Andre Tippett, the New England Patriots all-time leader in career sacks with 100, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on a beautiful 65-degree sunny day in Phoenix on Saturday.

Tippett, who holds the team's three top single-season sack numbers (18.5 in 1984, 16.5 in 1985 and 12.5 in 1987), will enter the Hall along with wide receiver Art Monk, defensive back Darrell Green, offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman, defensive end Fred Dean and cornerback Emmitt Thomas.

Saturday was a light day for the Super Bowl XLII participants. The New York Giants held a 50-minute walk-through at University of Phoenix Stadium and wide receiver Plaxico Burress, unable to practice this week because of ankle and knee troubles, participated fully.

The Patriots did not hold a walk-through. Instead, they posed for a team photo at the stadium, which resembles a giant silver spaceship that landed in the desert.

The forecast for Sunday calls for rain during the game, so the roof will likely be closed.

The countdown has begun. Both teams held their final practices Friday afternoon and issued the Injury Report for Super Bowl XLII.

Plaxico Burress, the Giants big-play wide receiver who predicted a 23-17 Giants victory, was listed as questionable on New York’s Injury Report with knee and ankle injuries. That means he has a 50-50 chance to play.

The ankle has been a problem all season for Burress, who didn’t practice regularly until the last four weeks. The knee swelled up on Tuesday.

The good news for Giants fans is that Burress did run a few pass routes on Friday, the first time this week he’s been able to participate in practice.

“He’s improved,’’ said Coughlin. “He’s done it all year under all kinds of circumstances. We’ve just got to be hopeful he can do it one more time.’’

Giants cornerback Kevin Dockery (hip flexor), guard Rich Seubert (knee) and defensive end Osi Umenyiora (thigh) were all listed as probable.

The Patriots Injury Report listed, as always, quarterback Tom Brady as probable with a right shoulder injury. But wide receiver Jabar Gaffney, who was limited in practice the previous two days because of a shoulder injury, was not listed on the report.

The Patriots practiced for 80 minutes in shorts and shells Friday. Afterward, Belichick said, “We’re ready to roll. We’re ready as we’re going to be.’’

Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, who made the rounds of Radio Row earlier in the day, spoke to the team before practice at Belichick’s request. Brown got to know Belichick when he was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Coughlin described the Giants practice as energetic and enthusiastic. "We talked about coming here and having a solid six hours together,'' he said. "We had that each day we worked.''

Saturday is an off-day, with the Giants having a walk-though at the stadium. The Patriots are skipping it.

We'll next report Sunday in pre-game. Check in then.

Reebok, which likes to let everyone know that it outfits every NFL team, did something no one else could this week – brought together some members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only team in NFL history to finish a season undefeated when they went 17-0, to Phoenix.

Four members – running backs Mercury Morris and Jim Kiick, kicker Garo Yepremian and guard Larry Little – held a sometimes hilarious half-hour press conference to talk about the prospects of the Patriots joining them in NFL history.

The sat next to a sign for Perfectville, a soon-to-be fictious town created by Reebok and the focus of a television commercial to be shown after the Super Bowl. The town was established in 1972. Its population is 1.

As you might guess, none of them picked the Patriots to win.

Kick had one of the best lines, saying that he's been asked, hypothetically, if they could beat the Patriots. "Of course not, we're 60 years old,'' he said.

Morris, as he has been all season, was the most passionate of the four, defending the Dolphins' record. Asked if the Patriots finish 19-0 would they be considered the greatest team of all time. Morris said the number of wins didn't matter. "It''s about the zero at the end.''

Morris did say the Patriots have made his 1972 teammates relevant again. "The reason why we're here now is the exact same reason. We live in the state of perfection. And they're trying to get it on their license plate. And we'll find out on Sunday, when all the talking stops, whether or not they'll be riding around our neighborhood, or whether they'll be able to park.''

Little had a good line when asked if he would embrace the Patriots should they go undefeated. "We'll be 1-A, they'll be 1-B. They'll be like our little brother.''

Coughlin's press conference was much lighter than Belichick's, sharing some laughs with the assembled media. Unlike Belichick, who walked away from the podium when his press conference ended, Coughlin posed with the Vince Lombardi Trophy, smiling and holding a Giants helmet.

Asked about Plaxico Burress and his injured left ankle/knee, Coughlin said it's a day-to-day situation. "He was better yesterday than he was the day before and hopefully he'll be even better today.''

Asked about the difference in Super Bowl experience between the teams – New England has 20 players with experience, the Giants three – Coughlin said: "There's no question about the experience factor, but the young people bring something to the game as well. They bring an exhuberance, an excitement.''

