NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

First there was the debate about the Tim Tebow ad that is an anti-abortion commercial that finally CBS says they will air on Super Sunday. Well, now there’s a second ad that is starting to draw a lot of talk for the Super Bowl, and that is an ad for a gay dating site – ManCrunch.com:

CBS has yet to reach a decision on whether to run a Super Bowl ad from the gay dating site ManCrunch.com. A CBS spokesperson said the ad is still under review but ManCrunch.com representatives don’t think CBS has any intentions of airing the spot. The 30-second spot shows two men watching the game then their hands brush as they both reach into a bowl of chips. Suddenly, the two begin making out, much to the shock of a guy sitting close by.

A look at the matchup for the Super Bowl in Miami:

Sunday, Feb. 7

NEW ORLEANS (15-3) VS. INDIANAPOLIS (16-2)

6:25 p.m. EST, CBS

OPENING LINE – Colts by 3

RECORD VS. SPREAD – New Orleans 12-6; Indianapolis 9-9

SERIES RECORD – 5-5

LAST MEETING – Colts beat Saints, 41-10, Sept. 6, 2007

LAST WEEK – Saints beat Vikings 31-28 in OT for NFC title; Colts beat Jets 30-17 for AFC title

SAINTS OFFENSE – OVERALL (1), RUSH (6), PASS (4)

SAINTS DEFENSE – OVERALL (25), RUSH (21), PASS (26)

COLTS OFFENSE – OVERALL (9), RUSH (32), PASS (2)

COLTS DEFENSE – OVERALL (18), RUSH (24), PASS (14)

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES – Last meeting was season opener in 2007, seven months after Colts won Super Bowl. … All five of Saints' victories in series were consecutive, in 1986, '89, '95, '98 and 2001. … Colts have won last two meetings. … Saints making first trip to Super Bowl in their 43-year history. … Saints won franchise record 13 games during season. They led NFL with 510 points, ninth most in NFL history. … QB Drew Brees set NFL record with 70.62 completion percentage and topped league with career-high and franchise-record 109.6 rating. Brees had 4,388 yards passing, his fourth consecutive 4,000-yard season. In NFC title game, he threw for three TDs, giving him six in postseason. He has not been intercepted in playoffs. … RB Pierre Thomas had 99 total yards and two touchdowns vs. Vikings. He led team with 793 yards rushing, had 302 receiving and scored eight times during season. … RB Reggie Bush had huge game in playoff win over Arizona with 83-yard punt return TD, 84 yards rushing on just five carries, with a TD, and four receptions. Bush became second player in postseason history with touchdown rushing and on punt runback in same game, tying Hall of Famer Charley Trippi. He also scored once on reception vs. Minnesota, but muffed a punt. … All-Pro S Darren Sharper tied for league lead with nine INTs. Sharper set NFL record for most interception return yards in a season with 376 and had three TDs. … DE Will Smith had 13 sacks, second in NFC, but has none in postseason. … Six Saints have been to Super Bowl, although TEs Jeremy Shockey and David Thomas were on injured reserve when their teams got there. Those who were active: CB Randall Gay (Patriots), FB Kyle Eckel (Patriots), Sharper (Green Bay) and LS Jason Kyle (Carolina). … Saints have two starters who went to University of Miami: MLB Jonathan Vilma and Shockey. … Colts beat Bears 29-17 to win championship in February 2007 in Miami, the only Super Bowl played in rain. … Franchise won Super Bowl representing Baltimore in January 1971, beating Dallas, and lost to Jets in January 1969, both also in Miami. … Peyton Manning, the league's only four-time Most Valuable Player, is trying to become first reigning MVP to win Super Bowl since Kurt Warner in 1999. … Manning set NFL record for 300-yard playoff games with his seventh in last week's win over Jets. Manning finished 26 of 39 for 377 yards. and surpassed Warner and Joe Montana. He's also No. 3 in postseason completions. … Dallas Clark needs 74 yards receiving to pass Brent Jones (740), Shannon Sharpe (814) and Keith Jackson (834) for most by a tight end in postseason history. … Jim Caldwell is fifth rookie coach to make Super Bowl. San Francisco's George Seifert and Don McCafferty of Baltimore Colts are only rookie coaches to win Super Bowl. … Indy allowed league-low 13 sacks in 2009, but has given up four in postseason. … Colts ranked 24th against the rush during season, but have allowed only 173 yards in two playoffs. However, they've rushed for just 143. … 25 current Colts played in Super Bowl vs. Bears. Two other players who joined the Colts this year have previous experience: PK Matt Stover with Ravens in 2001 game, and DB Aaron Francisco last year with Arizona. … Only Colt who played for Miami Hurricanes is WR Reggie Wayne. But he grew up in New Orleans, as did Manning.

Carrie Underwood will sing the National Anthem and Queen Latifah will sing “America the Beautiful” as part of Super Bowl XLIV pregame festivities at Sun Life Stadium in South Florida on Sunday, Feb. 7, the NFL and CBS announced Thursday. Underwood is among many great performers who have been honored with singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl including: Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, Harry Connick, Jr., Garth Brooks, Natalie Cole, Vanessa Williams, Luther Vandross, Cher, Faith Hill, Mariah Carey, Dixie Chicks, Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson and many more. A four-time Grammy Award winner, a member of the Grand Ole Opry, the 2009 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year, and three-time CMA and ACM Female Vocalist winner, Underwood has amassed more than 11 million in U.S. album sales since her debut CD in 2005, more than any other American Idol winner.

