Indianapolis hotel welcomes 2015 NCAA Tournament with giant bracket (PHOTO)

In preparation for March Madness, the JW Marriott in Indianapolis has illuminated the outside of the hotel with a giant 2015 NCAA Tournament bracket.

Since Indy is hosting the Final Four, it's seems only fitting they have the largest bracket in the country leading up to the big weekend.

Not too much pressure filling out those brackets huh?

The JW Marriott downtown is awesome pic.twitter.com/jvO05iWEKk
— Nick Boudrot (@nickboudrot) March 12, 2015

In 2012, the hotel had a huge Lombardi Trophy on its exterior the night before Super Bowl XLVI between the Giants and Patriots was played at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Giants' punter leaks photo of Super Bowl ring on Twitter

In March, a photo of the New York Giants' Super Bowl XLVI ring was tweeted by linebacker Clint Sintim to the public.  The 14K white gold ring was reportedly called "tacky" and ladylike by Diamond District jewelers who checked it out.  Sintim deleted his tweet hoping to put the cat back in the bag before the Giants officially released the ring design.

At the same time, Giants defensive end Justin Tuck tweeted he had no idea who was circulating the photo and claimed the photo wasn't one of the finalized ring.

Today— one day before the rings will be presented to the players and coaches at Tiffany & Co. in Manhattan—  punter Steve Weatherford tweeted another picture of the ring which, oddly,  looks identical to the one Sintim had leaked.

Even if the ring is the same design, it looks like the Giants be slipping a magnificent piece of jewelry onto their fingers representing their hard fought run to their championship victory.

The team will get their rings at a ceremony Wednesday night at Tiffany's Fifth Avenue flagship store.

The rings were designed with input from Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, general manager Jerry Reese and team captains Eli Manning, Zak DeOssie and Tuck along with representatives from Tiffany.

According to the photo Weatherford tweeted, the  top of the ring features four Lombardi Trophies to represent the number they have won in their history and the iconic "NY" logo.  On one side of the ring is the player's name and uniform number.  On the reverse side is the word "Giants" along with the final score, 21-17, of Super Bowl XLVI when Big Blue defeated the New England Patriots.

This year's ring is actually smaller than the team's 2008 version.  It features only 1.36 carat weight in diamonds.

Former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan described the Super Bowl bling four years ago as a "10-table stunner" because he bragged you could see it from 10 tables away.

Ten tables, nine tables. . . it's still a Super Bowl ring.

Eli Manning rips Saints over Bounty-gate

Eli Manning has become the first prominent NFL player to publicly speak out against the Bounty-gate scandal threatening to take down his hometown team— the New Orleans Saints.

The New York Giants quarterback is no stranger when it comes to the violence in the NFL— he has memories of his father Archie get knocked around for 11 seasons in New Orleans and has taken his share of licks himself— but from the sounds of it, Manning is sickened by the suggestion of placing bounties on NFL player's heads and ripped into the Saints if they did it.

"Obviously, it's a big deal, what's going on," said Manning before the premiere screening of the Giants official championship video, "Super Bowl XLVI Champions: New York Giants" at a Times Square theater last night. "It's not good for football and can't be a part of football.  I know [commissioner] Roger Goodell will do a good job of figuring all this out and making sure this doesn't happen again."

The two time Super Bowl MVP— who grew up in New Orleans— went on to say he has heard his own head coach Tom Coughlin instruct the Giants defense to go after opposing quarterbacks in team meetings.

"I'm kind of sitting there and I say, 'I know the opposing teams are saying the same thing about me,'" said Manning.  But when you start talking about injuring a guy and carting him off and trying to end his season or career, that's not what the game is about.  I think we should have more respect for the game than that.  It can't be a part of football."

The Giants were hammered by the Saints, 49-24, on Nov. 28 in New Orleans but Manning said he can't recall any specific foul hits on himself, so he can't say if their defensive coordinator Gregg Williams actually put a bounty on him.

Williams has been accused of collecting money to be awarded to players able to get opposing players carted off the field with injuries.

There was one vicious hit by safety Isa Abdul-Quddus in the third quarter that knocked Hakeem Nicks out of the game with a rib contusion.  Abdul-Quddus got a 15-yard penalty for hitting a defenseless player.  Nicks returned to game but looks at the hit differently now.

"It's just part of the game,' said Nicks at the screening.  "He got a good shot on me.  It wasn't the last time I got hit that hard.  I took one in the Super Bowl too.  You can't be too scared to get hit."