We'll have another update if anything happens. Otherwise, we might be off until Game Day.

Stay tuned.

Well, before we get into what Bill Belichick had to say two days before the Super Bowl, it should be noted that football royalty arrived at the Media Center.

Jim Brown, the Hall of Fame running back from the Cleveland Browns (and possibly the greatest running back in NFL history), just made his way toward Radio Row and everyone else parted.

On to Belichick. He spoke for about 18 minutes, didn't have much to say (as usual) and didn't pose with the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which was positioned about five feet to his right.

Some of the things he said:

Asked about his relationship with the Giants: "I have the greatest respect for that organization. But I'm on the other side of the field now and there's no way I'm pulling for them.''

On whether the regular-season game between the teams will matter: "Each game takes on its own personality. I know we hope we can hold them to less than 35 points this game, just as I'm sure they hope they can hold us to less than 38.''

On how the team has maintained its dominance this season: "Give the players all the credit. They deserve it.''

Giants Coach Tom Coughlin is up next. We'll let you know what he has to say.

Good morning from the Valley of the Sun, where it was 36 degrees at wake-up Friday. Can't believe I'm actually wearing gloves and a fleece vest.

Anyway, here's what's on tap for Friday: Players are unavailable to the media. We get press conferences with the head coaches, Bill Belichick first and then Tom Coughlin, and we'll let you know what, if anything, they have to say.

Check back later.

By the way, the price of gas is much cheaper here. I've seen it as low as $2.81 a gallon for regular unleaded.

Tom Brady's ankle must be all right. For the second consecutive day, he was listed on the New England Patriots Injury Report as having full participation in practice with his right shoulder listed as an injury (as always).

Wide receiver Jabar Gaffney, meanwhile, once again had limited participation in practice with a shoulder injury.

One change on the Giants Injury report: wide receiver Plaxico Burress once again did not participate, but he had a knee injury listed as well as an ankle injury.

Cornerback Kevin Dockery and guard Rich Seubert, both with limited participation on Wednesday, had full participation on Thursday.

The Patriots once again practiced in full pads and, unlike Wednesday, had a crisp, clean session.

"Another day always helps,'' said Coach Bill Belichick. "These guys care. They want to practice well. When we make mistakes we've got to correct them. They want to get it right the next time.''

Belichick added that the team was close to being ready for the Giants.

"We'll review some stuff (Friday),'' he said. "There won't be hardly anything new. Just reviewing situations. We're as ready as we're going to be. We could spend four weeks preparing for the Giants. But we'll be ready to go.''

Once again, a chill is in the air in lovely Phoenix. 38 degrees when we awoke to head to the Patriots interview session on Thursday!

This is the last time the media gets to interview the players before Super Bowl XLII.

Head coach Bill Belichick had an interesting comment when asked who the best quarterback was that he ever saw. We all know his affinity for Tom Brady. But he didn't want to come out and annoint Brady in the middle of his career.

So he mentioned Johnny Unitas, noting that he grew up in Annapolis and watched the Baltimore Colts many times.

He also said that, "as a pure passer, you couldn't put anyone ahead of Bert Jones.'' Jones also played for the Colts.

Belichick later posed for photos with some young fans after the press conference ended.

Brady, wearing a gray zipped-up sweater, was asked about left guard Logan Mankins and at one point offered this: "When there's a fight at practice, Logan's involved, along with Richard Seymour.''

Seymour said that's true: "It's our competitive spirits. We both play with an attitude.''

Brady was also asked if this was the biggest game of his life. His response: "I think it's the biggest game of all our lives. We're going to be remembering this game for as long as we live, win or lose.''

Gino Cappaletti, one of the Patriots' greatest all-time players and now the color analyst on their radio network, was also present. He said he's never seen an offense quite like New England's, which set NFL records for points and touchdowns in a season.

"Not with this kind of precision,'' he said. "It's like 11 parts moving as one.''

We'll try to update later today with the Thursday Injury Report and practice reports from both clubs.

Once more, greetings from the Valley of the Sun, where it's about 60 degrees today and sunny, though more rain is in the forecast.

A couple of observations before we get into what was said at the New England Patriots interview session on Wednesday.

1. The sun rises later here than in Maine. It was 7:15 a.m. before it peaked over the horizon today. It also sets a little later, but I'm never outside to see that.

