The Fifth Down: N.F.L.’s Pro Bowl Is Postseason Party Few Want to Attend

The Fifth Down: N.F.L.’s Pro Bowl Is Postseason Party Few Want to Attend  A Packers fan at the Pro Bowl seemed to show more enthusiasm than was displayed on the field. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said afterward that some Pro Bowlers “embarrassed themselves.”

The Pro Bowl is the pimple on an otherwise unblemished cheek of the homecoming queen known as the N.F.L. schedule. It is a minor blotch, yet it is impossible to overlook because of how it stands out from the beauty surrounding it.

The latest news, notes and analysis of the N.F.L. playoffs.

Brandon Marshall, below with Corey Graham, scored a record four times in the A.F.C.'s 59-41 victory.

This year’s edition of the game was particularly painful to watch, with defenders hitting so gently that the game made youth flag football look like Antietam. Aaron Rodgers said after the game that some players “embarrassed themselves” by not putting any effort into the game. The remarks made Rodgers sound very passionate and incredibly naïve: putting effort into the Pro Bowl is like performing extra research to accurately fill out a customer satisfaction survey. The only reason to go to the Pro Bowl is to go through the motions.

The Pro Bowl used to be held after the Super Bowl, but the league moved it to the Sunday before the Super Bowl, the scheduling equivalent of covering it in Clearasil and standing it in a shadowy corner of the banquet hall. In some respects, the schedule change was wise: Who wants to sit down to another football game right now? Particularly one that features five Seattle Seahawks?

On the other hand, the rescheduling backfired: the Pro Bowl got jammed into the same weekend as the N.H.L. and N.B.A. All-Star Games — though not this year, since the N.B.A. lockout moved the league’s All-Star Game to Feb. 26 — casting a spotlight on its staggering irrelevance when compared with those events. The N.H.L. and N.B.A. stage parties no one wants to leave; the N.F.L. stages one where everyone checks his watch and begs off that second cocktail. Even college football’s Senior Bowl is held in higher esteem by hard-core fans, who would rather watch prospects battle for their futures than Darrelle Revis’s jogging behind Larry Fitzgerald with the speed and intensity of two guys taking their dogs on a morning constitutional.

If the N.F.L. cribbed some ideas from the other leagues, it could spruce up the Pro Bowl and make it something more than the last mile marker before the exit for the Super Bowl.

The fantasy draft format used by the N.H.L. is brilliant, and the N.F.L. should adopt it. Braylon Edwards and Brandon Jacobs could be the captains, and a battle between Team Edwards and Team Jacobs might confuse millions of teenage girls and middle-aged women into giving the Pro Bowl a look. The game could be scored using fantasy football rules, so Matt Forte earns a point for his team if he gains 20 rushing yards and Philip Rivers costs his team 2 points when he throws an interception. Use point-per-reception scoring, and Drew Brees might attempt to engineer a comeback by throwing an endless series of 1-yard passes to running backs, which is similar to what the Saints tried to do in the playoffs, anyway.

While the fantasy draft is a good idea, skills competitions are not. Watching hockey players audition for their postretirement careers in “Phineas and Ferb on Ice” by pirouetting and Salchowing their way through penalty shots makes for some fascinating television, but there is no football equivalent. Making quarterbacks throw at moving targets is like making fighter pilots demonstrate maneuvers on riding mowers, and obstacle courses are better left to the “Superstars” program of the 1970s. Basketball players can slam dunk over cars; the only interesting thing most football players can do with a football is play football with it. Short of putting Roger Goodell in a dunk tank and letting long snappers aim for the bull’s-eye — not a bad idea, really — the only skills anyone wants N.F.L. players to exhibit are the ones they always exhibit.

Similarly, celebrity pickup games are a no-no. The N.B.A. gets a lot of mileage out of putting one of their All-Stars on the court with a W.N.B.A. star and a rapper or television chef and having them play three-on-three or Horse. Anyone with an urge to watch Ray Lewis, Aziz Ansari and Jill Scott (the soccer star) play flag football against Andy Dalton, Shaun White and Jill Scott (the soul singer) should seek medical attention, not their television listings.

Giants Get Custom License Plate, but Some Aren’t Cheering

Giants Get Custom License Plate, but Some Aren’t Cheering But the decision to sell that plate has angered groups that have been trying for years to get the state to create customized plates for them.

In 2004, the Department of Motor Vehicles placed a moratorium on designing new custom plates, a response to a lawsuit filed by an adoption-advocacy group that had sought such a plate. The department said the group’s slogan for the plate, “Choose life,” amounted to a political statement and denied the request, prompting the lawsuit.

