Will Madden Host the 2012 Super Bowl?

The New York Daily News has a great story on the 72-year-old NFL icon John Madden, who just hosted his 11th Super Bowl. He has added color commentary for Super Bowls on all four major networks over the years. The question from columnist Bob Raissman: Will he be back to host the next time NBC has the big game, in 2012 in Indianapolis? Madden hopes so. "Working with Al (Michaels) has been very, very enjoyable. This is our third one," he told Raissman. "And four sounds pretty good." The full story is here.

Are the Colts Now Super Bowl Favorites?

Columnist Justin Cohn of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette believes the Colts' victory over the Chargers proves they are a surprise top contender to make a playoff run this year. He makes the case in his column here.

At 7-4, they look downright scary.

Look at who the Colts defeated in this streak: their biggest rivals, the New England Patriots, the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers, the feisty Houston Texans and the Chargers.

The Colts still have problems. Their defense is porous and they continue to be hindered by injuries, like the one to the knee of star safety Bob Sanders.

But considering the Colts’ weak schedule the rest of the way, they should have plenty of time to work out the kinks and maybe even rest some players who need to get healthy.

Colts get rematch with Dallas

Dallas has dealt the Colts some big disappointments lately: The Cowboys tarnished an until-then undefeated regular season record with a 21-14 win over the Colts. Then a contingent from North Dallas narrowly beat out Indianapolis to host the 2011 Super Bowl. The Colts will get a shot at redemption this summer. They open their preseason schedule with a matchup against the Cowboys at Texas Stadium on Aug. 9.
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Better luck next time?

Dallas won the 2011 Super Bowl by a narrow vote, but was it close enough to give Indianapolis a leg up to win the 2012 game? The experts think Indy should give it a shot. Check out this story from Indianapolis Business Journal:

City boosters emerged after the decision disappointed but not deflated. The vote in the final balloting was as close as it could be-17-15, according to Colts owner Jim Irsay.
Indianapolis held its own against a competitor with a larger stadium in a bigger market, factors that gave Dallas' bid an estimated $23 million edge.
"I spoke with a whole lot of owners after the vote, and this was close," said Marc Ganis, president of Chicago-based consultancy Sportscorp Ltd., which works closely with several NFL teams. "Even people who voted for Dallas said Indianapolis was close."
And that, he said, speaks volumes about the city's ability to win the big one eventually. His advice: Get back in the game as soon as possible.

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