Asked if he thought it was a cheap attempt to injure him Nicks responded," The way he was celebrating you would probably think that regardless."

Giants safety Antrel Rolle echoed his teammate's sentiments but insisted the Giants have no bounty system and said if the accusations against the Saints are true, the tactics are "not good character."

New York Giants to get "blue carpet" treatment at film screening

Super Bowl winners Eli Manning, Jason Pierre-Paul, Antrel Rolle, Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks will be strutting down the "blue carpet' at tonight's screening of a new DVD that captures the New York Giants season leading up to their upset victory over the New England Patriots in  Super Bowl XLVI.

Some might even call the DVD a remake of the Giants Super Bowl XLII win because there are so many similarities between the two championship runs.

In both scenarios, the Giants' season seemed to be over before the underdog squad gets hot down the stretch and defies all odds by making the playoffs.  Combine that with freakish last minute catches and comeback wins— over the Patriots— in both Super Bowls and you can see how the two championship runs look alike.

The two-time Super Bowl MVP Manning and the other players will be getting front-row seats for tonight's event at the Regal Theater in Times Square for the V.I.P. showing of NFL Films and Vivendi Entertainment's "Super Bowl XLVI Champions: New York Giants" which will be released today.

According to a sneak peak by The New York Post, the DVD begins with clips of the Giants' stunning upset of the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII then fast-forwards to to reveal how "eerily similar" the first championship was to the second.

The game by game account of the season highlights themes like Manning's ascension to "elite" status, the emergence of Victor Cruz and the steady hand of head coach Tom Coughlin.

After the comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys, Coughlin exclaims to his jubilant players in the locker room, "Take the star down off the mountain, put the NYG on top."

There is a slo-mo replay of Cruz's game-breaking 99-yard TD catch and run against the New York Jets and, of course, Manningham's unbelievable catch in the big game.

If those scenes don't get tonight's crowd cheering, nothing will.

Sprinkle those season-turning plays in with poignant sideline shots like Brandon Jacobs, sitting next to Manning, saying, "You're a beast, man, I can't say that enough" and there won't be a dry eye in the house.

Especially Patriots fans who will give it two thumbs down.

Even Bill Belichick gets a supporting role.  The Pats' coach commands his defense to concentrate on Cruz and Nicks before Manning lands the perfect pass to Manningham on the winning drive.

The only problem with this movie is everyone knows the ending but— as the credits roll over shots of the Giants parading up Broadway with ticker-tape raining down— Big Blue fans will already be waiting for a third installment in the series.

Cruz and Manningham Rock the Grammys

It's been quite a week for Victor Cruz.  Seven nights ago, the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis and it's been a a dance in the park for him ever since.

In the following days, Cruz finalized a new multi-million dollar contract, was in a Broadway ticker-tape parade and cut the ribbon at Lincoln Center to open Fashion Week.

Tonight, the Giants star receiver was rubbing elbows with the the music industry's top recording stars at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.  He even handed out the award for "Best Rock Performance" alongside his teammate Mario Manningham.

During the whirlwind of a week, the only constant for Cruz at all of the events was re-enacting his famous touchdown salsa dance.

Tonight, Cruz was asked to do the Latin dance once again.

Cruz and Manningham were joined on the Grammys stage with NCIS star Paula Perrette who introduced the two players to cheers and shouts of "Cruuuz" from the audience.

Perrette then told Cruz, "This is a music show.  So you need to give us a little salsa."

Cruz obliged and managed a few steps before he was cut off by the Super Bowl hero Manningham.

"OK, OK," interrupted his fellow receiver.  "Save it for the field."

The award went to the Foo Fighters for their rousing rock song "Walk."

It seemed fitting because both players walked the walk on their way to the Lombardi trophy.

Bradying replacing Tebowing as latest Web craze

Tom Brady's hunched over pose during the Super Bowl loss to the the New York Giants has started new Web craze by fans that could soon replace Tebowing in popularity.

Dejected after the New England Patriots upset loss to the Giants, Brady sat on the ground with his head bowed on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium.  Now that pose is being imitated around the country and Bradying is becoming the latest Internet fad.

Bradying is a lot simpler than Tebowing and less dangerous than planking.

It all started with the widely published photo of Brady on his butt with his legs splayed, hands clasped, shoulders slumped and head resting on his chest.

There are different reports of where the trend originated.  Most people agree Bradying started with a series of pictures posted on Boxden.  The post showed numerous people copying the Brady pose at various locations.