Since then, about 280 requests for custom plates have been held up, said Jackie McGinnis, a departmental spokeswoman.

For seven years, Assemblyman James N. Tedisco, a Republican from Schenectady, has been pushing a bill to allow for the creation of a license plate honor the victims and heroes of Sept. 11.

Mr. Tedisco said that while he loved the Giants and was proud of their Super Bowl victory, it was inappropriate for the team to get a plate when Sept. 11 victims had not.

“That they couldn’t find a way in seven years to honor these heroes, but in seven, eight hours they can find a way to honor athletes?” he said.

The plate for the Giants, four-time Super Bowl winners, does not violate the moratorium because it is an alteration of one that had been in circulation before 2004 and was last updated after the 2008 championship, Ms. McGinnis said. The moratorium allowed the state to continue selling the custom plates in existence and any updates to them, she said.

On the Giants championship plate, Ms. McGinnis said, “the Roman numerals have changed on it, the helmet has changed on it, but it’s basically the same.”

Currently, about 300 custom plates are available, with costs ranging from $60 to $90. They promote, among other things, most local sports teams (including the Knicks, the Mets, the Jets and the Yankees), some professions (visiting nurses, podiatrists, acupuncturists), labor unions (the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York) and causes (animal population control, multiple sclerosis research, environmental protection).

Those whose applications have been suspended since the moratorium include Laos War Veterans, the Pony Express Motorcycle Club and the Lung Cancer Alliance, Ms. McGinnis said.

In the case of the “Choose life” plate, the advocacy group, the Children First Foundation, applied for the plate in 2002. After the application was denied, the group sued, and a federal judge in November ruled that the state must approve the plate design application. But the state has appealed.

Although she is a Giants fan, Dr. Elizabeth Rex, the president and co-founder of Children First, said the decision to quickly grant the Giants a license plate added “insult to injury.”

“Our license plate is a pro-adoption license plate,” she said. “We support adoption as a good choice. Adoption is a pro-life choice that everyone can support, whether you’re pro-life or pro-choice.”

A federal judge ruled in November that the state’s refusal to allow the “Choose Life” plate violated the group’s free speech rights, but the state has appealed.

Mr. Tedisco said that money from a Sept. 11 plate would go to a scholarship fund for the children of victims and rescue workers, and that the rest of the money could be used to help pad the state’s coffers.

The moratorium on custom plates also infringes on First Amendment rights, Mr. Tedisco said.

“Anything you put on there has nothing to do with the state’s position,” he said. “It’s your car.”

Ms. McGinnis said new plates could be added through legislation. But in 2006, Gov. George E. Pataki vetoed a bill that would have added several new custom plates, including the Sept. 11 plate.

Grizzlies End 3-Game Skid, Beat Timberwolves 85-80

Grizzlies End 3-Game Skid, Beat Timberwolves 85-80 Marc Gasol and Dante Cunningham scored 12 apiece, and O. J. Mayo finished with 10 for Memphis despite connecting on only three of 11 shots as the Grizzlies shot just 37 percent overall.

J.J. Barea led the Timberwolves with 17 points and six assists, while Derrick Williams and Michael Beasley had 13 points each. Williams also grabbed nine rebounds. Nikola Pekovic had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Minnesota's starting backcourt combination of Ricky Rubio and Luke Ridnour were a combined 2 of 14 from the field as the Timberwolves shot 39 percent and had a season low for points. They played their second game without leading scorer Kevin Love, who completed his league-ordered two-game suspension for stepping on Houston's Luis Scola.

Memphis extended its lead in the final minutes of the first half to carry a 44-34 advantage into the break. Gay and Pondexter, starting in the place of the injured Tony Allen, had 11 points apiece to lead Memphis.

The Timberwolves had no players in double figures — Williams led Minnesota with nine — and were stymied by shooting 29 percent. The shooting percentage kept Memphis from paying the price for 10 turnovers.

Ridnour missed all seven of his shots in the half, while Rubio was 1 for 5 with no assists. Rubio, who entered the game averaging 9.1 assists, ended the night with only one assist.

Meanwhile, Memphis was getting to the basket as 30 of its 44 first-half points came in the paint despite Gasol playing only nine minutes after collecting three fouls.

Memphis was able to build its halftime lead by closing the second quarter on an 8-2 spurt as the Timberwolves didn't record a field goal over the final 4:40 of the half.

