Bill Belichick dared the Giants to throw to Mario Manningham and paid the price.

Before the Giants' game-winning drive in the Super Bowl, the Patriots coach told his team not to get beat by receivers Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks.

"This is still a Cruz-and-Nicks game," Belichick was heard saying in audio recorded for NFL Films. "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 (Bear) Pascoe. Let's make sure we get Cruz and Nicks." [READ]

Giants GM Jerry Reese will have to find a tight end in the offseason, according to an ESPN.com report on Thursday.

Reese said that tight ends Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum will likely both start the 2012 season on the physically unable to perform list.

Ballard and Beckum suffered torn ACL injuries in Sunday's win over the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Ballard is scheduled for surgery Feb. 21. [READ]

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Rockies outfielder Todd Helton have been working out at Duke this week, an athletic department spokesman says Thursday.

The spokesman said both are there primarily to visit David Cutcliffe, who was Tennessee's offensive coordinator when both were college quarterbacks. [READ]

The Packers are raising prices between $3 and $5 per ticket for the 2012 season, according to an ESPN.com report on Thursday.

Tickets in Lambeau Field's end-zone sections will increase $3 to $72 per game, tickets from the 20-yard line to the end zone will increase $4 to $80, and tickets between the 20s will increase $5 to $92. Suite tickets also will increase $5 to $92. [READ]

The Steelers have released cornerback Bryant McFadden and wide receiver Arnaz Battle.

The Steelers announced the moves, which according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review will save the team just over $3.5M against the salary cap, Wednesday on the their official website. [READ]

Terrell Owens still believes he's an elite receiver and is surprised no NFL team wanted him on its roster for the 2011 season.

There was one team that did want Owens, the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League, who signed him to play wide receiver. He will also have a 50 percent ownership in the franchise. Owens can make as much as $500,000 with the Wranglers. [READ]

Former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison had some harsh words for tight end Rob Gronkowski on Wednesday, telling ESPN Chicago Radio 1000 that the young tight end "disrespected himself" by dancing and taking off his shirt at the team's postgame party following the Super Bowl loss to the Giants.

"I guarantee you this, if Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Larry Izzo, Richard Seymour or myself had been at that party, [Gronkowski] probably would have got his head rung," said Harrison, who admitted he has not seen the video or photos of Gronkowski dancing at the party. "There's no reason for that to happen." [READ]

Brandon Jacobs apologized Wednesday night for telling reporters Tuesday that Gisele Bundchen should "stay cute and shut up."

Jacobs, speaking on The Doug Gottlieb Show, said he should respect Tom Brady's wife.

"Given the fact that it's a colleague of mine's wife, I do apologize for saying that, because I shouldn't have said that," Jacobs said Wednesday on The Doug Gottlieb Show. "It's his wife and I should respect that just as much as anyone else."

Jacobs, however, stood by his comments on Bundchen's appearance, again calling her "cute." [READ]

The Packers have agreed to a contract with Ben McAdoo that will make him their new quarterbacks coach, a league source said Wednesday.

McAdoo previously had been Green Bay's tight end coach, a position he had held for the past six seasons.

League sources said Tuesday that the Packers blocked the Buccaneers from interviewing McAdoo for their vacant offensive coordinator position. [READ]

Chad Pennington has appeared in just four games since the start of the 2009 season, throwing 76 passes with 52 of them hitting for completions and just one for a touchdown.

He missed last season after hurting his left knee in a pickup basketball game and is fully healthy now.

The Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports that the 35-year-old two-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year isn't going to try for a third such reward and is leaning toward retirement.

"It doesn't make sense for me to come back and try to play," Pennington said.

"I know I can get healthy. I know I can be ready for training camp and do all those things. But can I take a hit? After four shoulder surgeries, that's a question that's hard to answer right now. That's something that's out of my control. I can control being strong enough, accurate enough, and smart enough. But I can't control not being able to take a hit in the wrong angle." [READ]

Alex Smith is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but he is unlikely to leave the 49ers.