Tebowing had been the rage but Bradying already has an official website to document fans imitating the depressed quarterback.

While Tebowing celebrated the Denver Broncos quarterback's victories, Bradying was spawned by losing.

"It's a humbled position— shoulders down, head down— that's all about being humbled," said former Army anti-terror instructor Greg Hartley, an expert on body language and interrogation techniques.

Brady has remained silent about the fad he inadvertently started, but it's a sure bet his outspoken supermodel wife could end up ranting about it in public.

Call it Bundchening.

Eli Manning on Tom Brady: "I don't know if he likes me"

Eli Manning has been racking up a lot of quotes to go with his frequent flier miles since leading his New York Giants team over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday.

After post-game celebrations in Indianapolis, the Giants quarterback flew down to Disney World Monday morning and later up to the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City where the Super Bowl MVP appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman.

The normally uncontroversial Manning was asked by the host about his relationship with his Patriots counterpart Tom Brady.

"I don't know if he likes me," Manning said with a smirk to the supportive audience..

Manning showed up about an hour late for the taping but it was excusable since it was only a few hours before that he was riding in a parade in the Orlando, Florida theme park.

Manning walked onto the theater's stage to a standing ovation while band leader Paul Shaffer and the CBS orchestra played "We Are The Champions."

The normally quiet and reserved quarterback joked about going right to bed after the game after Letterman opened the interview by asking if it was "lights out" after the victory.

"10:30, yeah, I had a big morning," he joked.  "I had to get ready for this, so I had to get my full sleep.  I've been preparing and practicing for this."

Letterman asked Manning if his receivers ever disobeyed any of the plays he calls in the huddle.

"No.  They're trained," he laughed.  "It's like a dog."

The relaxed and confident Manning touched on everything from how happy he was for his teammates that didn't already have a Super Bowl ring to head coach Tom Coughlin's philosophies.

"It was their first Super Bowl," he said. "When you have one you have to really do it for the other guys who never had that experience."

Letterman reminded Manning about Coughlin's "frozen face" in Green Bay four years ago and asked if he was a good motivator.

"He has settled down because he has confidence in his players," he replied.  "He's big on preparation and effort and studying.  Now he knows we'll be ready."

Manning quoted the softer side of the coach's pre-game speech: " The most important thing is love.  Love of teammates is the most important thing."

The host told his guest that Eli was his favorite Manning.

"I know.  I get a Christmas gift from you every year.  I got a jacket," joked the younger Manning.  "Peyton doesn't get a jacket."

Letterman asked Manning if he is going to tease his older brother by shoving the two rings on his fingers in Peyton's face.

"No," he plainly said.

The younger Manning said he expects Peyton to play again but had no idea where it would be.

 Eli even touched on the label of "elite" that he imposed on himself during the pre-season.

"I got set up a little bit," he claimed by answering the question "Do you think you are an elite quarterback?" on a radio show.

When Letterman commented that Manning looked a lot younger than four years ago— when the Giants last won the Super Bowl— the guest out-zinged the host.

"I started shaving this past year," he joked.

Shaving or not— Eli Manning is definitely all grown up.

Madonna's tightrope dancer looked like Will Ferrell

There was a lot of flipping during Madonna's Super Bowl half-time show last night.  One of the most publicized was was the middle finger of M.I.A.

But then there was some guy in a toga who just did them on a tightrope.

In what had to be the weirdest part of the show, a toga-clad dancer performed on a tightrope and— who at first glance looked like Will Ferrell, then later like Richard Simmons and— from some angles— even Art Garfunkel.

Bouncing on the wire to Madonna's lip-synched "Music," NBC's cameras gave us a close-up of his tightey-whiteys from below while his toga flapped with every painful looking bounce.

NBC censors had to be holding their breath. It would have been bad timing for another wardrobe malfunction.

The unnamed tightrope dancer had TV viewers alternately shaking their heads thinking "Wow!" then "Why?"

Madonna bopped alongside the performer for 30 seconds before he back-flipped off the wire and into a defiant cross-armed pose. 

M.I.A.'s flip would come later.

Giants Get NY Pizzas Flown To Indianapolis For Good Luck

The New York Giants had 16 New York pizza pies flown to Indianapolis so the superstitious players wouldn't jinx their tradition of downing the Italian treat every Friday after practice.

Players personally asked that the pies— from Umberto's in New Hyde Park, Long Island— be delivered because some of them thought that there was a chance they could break their five-game winning streak leading into the Super Bowl if they didn't get their weekly dose of the cheesy snack.