Memphis extended the lead by scoring the first six points of the second half, but Pekovic started scoring inside and the Grizzlies began misfiring. Back-to-back baskets by Wesley Johnson pulled Minnesota within 56-50 with 4 minutes left in the third.

The Grizzlies would later answer with eight unanswered points, and carry a 66-54 lead into the fourth. They got their largest lead of the game by scoring the first two baskets of the fourth for a 71-54 lead.

Notes: Love, as he did in Tuesday night's win over Sacramento, spent his time away from the arena on Twitter providing occasional color commentary. ... Even with the loss, the Wolves remained only one of four Western Conference teams with a winning road record. ... Minnesota is 6-5 on road. ... Allen missed his third straight game for Memphis with a sore left hip and knee. ... Minnesota's 34 first-half points were a season low for a half. ... Grizzlies F Marreese Speights finished the night with 15 rebounds, matching his career high.

Steelers GM Says No Decision Made on Hines Ward

Steelers GM Says No Decision Made on Hines Ward General manager Kevin Colbert said Monday the team has had "internal discussions" on what to do with the franchise's all-time leading receiver, but no decision has been made.

NFL.com reported last week the Steelers were planning to release the 35-year-old Ward, who took on a diminished role last season behind Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

Ward posted on his Facebook page Saturday that he's willing to restructure his contract in hopes of finishing his career with Pittsburgh. Ward has two years remaining on his current deal at a cost of about $4 million a season.

The 14-year veteran became the eighth player in NFL history to reach 1,000 career receptions last season.

Cornerback Ike Taylor and linebackers Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley have agreed to restructure their contracts in hopes of getting under the salary cap.

Colbert said the team is in the middle of making free agent evaluations and won't make any move on Ward until that process is complete.

"That will give us an idea about what else is out there, where we stand with restructuring contracts and what we will have to do as far as possibly terminating people, both immediately and after the fact if we decide we want to add some players (in free agency)," Colbert said.

Ward is coming off a season in which he finished with 46 receptions for 381 yards and two touchdowns, his lowest totals in each category since he was a rookie in 1998. The 2006 Super Bowl MVP — who also won "Dancing With the Stars" last spring — is one of only two receivers in league history to reach 1,000 receptions and win at least two Super Bowls.

Colbert also said Monday injured running back Rashard Mendenhall likely will start the 2012 season on the physically unable to perform list while he continues to rehab the torn ACL in his right knee from the regular-season finale against Cleveland.

Eavesdropping on the Super Bowl Sidelines

Eavesdropping on the Super Bowl Sidelines “Make them go to Manningham” — five words that will haunt Patriots fans and delight Giants fans for years to come.

The sideline instruction to his defense, which turned painfully prophetic, was captured by an NFL Network show that wired several players, coaches and officials in Sunday’s game.

Crouched on the sideline in front of the players, Belichick emphasized that they had to focus on Giants receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz.

“This is still a Cruz and Nicks game,” he said. “I mean I know we’re right on them, it’s tight. But those are still the guys. Make them go to Manningham, make them go to Pascoe, all right. But let’s make sure we get Cruz and Nicks.”

As if on cue, Eli Manning went to Mario Manningham, whose dazzling 38-yard reception along the sideline, as he barely kept his feet inbounds, sparked the winning drive. The catch occurred right in front of Belichick, who challenged the play. It was not reversed.

There was no doubt in Tom Brady’s mind about whether the play would be reversed. Looking dejected on the sideline after watching the replay, he said simply, “He caught it.”

The Super Bowl edition of “Sound FX” was televised Wednesday and will be replayed Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern.

When Patriots receiver Wes Welker failed to hang on to a pass from Brady on second-and-11 from the Giants’ 44 with about four minutes remaining, at least one of the game officials appreciated the significance. The ball fell from Welker’s hands at the Giants’ 20, with the Patriots leading, 17-15.

After the drop, the referee John Parry turned to a fellow official and said, “Whoa, that was the game.” And it was, as the Patriots soon punted and Manning completed the comeback for a 21-17 Giants victory.

It was the most pivotal play of the game in a measurement of Win Probability, according to Brian Burke of Advanced NFL Stats. A catch by Welker would have given the Patriots a 95 percent chance to win. Welker’s drop lowered the percentage to 65.

Other highlights:

¶ Before Ahmad Bradshaw’s should-I-score-or-not touchdown, Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo said in the huddle, “We’ve got to let them score.” Wilfork agreed, saying, “Let them score.”