Jim Harbaugh has made it clear he wants Smith re-signed, and he said Tuesday on "Chronicle Live" that San Francisco's decision-makers are in agreement that Smith is needed back.

"We're all in lockstep as an organization that Alex Smith is our guy. It's well-documented. You saw the way he played this year," Harbaugh told host Jim Kozimor. "(He is a) tremendous leader on our football team.

"There's Alex and there are other guys, too, that are high priorities. We want our guys. There are guys who play like 49ers, and what they do is they play their hearts out for our team. So Alex and others, (it's) going to be a high-priority to get those guys signed." [READ]

Ricky Williams opted to retire on Tuesday after a fairly productive season as Ray Rice's backup in Baltimore.

A text-message exchange with Bill Parcells helped Williams make the decision.

Parcells wrote: "How you doing? I'm just checking up on you."

"I had a great year," Williams texted back. "Body felt good. When I got to play, had a blast. Can't wait till next year."

Parcells then texted: "That's good. Don't chase this thing too long. You can contribute in other ways."

"It kind of opened my mind to allow the football part of myself to see the bigger picture," Williams said of the exchange. [READ]

The Cardinals have moved Mike McNulty to quarterbacks coach and hired longtime NFL quarterback Frank Reich to coach wide receivers.

McNulty replaces Chris Miller, who was fired after last season. McNulty had been Arizona's wide receivers coach the past three seasons. [READ]

Former Raiders offensive coordinator Al Saunders will remain on the team's staff as a senior offensive assistant.

Saunders was offensive coordinator under Hue Jackson last season.

Oakland had previously hired Greg Knapp to be offensive coordinator even though Saunders was still under contract. [READ]

Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has ranked fourth on a Forbes list of the most-disliked athletes.

Suh, who four months ago led a Forbes poll of the most-liked players in the NFL with an appeal score of 71 percent, placed fourth with a score of 51 percent disliked.

The poll, conducted by Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research, found Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and Tiger Woods at the top of the list with scores of 60 percent disliked. [READ]

The Jets said wide receiver Santonio Holmes wasn't going anywhere. Now it's official.

The Jets' financial commitment to Holmes practically doubled on Wednesday, meaning they're locked into him for $15.25M in guarantees. A $7.5M guarantee (most of his 2013 salary) was triggered by being on the roster after the second day of the waiver period, which was Tuesday.

Holmes already was guaranteed his 2012 salary, $7.75 million, the second year of the five-year, $45 million contract he signed last summer. [READ]

Tom Brady's teammates might not blast Gisele Bundchen for her comments about Patriots receivers, but Giants running back Brandon Jacobs has no problem doing it.

"She just needs to continue to stay cute and shut up," he told reporters Tuesday at MetLife Stadium, where the Giants were honored for beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl. [READ]

As the Giants were celebrating their Super Bowl XLVI win on Tuesday, 900 pounds of Butterfingers candy bars were delivered to Copley Square in Boston.

The gesture no doubt mocked Wes Welker's critical drop late in the fourth quarter of New England's loss.

The candy was a gift from Denver-based online pawn shop Pawngo.

"We at Pawngo thought Boston fans deserved a little something in return for their heartbreaking loss in the form of a great candy!" Pawngo CEO Todd Hillis said.

"Sometimes there is a light side to sports and we thought Boston fans might at least get a laugh out of it. We have the utmost respect for Wes Welker and the Patriots team." [READ]

The Jets have re-signed Patrick Turner to a one-year contract, according to a source.

The deal is worth $875,000, including a $250,000 signing bonus.

Turner, 24, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent next month.

A former college teammate of quarterback Mark Sanchez at Southern California, Turner had eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown last season. [READ]

It seems like a mere formality that Drew Brees and the Saints will agree on a new contract this offseason.

However, one report suggests that contract talks aren't moving as quickly as the quarterback's side expected.

ESPN's John Clayton reports that Brees' agent, Tom Condon, is surprised by the slow pace of the talks.

