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 brackets are in.The first games are in the books.And optimism still abounds (coupled with some extra bravado from some St. Pat’s Day Guinness) as the NCAA Basketball Tournament officially gets underway.

It turns out Falcons WR Roddy White is pretty fired up about Monday night’s game against the Saints, and there are a trail of Twitter posts to prove it.

Turmoil surrounding the Vikings’ coaching situation aside, Thanksgiving week is big for Minnesota WR Bernard Berrian. Not just because of the great feast, but because Thanksgiving gives Berrian a perfect opportunity to give back during his third annual Turkey Giveaway this week in South Minneapolis.

A Minnesota judge issued a 44-page ruling Thursday on the case involving the suspensions of Vikings DTs Pat and Kevin Williams but ultimately didn’t decide whether or not their suspensions can be upheld.

The improbable just happened: Peyton Manning threw an interception at the worst possible time in Super Bowl XLIV, ending what was looking like a game-tying drive for the Colts late in the fourth quarter.

The Colts and Saints issued their final injury reports Friday before Super Bowl XLIV. For New Orleans, DE Will Smith (groin), LB Jonathan Vilma (knee) and S Pierson Prioleau (quad) participated fully in practice after being limited earlier in the week. They are all listed as probable.

The Saints and coach Sean Payton will be the first news conference of Super Bowl Week on Monday.

The Saints received good news on the injury front Friday, when CB Malcolm Jenkins (hamstring), FS Darren Sharper (knee) and LB Jonathan Vilma (knee) all returned to practice, albeit in limited fashion.

The Colts and Saints submitted their first practice reports Wednesday with some important players missing from action as both teams begin preparations for Super Bowl XLIV.

There are so many things that can be debated at the midseason point. Even though there’s still a lot of football left to be played, I’m about to give props to some deserving guys who might not be getting the recognition they deserve.

The NFL announced Tuesday it will defer any suspension Saints DE’s Will Smith and Charles Grant for testing positive for a banned diuretic, despite a court ruling last week that cleared the path for the league to follow through with the discipline.

The NFL has yet to make an announcement regarding the ability of Saints ends Will Smith and Charles Grant to play next week, but for now the team is proceeding as if they can.

The 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals made a ruling today that could allow Vikings players Pat and Kevin Williams to play while continuing their legal battle in state court against NFL-issued suspensions. The NFL has yet to publicly determine its course of action as it relates to the ruling.

Several notable NFL players facing possible suspensions from the Starcaps case still are awaiting word from the courts and the league as to their status for Week 1.