Brady, again gloomily, figured the Giants wouldn’t take the bait, saying, “They’re not going to score.”

¶ The Giants were fortunate to recover their two fumbles. (Another fumble was wiped out on a Patriots penalty.) Giants guard Chris Snee recovered one, but Wilfork jumped into the fray and grabbed the ball after the whistle. An official told Wilfork: “Nice try, Vince. He got it.”

In another instance, Wilfork admitted to an official that a holding penalty on the Giants’ Kevin Boothe was a bad call: “As much as you guys miss, I deserve one.”

¶ Giants linebacker Michael Boley said to his teammates that Rob Gronkowski “was a decoy,” meaning that he wouldn’t be near his best because of his injured left ankle. “He’s about to be out of here,” Boley said.

Gronkowski, who set an N.F.L. record for tight ends with 17 touchdown receptions, was limited to two catches for 26 yards.

¶ Before the game, Welker told Brady, “I’m open on every play.” Brady said, “I know you are.”

But after two of his passes were batted down, Brady said, “It’s like throwing in a forest.”

¶ Before Brady’s final heave to the end zone, he told Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, “Run to the goal post and catch it.” Gronkowski almost did.

Super Bowl — Giants Take Victory Lap in Lower Manhattan

Super Bowl — Giants Take Victory Lap in Lower Manhattan The celebration kicked off with a parade that wound north up Broadway’s Canyon of Heroes, amid a sea of confetti, horns and fans in blue jerseys, and ended with a ceremony at City Hall Plaza, where Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg presented the players with keys to the city.

“Today, I am declaring the Big Apple the Big Blue Apple, and if you got a problem with that, you can talk to this guy,” Bloomberg said, gesturing to the former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. Bloomberg added, “We are here today because this team of Giants believed in each other and because you believed in them.”

For the throngs of fans who showed up, the day started early. Bleary-eyed police officers who had been in position since before sunrise wielded cups of coffee. Stacks of Giants-centric newspapers were for sale, as were red, white and blue balloon hats and miniature American flags. Occasionally, mini footballs and rolls of toilet paper soared across the street, drawing chants and screams from the crowd. Backpacks stashed with bottled water, potato chips and cookies — perhaps left over from Super Bowl parties on Sunday — fueled the fans, who used everything from sick days to camera phones to face paint to show their devotion.

“The Giants are our life,” Ross Turrini, who took his son and daughter, Nick and Emily, ages 11 and 14, to the city Monday night from Merrick, N.Y., to stake out a good spot. By 7:30 Tuesday morning, they had found prime viewing territory on the corner of Broadway and Cedar Street. Turrini said that when he heads to Boston this week on business, “I’m wearing my Giants jersey.”

Attendance at New York City schools was 89.4 percent Tuesday, according to the City’s Department of Education. The average attendance for Tuesdays is 91 percent. In a school system of about 1.1 million, that two-percent difference represented about 20,000 students.

 The Giants’ welcome did draw criticism, as some have argued that returning Iraq war veterans deserve one of their own. Tuesday’s parade was the fourth in the city since 2000 to honor the Giants or the Yankees.

Richard Sedotto stood on top of an orange, five-gallon bucket, surveying the growing crowd. To his left, he had more buckets stacked up, on sale for $10 each. “They’re great for kids or short people who can’t see the parade,” he said. By 8:30, Sedotto, a contractor from West Babylon, N.Y., said he had sold 200.

“The price will go up as the day goes on,” he said. “Hey, you can put beer in it, too! I don’t care what you do with it!”

By the time the parade began at Battery Place shortly after 11 a.m., Emily Vail and her mother, Bobby, from Montclair, N.J., had been by Bowling Green for almost six hours, waiting for a chance to glimpse Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin, Justin Tuck and others.

Emily Vail, 31, works as a pastry chef and said she left for the city right after her 9 p.m.-to-4:30 a.m. shift ended. As for her mother, recently retired from her job as a school nurse, “I have time for crazy things like this now,” she said. High above them, office workers in the surrounding buildings threw shredded paper out of their windows.

The parade lasted about an hour. The Giants players rode on floats, and 14 red and blue double-decker buses carried team personnel and their family members and friends.

Patrick Flynn, the bandleader for the New York City Sanitation Department’s Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, said his group was thrilled to be playing their bagpipes in the parade. “We do it all,” he said. “Now, we got to look forward to playing for the Yankees’ championship.”

Many fans said they were still reeling from Sunday night’s game, a 21-17 Giants win that was in doubt until the final second.

