Eli Manning was a big topic of conversation in the Giants’ locker room after collecting his second Super Bowl MVP award in five seasons.

The Giants finally returned to the practice field, but not before their daily session with the media. Here are some odds and ends from the availability period.

Four years ago, nobody wanted to talk to Chase Blackburn. But after he nearly becoming a math teacher in November, Blackburn found himself in the Super Bowl news cycle.

Only a few weeks into the preseason, oddsmakers are pondering the question: Who will win the Super Bowl? Fans of every team are certainly hopeful, yet hesitant to be sure, the Lombardi Trophy will be theirs in February. But how can you be sure? What makes your team comparable to Super Bowl champs in recent years?

The NFL’s longest offseason officially ended over the weekend when 30 of the league’s 32 teams hit the field for the first time. Take a look at the weekend’s most memorable plays.

Antonio Gates is already one of the best offensive tight ends in the history of the league, but did the players get it wrong by ranking him ahead of the man responsible for getting him the ball?

We’re getting into crunch time on NFL Network’s “The Top 100: Players of 2011” list, with players 30-21 revealed on Sunday night.

The ring’s the thing Friday. While the NFL champion Green Bay Packers received their Super Bowl rings Thursday in a private ceremony, the big ring news today is the release of the new movie Green Lantern.

LeSean McCoy might be an evil genius. The Eagles running back, responding to a story about Osi Umenyiora wanting a new deal, tweeted that the Giants DE is ‘soft, overrated and the third best lineman on New York’s defensive line.’ Is it a plot?

Giants linebacker Keith Bulluck will not suit up for Sunday’s game against the Bears. He is suffering from a toe injury and was listed as doubtful on Friday’s injury report.

According to NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora, the Giants immediately rebuffed teams who inquired about dealing for Osi Umenyiora during the NFL Draft.

When the Giants drafted Derrick Morgan with the 15th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft Thursday night, it may have signaled to some that Osi Umenyiora’s tenure with the Giants will soon end. Giants GM Jerry Reese wasted no time in putting an end to that presumption.

The past week has brought about an increase in the trade chatter surrounding outspoken Giants DE Osi Umenyiora.

Brett Favre shows his teammates some love by giving them

The Rams, who hold the No. 1 overall selection in the draft, have begun preliminary negotiations with Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.