After a 700-mile trip that began with a early morning escort by the Nassau County Police Department to LaGuardia Airport; the pizzas arrived safely in Indy and made it to the Giants dining tables after the Friday afternoon practice.

Defensive end Justin Tuck and guard David Diehl called in the order last weekend said the restaurant's manager Gaetano Corteo.

"They were gone in less than ten minutes," said Corteo.  "They destroyed all of the pies.  There was nothing left."

Corteo and his staff personally handed out the slices to the Giants players inside the temporary practice facilities at the University of Indiana.  Maybe he should have brought more than Kobayashi could down in 10 minutes by himself

"If there had been ten more pies, they would have destroyed those too," said one of the pizza servers.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning said the pizza was "excellent."

No cold pizza for the G-Men either.

The pies— which lifted off from New York with helicopters hovering above and a police escort fit for a king— were packed in heat-retaining bags, searched by security and whisked onto a waiting Delta MD-88 jet with a flight crew adorned in Giants jerseys.

All the TSA agents reportedly found were four kinds of pizzas with light tomato sauces, mozzarella and home-made sausage on oven-baked thin crusts.

"It's all about consistency," said Corteo.  "They come in the locker room every Friday and know the pies are there.  It's part of their everyday lives, and it's such an honor for me and my family back home— it's awesome."

Everyone knows nothing beats New York pizza (except New Jersey) and it sounds like Big Blue didn't mind going the extra miles for their lucky snack.

Since it took more than 30 minutes for the delivery, I guess the pies were free.

Gisele Throws Hail Mary Plea For "Tommy" Brady Win

Tom Brady's supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen sent out a private e-mail to all of their friends and family asking that all of them pray for the New England Patriots quarterback to lead his team to victory over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI.

The new-age sounding e-mail— which was picked up and published by the New York Post— began by saying that Sunday "is a really important day in my husband's life" and "now they need us more than ever to send them positive energy so they can fulfill their dream of winning this super bowl..."


The Wed. night e-mail read:

"My sweet friends and family.
   I feel Tommy really needs our prayer, our support and
love at this time.
   So I kindly ask all of you to join me on this positive
chain and pray for him, so he can feel confident, healthy
and strong.  Envision him happy and fulfilled
experiencing with his team a victory this sunday.
   Love, G :)"

Bundchen responded to a Post e-mail and said, "I am surprised that you received this e-mail; it was a private note only sent to close friends and family."

The couple started dating right before the Giants upset "Tommy" and the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII in 2008.  They married in 2009.

Earlier in the week, Brady said wifey gave him some Super Bowl pointers before he arrived in Indianapolis.

"Throw the ball quickly," he said she told him.  "She doesn't like it when I get hit often."

Last Sunday, at a pep rally, Brady himself told 25,000 Patriots fans, " We're going down there, and were going down there for one reason... hopefully we'll have a lot more people at our party next weekend."

Maybe the Brazilian model— who earns millions more than her hubby— just doesn't want Brady to lose the deposit he put down for the brazen victory party guarantee.

Super Bowl Footballs Will Give Sentimental Advantage To NY Giants

Every time a New York Giants or New England Patriots player looks at one of the 120 footballs used on the field during Super Bowl XLVI he will see the name "The Duke" embossed on the ball and might wonder 'Who the hell is that?'

It's more of a mystery for Patriots players than the Giants side because "The Duke" was the beloved Giants owner Wellington Mara— father of current owner John Mara— who passed away in 2006.

The older Mara was given the nickname by Giants players when he was a child growing up on the sidelines on the franchise started by his father Tim Mara.

And right there, prominently branded on all of this Sunday's balls— next to the "XLVI" logo and "Roger Goodell" signature— is the nickname of the deceased owner which some of the current Giants team knew and fondly remember.

The balls are made by Wilson Sporting Goods in Ada, Ohio and have been called "The Duke" for most of the league's history.

It all started when Wellington and his brother Jack made a deal with Wilson to become the official sponsor of the NFL's ball.  Former Chicago Bears owner George Halas, who partnered with Wellington on brokering the deal, suggested that the balls be named "The Duke."

From 1941 through 1969 the NFL's official ball carried the name "The Duke," but was eliminated after the AFL-NFL merger.

The name returned in 2006, after Mara's death, as a tribute to the Giants owner .

It looks like the Giants have at least sentimental advantage on the field over the Patriots.