“Does it look like I have nails?” Michael Hagelin of the Bronx said, holding out his gnawed fingertips. “The last two weeks have been crazy.”

Adding to Hagelin’s tension was the tattoo he got on his right forearm — “Giants” in letters about seven inches wide and two inches high — two weeks before the Super Bowl victory.

“I just knew they were going to win,” said Hagelin, an emergency medical technician who said he requested the time off for the parade weeks ago. “I’ve seen them at their best and I’ve seen them when they were no good. It feels good to be a New Yorker.”

Joseph Fabrizio, 22, shaved the Giants’ logo into his head Monday. It took him two hours, he said, and involved multiple razors and mirrors.

He took the train in from Long Island at 4:30 a.m., calling in sick to his job as a heating and air systems installer.

“It’s the Giants’ victory,” he said. “We got to celebrate.”

At City Hall, the Giants crossed the stage one by one to receive their keys to the city from Bloomberg.

Seating for the event was limited to the news media, city officials, friends and family of the players and team officials, but some 500 fans also secured tickets through a public giveaway Monday. Others watched on large monitors set up on the surrounding streets. By 2 p.m., street cleaners were working their way up and down Broadway and leaf blowers were moving the confetti and crushed soda cans away. The Giants made their way to New Jersey, where about 40,000 fans waited for a second celebration at MetLife Stadium, and the fans headed for the subways, back to work or into local bars.

Tricia Nasta, 29, and her boyfriend, Jose Moreno, 32, had red, white and blue Giants logos that sparkled on their faces. They arrived from Ronkonkoma, N.Y., at about 5 a.m. for the celebration and were among the handful of fans able to make it into the ceremony.

“It was so great to see Eli,” Nasta said. “We’re just so glad they won.”

The Fifth Down: Jacobs Wants to Stay With Giants, but First, a Little Wrestling

The Fifth Down: Jacobs Wants to Stay With Giants, but First, a Little Wrestling Kathy Willens/Associated PressBrandon Jacobs celebrating at a parade for the Giants last week.

Giants running back Brandon Jacobs made it very clear Monday that he hopes to help defend the team’s Super Bowl title next season. But Jacobs also said that he has no plans to retire if the Giants choose not to keep him and would not rule out considering the Jets if he ends up on the open market.

It was an interesting stance for Jacobs to take, though perhaps fitting since it came during an interview to promote Jacobs’ coming appearance on a professional wrestling show. Jacobs will be part of the “TNA Impact!” show on the Spike channel both this Thursday and next Thursday, where he is expected to be in the ring with wrestling star Kurt Angle.

Jacobs, who grew up a wrestling fan, said he is excited about the appearance although his tense post-game interaction with Jets Coach Rex Ryan in December was ostensibly less contrived. Still, Jacobs said Monday that he doesn’t hold a grudge.

“I want to be a Giant,” said Jacobs, who is due a $500,000 bonus in March that may force a decision from the Giants. Jacobs added: “It was a situation. We were rivals then. There’s no apology needed.”

He concluded: “I like the way Rex handles his business. The guys on that team I know, know how I feel.”

Last off-season Jacobs restructured his contact with the Giants to help the team retain Ahmad Bradshaw, and Jacobs said he is hopeful a similar agreement can be worked out this spring. Despite the Giants’ success in the passing game this season, Jacobs said he believes that he and Bradshaw can thrive with the Giants.

“It wasn’t drawn out on a paper and scripted not to give me carries,” Jacobs said. “It’s just the way things went. No one is against me. No one wanted that to happen. We were getting beat most of the time. We had to go to the air. Ahmad didn’t get that many carries either.”

For now, Jacobs can do little but wait and see how his contract situation plays out. His appearance on the wrestling card was a last-minute development – teammate Jason Pierre-Paul was originally scheduled but backed out – and Jacobs said he is embracing the opportunity to “show another side of myself.”

Growing up, Jacobs watched wrestling all the time, he said, and was a fan of Shawn Michaels, the Hart brothers, Razor Ramon and Andre the Giant, among others. While boxing is his true passion outside of football, Jacobs said he plans on enjoying himself during Monday’s tapings.

“Don’t worry about me getting injured or anything,” he said. “The other guys are the ones who are going to have to worry about avoiding injuries. This is going to be fun for me.”

Extra Points: The Giants officially announced the departure of the quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan, who has will join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the offensive coordinator under Coach Greg Schiano. The Giants also announced the signings of three players to reserve/future contracts: defensive end Craig Marshall, tight end Ryan Purvis and offensive lineman Chris White.