamalu and tight end Heath Miller, with a critical eye. The Steelers were one Roethlisberger completion from winning at the end. Maybe Miller makes the difference.

Polamalu, who made little to no impact in the Steelers’ win over the Ravens last week, will undoubtedly raise his play because of two motivational factors: He’s faced some criticism for his invisibility last week, and he’s heard others consider the Jets’ Darrelle Revis the best defensive back in the game.

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez dealt well with the Steelers’ pressure in the first game, completing 19-of-29 passes for 170 yards and running for a touchdown. That’s tough to do twice.

Here’s where I like the Steelers most in this game: They’re the toughest team in the NFL against the run, and everything the Jets do is set up by the run. If the Steelers slow LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene, it’ll free various attacks designed by Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to rattle Sanchez. I cannot believe they showed him everything last time, especially with Polamalu out of the game.

I also like Roethlisberger in this environment. Off the field, he’s the poster child for perceived entitlement and frat-boy excess. On the field, he’s as close to Joe Montana cool as Brady, maybe more so, considering Brady’s meltdown against the Jets. Roethlisberger is 9-2 in playoff games. While too many factors enter the mix to rest everything on a quarterback’s playoff won-lost record, it’s hard to argue against 9-2.

Roethlisberger’s first big playoff clutch moment came against the Colts, when his shoestring tackle of Harper (stabbed in the leg by his wife the night before) saved a potential game-winning touchdown in their playoff win in 2005.

No current quarterback is stronger and calmer under pressure than Roethlisberger. He keeps plays alive and he has the arm for critical escapes. His five interceptions this season marked his career best, although he did miss four games because of his disciplinary suspension. Still, his previous low was nine in 14 games.

If this game comes down to its expected physical nature, the Steelers have the edge. Their defense has been more physical and more successful longer than the Jets. The big concern about hitting defenseless receivers or going helmet-to-helmet has turned into a “see no evil” approach. It’s as if Harrison’s 27 fines never happened now. That favors the Steelers and their ability to intimidate and annihilate.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin set a tone with this team in September when he didn’t flinch while Roethlisberger was suspended.

He coached the Steeler Way. It works, better than most anyone else’s.

INDIANAPOLIS – Peyton Manning helped the Colts overcome injuries, struggles and his own slump this season.

Now team owner Jim Irsay will have to pay him for what he’s done.

One day after the defending AFC champs were eliminated from the playoffs with a 17-16 loss to the Jets, the Colts tried to turn their attention from another early exit to the uncertainty of this offseason.

It won’t be easy.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked. I really thought we’d be getting ready for Pittsburgh today,” said center Jeff Saturday, who will have a key role in labor negotiations. “I think Peyton summed it up best when he said it stings.”

Sting or not, the Colts (10-7) can’t afford to waste time looking back.

Their biggest priority this offseason, of course, is re-signing the only four-time MVP in league history. Irsay has repeatedly said he will make Manning the NFL’s highest-paid player, a stance Manning likely cemented with his big numbers in the most trying of seasons.

Despite losing All-Pro tight end Dallas Clark in Week 6 with a season-ending wrist injury and receiver Austin Collie for most of the season’s second half because of concussions, Manning still led the Colts to a record-tying ninth straight playoff appearance.

Turns out, that was the easy part.

What Irsay and Colts President Bill Polian must do now is figure out how to make a deal that gives them enough wiggle room to improve the team without using a collective bargaining agreement – or salary cap – to guide them.

Manning was not available to reporters in the locker room Sunday.

“To be honest with you, I’m not sure how that works with the GMs,” said Saturday, the Colts’ union rep. “I assume they’ll sign guys according to what the agreement is in now. Everybody’s in the same boat.”

But it’s the size of the boats that vary.

In Indy, Manning’s contract probably will have to be finalized before they can do anything else.

Who else will they have to deal with?