Brady Already Planning Patriots Super Bowl Victory Bash

The New England Patriots landed in a gusty Indianapolis airport yesterday in preparation for Super Bowl XLVI but, along with the wind, Tom Brady got a little controversy swirling around the team as well.

After saying goodbye to 25,000 fans at a Gillette Stadium send-off, the confident Patriots quarterback— and New York Giants No. 1 target— Brady took it upon himself to predict a victory party celebration back home after his team faces the Giants next Sunday.

Brady's huffing and puffing also fanned the New York media's flames.


"We're going down there for one reason," said Brady before the team boarded their charter flight to Indianapolis and the showdown with the Giants.  "We're going to give it our best and hopefully we'll have a lot more people at our party next weekend."

Talk about putting a bigger bull's eye on your back.

Brady's words whipped the Foxborough crowd into a frenzy and high hopes against a team that beat them, 17-14, in Super Bowl XLII four years ago.

The Pat's QB later toned down his comments after he realized they had become bulletin board material for the Giants— especially their defense.

"Well, it was a pep rally," Brady said.  "People were pretty excited.  Certainly the players were excited.  I know the 25,000 fans who were there were excited as well."

Brady wasn't the first Giants opponent to send out victory party invites before a victory.

Vernon Davis, the San Francisco 49ers tight end had his fans ready to party before the Giants beat his team, 20-17, in overtime in the NFC Championship Game last Sunday.

The Patriots Wes Welker was asked by a reporter if his quarterback's remarks meant the Patriots were already planning a party?

"No. No, not at all," Brady's favorite target said. "We're planning on this game.  And putting a game plan together and getting ourselves ready to play is kind of objective number one."

Later, an even more subdued Brady lavished praise on the the four guys who will be in his face all day next Sunday—  the Big Blue pass rush.

"It's been a strength of the their team for as long as I can remember... Michael Strahan, as great a player as he was... and I think we played them in '03 and they were still harassing the quarterback so... it seems like they always have guys that rush the quarterback," said Brady.  "Justin Tuck is as good as they come.  Osi [Umenyiora], week in and week out, he's a player that can ruin a game  for an offense."

It sounds like Brady has put the party hats and Sam Adams beer on hold.

Peyton To Eli: 'It's All About The Giants Now'

Peyton Manning was understandably proud of his younger brother Eli after the NewYork Giants 20-17 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC title.

The Indianapolis quarterback had a a quick chat and embraced Eli before he  headed to the team bus for the flight back to New York and ultimately a trip to Indy for a Super Bowl rematch with the New England Patriots on Feb. 5..

"Go Giants," said Peyton.  "It's all about the Giants now,"

If the two siblings never get a chance to share the stage at MetLife Stadium— as Giants and Jets quarterbacks respectively— this might be the closest scenario.

And it sounds like big bro is more than happy to let Eli get the spotlight in Peyton's adopted hometown of Indianapolis.

Peyton had a lot to puff out his chest about.

This season, Eli stepped out of the shadow of his big brother— who was sidelined after neck surgery—in a big way.  The younger Manning will actually have as many Super Bowl appearances under his belt as the "elite" Peyton and is one win away from having one more championship ring.

"I'm just proud as a quarterback to watch him compete," Peyton said after watching his brother get battered by the fierce Niners defense and still win.  "And the way he's played, I'm even more proud of him as a brother."

While Eli's game yesterday wasn't a thing of beauty, it was a testament to his toughness.

Eli threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns with out any turnovers against a swarming San Francisco defense.  There didn't seem to be an easy throw for Eli all day and he was hit 20 times.  It seemed like he had a 49ers player draped on him during every play.

"It's what I expected him to do," said Peyton.  "I'm just proud of Eli and how well he's played this year.  He's been awesome.  he's been clutch."

It's twice as ironic that Eli could win his second Super Bowl title in  Peyton's adopted hometown— where fans have waited and hoped for four years to see their own Manning win in their home stadium—and against Peyton's arch-nemesis Tom Brady.

"Yeah, it's my home town," said Peyton. "I've just been proud of all year.  I've really gotten to see a lot more of his games since I've been injured.  It's fun to watch him play.  he's been clutch all season long.  Fourth quarter comebacks.  when they needed him, he was always there."

Peyton had little to say about the prognosis for his injury or where he'll be playing.  When asked about the possibility of playing for the Jets, he laughed, "Nahh.  Giants, man. Go  Giants."

For now, he's seems happy that in Super Bowl XLVI, at least one Manning is playing in front of the  Lucas Oil Stadium crowd.