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Dwight Freeney, star defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts, may miss Super Bowl XLIV with serious ankle injury
By James Varney, The Times-Picayune

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. - Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney's ankle injury could force him to miss Sunday's Super Bowl encounter with the New Orleans Saints, multiple media outlets reported Sunday.



Freeney hurt his ankle in the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game. He ran past New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and then his foot appeared to catch on the turf of Lucas Oil Stadium. Freeney hopped a bit but jogged off the field on his own.
His agent, Gary Wichard, said that Freeney has been getting "nonstop" treatment on his sprained ankle in the hopes of being able to play in Super Bowl XLIV.
NFL.com reported that Freeney had considerable ligament damage in his right ankle. ESPN reported that Freeney had a torn ligament in his right ankle and was unlikely to play.
An unnamed source told the Indianapolis Star that Freeney, the Colts' speed-rushing right end who had 13.5 sacks this season, will "give it a go."
"If Dwight were not to be able to go that would be tough but someone else will step up," Colts quarterback Peyton Manning predicted before the start of Sunday's Pro Bowl.
Freeney also had problems beyond his ankle injury as his camp spent the day tamping down reports he took advantage of his early arrival to party in Miami.
Wichard told Pro Football Talk it was categorically false that his client hosted and attended a party Saturday night.
Time warp? When the Colts players arrive Monday it would be understandable if some felt they were in a time warp. That's exactly the way the organization wants it.
The Colts are trying to follow the precise footsteps they did when they played, and won, Super Bowl XLI in Miami to claim the franchise's second Super Bowl title and first since it moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis.
On that championship run the Colts landed on a Monday, stayed at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale. Furthermore, the Colts will practice at the same facility and, Coach Jim Caldwell said, follow as near as possible the same schedule right up to kickoff.
Last week, however, there was some slight difference of opinion on how to prepare. Manning, saying he was "mentally exhausted" from his preparation for the AFC championship game, lauded the extra week the NFL schedules before the Super Bowl. It would be nearly impossible, Manning said, to prepare thoroughly without it.
On the other hand, Caldwell wanted last week to unfold as if the Colts were playing another game on Sunday and he strove to make it, "as much like a normal game week as possible," according to the Colts official Web site.
To that end, after the Colts held an informational meeting Tuesday, players said Wednesday's practice was the same as if they were playing four days later. The installation of the game plan and three days of practice followed, and the team stuck to its normal schedule of meeting with the media.
In that respect, offensive tackle Charlie Johnson said, "it is going to feel weird not having to play."
One other wrinkle was thrown into the Colts plan by the NFL holding the Pro Bowl in Miami on Sunday night instead of in Hawaii after the Super Bowl. That meant the Colts players who had been named to the Pro Bowl - Manning, tight end Dallas Clark, receiver Reggie Wayne, center Jeff Saturday, defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, and safety Antoine Bethea - were supposed to be in Miami, With the exception of Freeney, who had been excused from the game for treatment of his ankle injury, the Colts, like their Saints counterparts who would have represented the NFC, arrived in town ahead of the teams.
On the sideline before the game, Manning told ESPN he always enjoyed the Pro Bowl and had developed friendships with a number of AFC players. But he wasn't under any illusions about its place in the football universe.
"This is a fun evening," he said. "Obviously I'm excited, but we'll have a real game next week."
Manning also stuck by his earlier assessment that the Super Bowl requires additional preparation, and he characterized the Saints as "a tough team to get to know.
"I feel good about our start, but I think you have to use the entire time to get prepared," he said. "It's important not to peak too early."

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