The list of potential free agents includes Joseph Addai, the team’s best blocking back and most productive runner; Adam Vinatieri, the best clutch kicker in league history; Charlie Johnson, Manning’s blind-side protector; Melvin Bullitt, a key backup at safety who is ready to start in the NFL; starting linebacker Clint Session and starting defensive tackle Dan Muir.

“There are a lot of things that go into it and there has got to be a want on the other side, too,” Vinatieri said, expressing his desire to return. “But there’s not another place I’d want to be.”

Pro Bowlers Robert Mathis and Reggie Wayne also want new deals, though they have one year left on their contracts.

And it’s Manning, as usual, that will be the key.

With Manning in charge, the Colts have gone from also-ran to perennial Super Bowl contender. Besides the four MVP awards, Manning has taken the Colts to two Super Bowls and won one.

Statistically, the 34-year-old Manning was as productive as he’s ever been.

He helped the Colts win a seventh division title in eight years, set a career high in yards (4,700), threw 33 TDs, 17 interceptions and broke the NFL record for completions in a season (450) though he had to throw a career-high 679 times to do all of it.

Because Indy couldn’t run the ball until December, the offensive line struggled and 18 players wound up on injured reserve, Manning also had to carry a larger burden than usual and still helped the Colts become the third team since 2000 to lose a Super Bowl and make the playoffs the following season.

But on Saturday night, all those shortfalls finally caught up to them.

The Jets ran for 169 yards, controlled the clock for most of the second half, kept Manning out of the end zone for the final 30 minutes and took advantage of a mishmash of special teams players with Antonio Cromartie’s 47-yard kickoff return.

That return helped set up Nick Folk’s last-second 32-yard field goal to win it, and sent Indy home without a playoff win for the third time in four seasons.

“We don’t like this taste in our mouth,” Addai said Saturday night. “I know the only thing to do, and it’s kind of hard to do this, but move forward.”

Moving on means figuring out how to get better.

Coach Jim Caldwell said Sunday he planned to take a break before he and his staff start evaluating players and preparing for the draft.

The biggest area of need is the offensive line, which Polian criticized after last season’s Super Bowl loss.

But the most important move going forward will be Manning’s contract.

“It’s probably unlike any other group that I’ve ever seen, had probably more adversity to deal with through the course of the season than most teams,” Caldwell said. “They did it, I think, in grand fashion. They were able to stare it right in the eye. They didn’t weep and complain. They didn’t implode. They didn’t point fingers. What they did is went to work and certainly did everything they possibly could to put us in position to win. We’re not satisfied with where we ended up, but I think the guys did a heck of a job.”

INDIANAPOLIS – The New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts ended the first quarter scoreless in their AFC playoff game Saturday night.

The Colts failed on third-and-1 on their first three possessions, a shaky start for Indy in a rematch of its 30-17 victory in last year’s AFC championship game.

The most drama in the first 15 minutes came on a challenge. The Colts punted after starting the game with a three-and-out, and New York’s Santonio Holmes called for a fair catch. The ball bounced toward Holmes, and it came close enough to him that the Colts scrambled to the ball and thought they recovered.

The officials ruled it did not touch Holmes, but Colts coach Jim Caldwell challenged. The ruling on the field was upheld, and the Jets took over.

Jets wide receiver/kick returner Brad Smith left in the opening period with a quadriceps injury.

Indianapolis ended the regular season on a four-game winning streak fueled by increased success in running the ball and stopping the run. New York started the season strong but lost three of its last five.

Jets coach Rex Ryan billed the upcoming matchup with Colts quarterback Peyton Manning as “personal.” He is 1-5 against Manning as the Jets coach and Ravens defensive coordinator, with the win coming in a game Manning didn’t finish.

The Colts pulled their starters early in Week 16 last season. A month later, the Colts beat the Jets to advance to the Super Bowl.

Colts cornerback Kelvin Hayden was inactive after being placed on injured reserve with a neck injury. He last played Nov. 28 against San Diego, yet still ranked fourth on the team in tackles.

Colts starting right tackle Ryan Diem also was inactive with a back injury.