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National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning finally emerged from the undisclosed rehab bunker he’s been living in. He made a rare appearance at practice today (the Colts first practice at brand new Lucas Oil Stadium), walking very carefully on a left leg that is five weeks out of surgery to repair an infected bursa sac (in his left knee):
“This is just to kind of stop some of the whining going on. I just didn’t want to get into these daily progress reports. I’ve done nothing but rehab. Looks like we’re already in the rumor mill.”
Rumors …read more

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL
It’s preseason with a tinge of the playoffs. That will be one of the highlights of a 13-game national television preseason schedule that was announced today by the NFL, along with the complete list of 2008 preseason matchups. All 12 of the 2007 NFL playoff teams will be featured in the national TV games.
It all starts in Canton, OH — site of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On Sunday night, August 3 on NBC (8:00 PM ET), the Indianapolis Colts will take on the Washington Redskins in the annual Pro Football Hall …read more

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL
From their Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, FL, the NFL announced today its 2008 Kickoff Weekend national primetime television schedule, including a Monday night doubleheader. It’s always exciting to watch the schedule piece itself together and this is where it begins.
In a tradition that began in 2004, the Super Bowl champion annually hosts the NFL Thursday night season kickoff the following year. This September 4 at 7:00 PM ET on NBC, the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants will host their NFC East-rival Washington Redskins and their new head coach Jim Zorn. …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
It was nice to see the sun shining in Indianapolis today. It certainly made getting around outside the RCA Dome and Indiana Convention Center much easier. Not that you would really need to go outside here, though. The Dome and CC are connected to much of the city with indoor walkways. I get a big kick out of this. I can walk all over the city without putting on a jacket in the middle of winter. And yes, I’m easily entertained.
The Media Work room was kind of quiet early on, but things picked …read more

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL
A couple days ago, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard announced that his city will bid for the 2012 Super Bowl, its second effort to host the NFL’s biggest event. Political and civic leaders said this year’s bid would emphasize many of the same attributes as last year’s bid, including the city’s new retractable-roof Lucas Oil Stadium and its experience hosting major sporting events such as the Indianapolis 500. But officials declined to comment further on what would make this year’s bid more attractive, saying they didn’t want to give other cities a competitive advantage.
I’m …read more