The Chiefs announced today they will not be bringing back defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast or two other assistant coaches for the 2010 season. Also gone are tight ends coach Bob Bicknell and wide receivers coach Dedric Ward.

Pendergast was hired as defensive coordinator last year only because Romeo Crennel wasn't available. Crennel accepted that job earlier this month, putting Pendergast out of the job.

In other moves, Richie Anderson will become wide receivers coach and Anthony Pleasant will be a defensive assistant. Both served minority coaching fellowships with the team last year. Pat Perles was reassigned to assistant offensive line coach. He was defensive quality control coach.

Remember when Chad Ochocinco kicked in a preseason game back in August? Well, a few months later, he’s hoping to be able to do it again, this time in the Pro Bowl.

The Bengals receiver made some kickoffs Thursday during practice for the Pro Bowl in Miami, hoping to convince the coaches that he's capable of going toe-to-toe. He showed off his punting skills during warmups a day earlier.

Ochocinco told The Associated Press in a phone interview after practice that he's also planning to kick field goals during practice this week. He wants to persuade AFC coaches that he could be more than a just receiver during the game on Sunday.

"Yesterday was punting, today was kickoffs, tomorrow will be field goals," Ochocinco said of his lobbying effort. "I don't know. We'll see what happens."

The six-time Pro Bowl receiver is an international soccer fan and practices kicking. He had never done it during a game until last August, when kicker Shayne Graham was bothered by a sore groin in practice before a preseason game against New England in Foxborough.

It sounds like Pats NT Vince Wilfork is already planning on free agency. He fired a shot at the Pats this week, basically telling the team he doesn’t want to be franchised. Now he’s coming out and saying he’d love to play in the state of Florida, a place where he grew up and played college ball.

Nose Tackle Vince Wilfork, who starred at Santaluces High School and the University of Miami, said he and his representatives have been badgering the Patriots for a contract extension the past two seasons, but the talks were never fruitful. He knows the Patriots will likely place a franchise tag on him instead of offering the long-term contract he desperately seeks for family security and if they do so, Wilfork said he’s prepared to play hardball. Wilfork, who has started 80 games for the past six seasons, wasn’t shy about admitting that playing in Florida either for the Dolphins or Tampa Bay would be “a dream come true.”

So one could easily read into this and think that the Bucs or Dolphins would be in the driver’s seat for Wilfork’s services – that is unless the Pats go against Wilfork’s wishes and franchise him, which is the last thing he wants to see from his comments earlier this week.

Mars Chocolate North America announced today that its SNICKERS® Brand will satisfy fans' hunger for a laugh with its new advertising campaign that debuts during the first commercial break of Super Bowl XLIV.

The first spot of the campaign, called "Game," features recent Screen Actors Guild® Life Achievement Award winner, Betty White, and acting icon, Abe Vigoda. The spot proves that "you're not you when you're hungry," and reminds consumers that SNICKERS continues to satisfy hunger. Following this debut, a second spot called "Divas," will air in late February featuring international superstars Aretha Franklin, among others.

“There's no better environment to introduce Snickers new advertising campaign than the Super Bowl, with its massive and truly engaged audience” said Carole Walker, vice president of integrated marketing communications at Mars Chocolate North America. “The brand's new advertising is funny, iconic and sure to be part of the national conversation that takes place during and after the game."

The new campaign, which will include a series of print, television, cinema and digital advertisements, was created by BBDO New York. Additional advertisements will begin appearing in late February 2010.

Donovan McNabb has some new quotes out that have the community starting. Let’s take a look at some of the things he’s said recently.

On whether or not he’ll return next year:

“Why wouldn’t I be? We’ve been going through this the last two or three years, and I’ve been in one spot. I don’t want to be anywhere else but Philly. Andy came out to say it, and the guys want me back, and that’s the most important thing…”

He’s right, the talks do come up every year. However, we ask every year because we know there is going to be a transition at some point and we know it’s creeping closer and closer. Each year he’s getting older and older and it seems there’s more and more reasons each year that we want to see him go.

More thoughts on the situation:

“I believe in starting somewhere and finishing what you started. My goal is to win a Super Bowl, bring it back to Philadelphia. I think they deserve it. We’ve given them some great years, but we just haven’t been able to finish. I think good things ought to happen pretty soon.”

Starting what you finish? How many years is it going to take you to “finish” Donovan? You’ve had more than your fair share of chances to finish and come up short every time. The blame can’t be put ALL on your his shoulders but there were many big games where McNabb choked and his blame has got to be the biggest.

On Brian Westbrook possibly retiring:

“All the talk people are saying on retirement or whatever it may be, it’s all false.”

I think this is one of those type of questions you don’t ask because you know what the answer is going to be. You know McNabb isn’t going to be like “oh yea, he’s done.” It’s not McNabb’s decision. If Brian Westbrook decides he doesn’t want to play football anymore than it is his decision.

Speaking from Miami, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson talks about how he vows to “do a better job” of protecting the ball next season. Peterson also touches on Brett Favre's future.