
SUPER BOWL WATCH: NFL awards, real fun to come
Around the Super Bowl and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of everything surrounding the game: ...

Watt swats defensive player foes
Houston end J.J. Watt has won The Associated Press 2012 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, missing a perfect ballot by one vote. The NFL's sacks ...

Colts interim coach Arians wins top honors
Bruce Arians has become the first interim coach to win the top NFL award from The Associated Press, taking the 2012 Coach of the Year honors for his ...

Parcells, Sapp, Carter among 7 Hall inductees
Bill Parcells was a winner everywhere he coached. Time and time again, he took over struggling franchises and showed them what it takes to be a ...

Column: Could football end up killing itself?
The dustup over deer-antler spray didn't last long, which is probably just as well. No reason to ruin Ray Lewis' retirement, or the week-long ...

New Orleans: A tale of 2 cities since Katrina
While a blimp hovers not too far in the distance, circling over tens of thousands of Super Bowl revelers, Christopher Weaver looks around at the ...

Deep thoughts: Long ball could carry Ravens to win
Fear the dreadlocks, San Francisco. Torrey Smith just might be the difference in a Super Bowl that will hinge on the 49ers' ability to prevent the ...

Balanced 49ers offense aims to lead Super Bowl win
Colin Kaepernick is a mystery man under center, a strong-armed passer one moment and a 25-year-old kid who can run right out of the pocket for a huge ...

SUPER BOWL WATCH: Katrina, Coin flip bets, Modell
Around the Super Bowl and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of everything surrounding the game: ...

Harbaugh brothers could envision working together
Working separately, John and Jim Harbaugh each guided their team to the Super Bowl. They will be on opposite sidelines Sunday, John as head coach of ...

Report: RB Foster considering heart procedure
Houston Texans running back Arian Foster says he's considering a heart procedure to address a condition that forced him out of a game. Foster told the ...

Ravens FB Leach on collision course to stardom
Vonta Leach's job is to get involved in a collision so Ray Rice won't. The Baltimore Ravens are in the Super Bowl in part because of Leach's ability ...

Black ex-coaches say NFL's Rooney Rule is broken
Three black former NFL head coaches say the league needs to rethink its Rooney Rule for promoting minority hiring after 15 top vacancies — eight head ...

Gay-rights backers await for their Jackie Robinson
Brendon Ayanbadejo has heard from many players who applaud his support of gay marriage — some of them teammates, others from the opposing side of the ...

Dependable 49ers offensive linemen carry big load
Right guard Alex Boone arrives for work most days and swears at left guard Mike Iupati. From Boone, it's always considered a term of endearment ...

SUPER BOWL WATCH: Beyonce, avocados, practice
Around Super Bowl XLVII and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of everything surrounding the ...

Beyonce just 1 of many stars at Super Bowl
The entertainment leading up to the Super Bowl is so A-list, Beyonce may not even have the most anticipated performance surrounding the big game.

2 NFL seasons since agreement, still no HGH tests
Baltimore Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones is among those NFL players who want the league and the union to finally agree on a way to do blood testing ...

Ravens backup QB Taylor ready for action
Tyrod Taylor is the forgotten quarterback at the Super Bowl. Everyone knows the starters, of course, Baltimore's Joe Flacco and San Francisco's Colin ...

Lewis says he's 'agitated,' not angry, about story
Ray Lewis is "agitated." Not because the Baltimore Ravens linebacker thinks the magazine report linking him to a company that purports to make ...

Hot ticket: Players make Super Bowl ticket grab
Heading back to his hometown, Jacoby Jones couldn't afford to tell the truth. The All-Pro kick returner for the Baltimore Ravens got 15 tickets for ...

Patrick Willis will carry on Lewis' No. 52 legacy
Two of the league's most imposing inside linebackers both happen to wear No. 52. This story is about the other one. Patrick Willis of the San ...

Ravens-49ers: Which brother wins?
The San Francisco 49ers never have tasted defeat in a Super Bowl, going 5-0. It's the most impressive mark for any franchise in the big game.

Lewis tells Harbaugh 'nothing to' report
Ravens coach John Harbaugh says star linebacker Ray Lewis assured him "there's nothing to" a magazine report linking him to a company that makes ...