"I ran into his agent, Tom Condon of CAA, last week, and even he's kind of baffled at this time as far as how this is going because it's going to slow," Clayton said.

"Everybody knows the Saints aren't going to lose Drew Brees. They can franchise him, they can get him to a long-term deal. But they're really somewhat nowhere right now as far as getting a contract. But there's still plenty of time before they have to make a franchise designation to pick things up. But that has to start picking up, really, in the next week or so. At this stage there's been no real solid progress, but everybody in New Orleans, including Drew Brees, knows he's not going to be a free agent. He is their franchise." [READ]

Aaron Rodgers drew positive reviews as an analyst on NBC's pre-game Super Bowl show, but he isn't planning a broadcasting career after his playing days.

"As much fun as it was to be in that setting. ... I really would like to use my talents for other things when I'm done playing," Rodgers said. "That's still the plan."

The Packers quarterback has received some feelers about appearing on Saturday Night Live and talked to some cast members over the weekend and he's hopeful something can be worked out. [READ]

Former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann isn't at all excited about the possibility that the team could court Peyton Manning this offseason.

"It's not a good idea, it's not a bad idea -- It's a horrific idea," he told 106.7 last week via DC SportsBog.

"It would be one of the poorest things that we could do as a franchise. Are we gonna go find another guy for just a couple of years again? Haven't we done this before? Haven't we seen this act before? And by the way, if you get Peyton Manning, don't you have a concern about protecting him? Don't you have a concern about who he throws the football to?" [READ]

The first live stream of the Super Bowl drew 2.1 million unique viewers, according to NBC.

It's a small fraction of the record 111.3 million viewers that watched NBC's television broadcast of the big game, but it was still enough to make it the most-watched single-game sports event online.

Previous major sporting events streamed live include the 2010 World Cup by ESPN, the 2010 Olympics by NBC and the annual NCAA men's basketball tournament by CBS and Turner Sports. [READ]

The Patriots have re-signed Tiquan Underwood, who they cut the night before Super Bowl XLVI.

A source claimed at the time of Underwood's release that it was purely a football decision based New England's needs for their matchup against New York.

After releasing Underwood, the Patriots promoted defensive lineman Alex Silvestro off their practice squad. Silvestro was active for the Super Bowl but did not play any defensive snaps.

A third-year receiver, Underwood played in eight games for the team: six in the regular season, two in the playoffs. [READ]

The Chiefs have employed five offensive coordinators in four years.

Brian Daboll, the newest hire, hopes to bring stability and an attacking attitude to Kansas City.

"You look at teams, for the most part percentage-wise that have been successful over the years, one word I think is sometimes overlooked is continuity," he said. "When you can have a system in play and you understand that your players are going to be in that system and they understand their roles, that gives you a little bit of a jump start."

The 36-year-old will replace the retired Bill Muir.

Daboll promised an aggressive approach.

"The first word I want to use is 'attack,'" he said. "When you're an offensive football coach, you want to try to really set precedent on the defense and attack the defense." [READ]

The Giants have announced that Jake Ballard tore his left ACL during the second half of Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday.

The tight end underwent an MRI that revealed the results. Initially the team was hoping that Ballard had suffered a meniscus injury.

New York nearly had their entire tight end depth wiped out in their Super Bowl win over the Patriots.

Travis Beckum tore his ACL during the first half of the 21-17 win. [READ]

The Titans new GM says the team is in good hands with the quarterbacks they have, according to an ESPN.com report on Tuesday.

Ruston Webster understands why some Volunteer fans want Peyton Manning to continue his NFL career in the state where he played in college. Some fans have put together a website and solicited money for billboards in Indianapolis imploring the quarterback to return.

But the Titans tried to downplay the Manning talk Tuesday in a conference call with season-ticket holders as Webster addressed the topic before taking questions. Webster called Manning a great player in the NFL and noted he was under contract with another team.

"We also feel like we're in good hands," Webster said. [READ]