MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Colts DE Dwight Freeney had a burst early in Super Bowl XLIV, and the Saints’ offensive tackles looked like they might be in trouble. But that has changed.

Saints QB Drew Brees has entirely too much time to operate, and he’s carving up the Colts’ defense. Of course, Peyton Manning is capable of the exact same thing, so it looks like this game might end up coming down to the quarterbacking duel we all expected, with the fourth quarter under way.

Brees just looks thoroughly comfortable now, picking out secondary targets and spreading around the ball. The Saints have made Manning work pretty hard for everything he has gotten, and since the first quarter, that hasn’t been much (how ridiculously perfect was the pass he lobbed to Dallas Clark on a third-down play, between a bunch of defenders?).

I have a feeling the Saints’ far superior play on special teams also might play a continued role in this affair as the final 15 minutes begin.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — We all know a coach can’t win the Super Bowl MVP. And we know this game is far from over. But if the Saints win, coach Sean Payton will have been a big part of the reason why.

This team has adopted Payton’s swagger and go-for-the-throat mentality, and never has it been more apparent than in this game. He made astute adjustments and went to a lot of jumbo packages, started having Drew Brees attack in 10- to 15-yard chunks against a stagnant Cover 2 defense and made a couple of gutsy moves that paid off.

Payton coupled an unsuccessful fourth-down attempt at the goal line late in the first half with an onside kick that the Saints recovered to start the second half. The Saints have been a step faster than the Colts since the first quarter, and Payton had Indianapolis reeling on the ensuing drive after the onside kick. He had Brees roll out once, threw out of a jumbo package, and when nothing was there, the QB, who’s having an MVP performance himself, gutted the Colts with checkdowns.

Pierre Thomas‘ shifty moves are leaving the Colts guessing, and with Indy’s defenders on the field so much, he might be able to keep running on them.

Few head coaches in this game directly influence a game like Payton does. His defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, gave the defense a similar swagger. So far, it’s reaping major rewards, with plenty of football still to be played.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Saints did pretty much everything you could possibly ask for in the second quarter to reverse the course of this Super Bowl. After one quarter, it appeared the Colts were one decent series from thoroughly taking over this game. Now, at halftime, we have a heck of a ballgame.

The Saints went from barely seeing the ball in the first quarter to holding it over 12 minutes in the second quarter. They established the run game, and Drew Brees has started to find the holes in Indy’s Cover-2 scheme.

Even what could have been a crushing sequence — being stopped on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line line — turned out not so bad. First of all, I’m with Saints coach Sean Payton trying to go for the TD there. I’m standing next to Bucky Brooks in the NFL.com box up here on the roof, and on third down, we both thought the same thing — run it twice if need be and try to tie the score.

With 2 minutes left and the ball that deep, I’m going for six. You know the Colts get the ball to start the second half, and if you kick the field goal, they could have good position on the return, score a quick touchdown, come back with another TD on the first drive of the half, and it’s lights out. This way, even if you don’t score, you keep the Colts pretty conservative and make them go the length of the field. Had Mike Bell not slipped on third down, it’s a touchdown. And the Saints got a good push on fourth down, but Colts LB Gary Brackett shot the gap and slowed down Pierre Thomas enough for teammates to turn him back a second time.

Still, for the Saints’ defense to force a three-and-out and Brees to get the Saints a field goal on the other end, that’s a huge swing. Being down 10-6 at halftime after the way the first 15 minutes went is a massive change in momentum. If the Saints get a stop to start the second half, things could become really interesting. If Payton sticks with the run, it might force Colts defensive coordinator Larry Coyer to put more people in the box, and with the way Brees is carving the defense right now, that would be a huge gamble.

I’m looking forward to the second half.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Well, Dwight Freeney has the first sack of Super Bowl XLIV. Go figure. So much for the bad ankle.

Freeney sacked Drew Brees to snuff out the Saints’ first decent drive of the game, bulling his way right through LT Jermon Bushrod, then tossing the QB to the ground. The Saints ended up staying in field-goal range and cutting the deficit to 10-3, but this was a huge play (Bushrod is going to need a chip or help of some kind with more regularity, it seems).

This is a pro-Saints crowd, and had they scored a touchdown there, it might have gotten kind of wild in here. You have to give Saints coach Sean Payton credit for getting back to basics to attack a Colts team that isn’t that big in its front seven (smaller, quicker guys are the norm). Indy is playing a ton of Cover-2, and the Saints are using a lot of jumbo packages in the run game, bringing in an extra tackle to attack with power. It makes all the more sense given how badly the Saints need to get a ball-control game going to keep Peyton Manning off the field and give their defense a breather.

Colts RB Joseph Addai finds running room against the Saints' defense during Sunday's Super Bowl. (Kevin Terrell / NFL.com)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — New Orleans looks very good on special teams. Otherwise, look out. This Super Bowl could be getting out of hand.

The Saints’ defense has been on the field far too long already. They continue to give up critical third-down plays, and Peyton Manning is in the zone. Manning began the second drive with a huge checkdown from the 4 for a quick first down, then he audibled out of the shotgun and into a running play, where Joseph Addai surged up the gut for a 16-yard gain. WR Reggie Wayne is doing some great work in run blocking.

New Orleans’ deepest vulnerability is against the run. It lacks size and standout individual run stuffers, and the Colts are delivering a difficult combination of finesse and brawn right now. The Colts have been able to spot Dwight Freeney’s snaps, and if this lead gets too much bigger, then the Saints will have to go one-dimensional and abandon the run. Running the ball is the greatest way to attack Freeney’s ankle, and they would be wise to run right at him. The last thing you want is Freeney rested and spelled and able to take aim on some obvious passing situations.

The Saints badly need a clock-churning drive in this second quarter. You get the sense that Manning already smells blood, up 10-0 after one quarter of play.

The Philadelphia Eagles have named Phil Savage as player personnel consultant for the 2010 draft.

Savage is former general manager of Cleveland Browns and was long-time scout and executive for the Baltimore Ravens prior to that.

The Bills offered their assistant general manager position to Doug Whaley, according to a league source.

Whaley, who has served as the Steelers’ pro personnel coordinator, would be the No. 2 to recently promoted GM Buddy Nix. Members of the Steelers’ front office wouldn’t be surprised if Whaley takes the position, for which he recently interviewed.

The Eagles have hired Dick Jauron to coach their secondary, according to a league source.

Jauron was fired as the Bills’ coach in November after three-plus seasons, and he also served as the Bears’ coach for five seasons (1999-2003). Jauron worked with Eagles coach Andy Reid in Green Bay (1992-94) and becomes the latest member of Buffalo’s former coaching staff to catch on with another team this offseason.

Jauron replaces Brian Stewart, who left the Eagles to become the defensive coordinator at the University of Houston.

The NFL and the NFL Players Association will meet this weekend in South Florida to discuss the collective-bargaining agreement, which is scheduled to expire in March of 2011.

The NFLPA asked the team owners to meet Saturday, before a recently scheduled league meeting, and they obliged, according to a league source.

The development was first reported by the New York Times.

Colts All-Pro DE Dwight Freeney is in serious jeopardy of missing Super Bowl XLIV because of an ankle injury.

Freeney is dealing with considerable ligament damage and looks doubtful to recover in time for next Sunday’s game against the Saints, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

Freeney will continue to receive heavy treatment on the ankle, and he has proven to be a remarkable healer at times in the past. However, things don’t look good medically this time. Freeney suffered the injury late in last week’s AFC Championship Game against the Jets and hasn’t been able to practice since.

UPDATE: The Colts issued a statement, saying Freeney has a “low, third-degree ankle injury. Similar to a basketball (ankle) injury. We feel he’ll be questionable (for the game).”

The Ravens hired Jim Zorn as quarterbacks coach, according to a team source, and will announce the move soon.

Zorn was a longtime quarterbacks coach with the Seahawks (1997, 2000-07), then served as the Redskins’ head coach the past two seasons. He was fired the day after the season ended.

Zorn replaces Hue Jackson, who left the Ravens to become the Raiders’ offensive coordinator.

The NFL fined Saints DE Bobby McCray a total of $20,000 for two incidents involving unnecessary roughness, according to a league source.

In the first quarter of last Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, McCray unnecessarily delivered a blow to Vikings QB Brett Favre, who was out of the play. Additionally, during the third quarter, McCray delivered a blow to Favre’s knee area.

Howie Roseman has been named the new general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Roseman replaces Tom Heckert, who left his post with the Eagles to work as general manager of the Cleveland Browns under new team president Mike Holmgren.

The 34-year-old Roseman originally joined the Eagles in 2000 as salary cap/staff counsel, then was elevated to director of football administration in 2003 and to vice president of football administration in 2006.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made retaining DT Casey Hampton and S Ryan Clark an offseason priority and neither player is expected to hit the open market, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. This year’s free-agent class is already shaping up to be thin due to the absence of a CBA extension at this point, and the best prospects will be further limited as teams negotiate new deals with key free agents between now and March.

The Steelers began exploratory talks with Clark before the season, and it would be very surprising if they did not come to a deal in the coming weeks. Clark is coming off what may have been his best season, with Troy Polamalu out for much of the year. In the mean time, the team is likely to let another free agent safety, Tyrone Carter, hit the market.

Hampton’s weight issues have given the team concern at times, but he again was an anchor on defense in 2009. Given Hampton’s age — he will be playing his 10th season in 2010 — and the possibility the sides cannot agree on a long-term deal, the team could always end up using a franchise designation on him as well. Last year, the franchise tag for DTs was only roughly $6 million (Hampton earned aproximately $3.1 million in 2009) and though that figure will rise, it remains low compared to many other positions.

Also, if there is no new CBA, clubs can utilize an extra franchise designation in 2010, another tool that would restrict the quantity and quality of players to hit the market.

A retirement press conference is planned for Cardinals QB Kurt Warner on Friday, according to a source with knowledge of the situation, with the star also likely to discuss future post-playing plans.

Warner, who was pounded hard several times during a playoff loss to the Saints, will retire as one of the most prolific passers of his era, and someone who led two franchises to the Super Bowl.

He performed at a Pro Bowl level again for Arizona in 2009, but also suffered another concussion and has been mulling retirement for several years now. Warner could be poised to pursue coaching or broadcasting post-retirement.

Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle discussed Warner after Wednesday’s NFC Pro Bowl practice.

“We would love for Kurt to come back but it’s going to be his decision,” Rolle said. “I’ve had five great years with Kurt and I’ll definitely miss him if he’s not there, but Kurt’s decision is going to be Kurt’s decision.”

Warner’s departure leaves former first-round pick Matt Leinart as the starter in Arizona for now. Leinart has struggled thus far in his career.