2. It's not as warm as you'd think. Temperatures were in the low 40s this morning as we left for the interview session. Locals say this is the coldest it's been all year. Figures. Just like in Houston and Jacksonville, the last two Patriots Super Bowl sites.

3. Most houses here are one-story, have small yards and many have orange trees growing in their backyard.

4. Palm trees and cacti, some as tall as 15 feet, line every street and highway.

Okay, on to what was said and seen:

Wide receiver Randy Moss, a free agent once the season ends, said he wants to stay with the Patriots. What else would he say?

"I still love doing what I do,'' he said. "And being here with the New England Patriots is where I want to be. I would love to retire a Patriot.''

Head Coach Bill Belichick, wearing his son's No. 23 Rutgers lacrosse windbreaker, has his players running on Mountain Time. He likes the fact that the starting time out here is at 4 p.m., not 6 p.m., as it is back home. "It shortens the time leading up to the game,'' he said.

Moss, talking about Giants' receiver Plaxico Burress' prediction of a 23-17 New York victory, said, "Those are tough words to back up. We'll see when the clock shows 00:00 on Sunday.''

Dante Scarnecchia, the offensive line coach, on how well his unit played this year: "I became a better coach, and they became better players, when No. 12 became the quarterback.''

Well: A little less crazy at the Giants portion of Media Day. Fewer journalists.

Seems the Patriots are still the big story out here.

The Giants seemed relaxed, but also seemed a little tired of hearing about the Patriots and their historic quest to go 19-0. "We're here to play a football game,'' said defensive end Justin Tuck. "I don't care about history.''

Defensive end Osi Umenyiora was having a little fun at Tom Brady's expense. Asked about Brady and his injured right ankle, Umenyiora said, "I think he needs a rest. His ankle is still bothering him. He already has three Super Bowl rings. He doesn't need another. I do. So they should rest him.''

Eli Manning talked about asking big brother Peyton for any advice.

"Watch film,'' Peyton told him.

Head coach Tom Coughlin noted that injured tight end Jeremy Shockey sent him a test message recently telling him how proud Shockey was of the team and how much he missed being here in Phoenix.

And, yes, if you were watching this unfold on television, that was someone dressed as a genie asking questions. Just goes to show you they'll let anyone in.

And, an update from this morning. Ines Gomezmont, the intrepid television correspondent from TVAzteca in Mexico City, was still walking around in her skimpy wedding gown, looking for attention. (See Ines here.)

No word on whether she actually asked Eli Manning to marry her, but her gig worked. She was being interviewed by just about every television network there.

OK, the madness has officially begun here in Glendale/Phoenix.

Here's some sights and sounds from a cool New England Patriots session during media day at University of Phoenix Stadium:

Good morning from Phoenix, where the sun is out and the high temperature is supposed to be 61 today.

The toughest thing about being here is the time change, especially when you wake up at 4:30 a.m. There's not a whole lot open that time of the day.

Today is Media Day, when every player and coach from both the New England Patriots and New York Giants is available to the media.

The Patriots go first, from noon to 1 p.m. at the University of Phoenix Stadium. The Giants follow from 2-3 p.m.

By the way, a record 4,786 media credentials have been issued for Super Bowl XLII. And based on the questions asked during the early interview sessions, it's obvious a lot of these media members have never seen either team play.

We'll report a couple of times today on what's happening at Media Day, which always has its share of surprises.

Both teams held media sessions Monday afternoon and wide receiver Wes Welker had the comment of the day when asked about how Tom Brady looked at practice.

Welker, always a serious sort, said, "Well, Tom is Tom and he is one of the best quarterbacks around. He looked great. He has the same dimples and everything.''

The New York Giants landed in Phoenix Monday evening – a day later than the Patriots – all dressed in black.

"Team unity,'' said wide receiver Amani Toomer. "That's all it is.''

The Giants were relaxed and having fun during a press conference, even Coach Tom Coughlin.

Asked about the upcoming media circus that will greet his team, Coughlin said, "We're from New York. This is like a normal day New York-media wise.''

He was asked what the secret of New York's 10-game road winning streak was and answered, "We have a lot of secrets we can't share with you.''

He added that the team arrived a day later than the Patriots because "we thought we were best served by doing as much as we could at home.''

The players were equally relaxed, answering questions long after NFL officials declared the interview session over.

Defensive end Michael Strahan asked about the reports that Brady limped through the Patriots practice said, "I'm not buying it. I mean, everybody's injured, everybody's beat up. If he was that injured, he probably would have been in Boston getting treatment instead of in New York.''

Strahan, who held out of training camp, was asked if he thought the Giants would ever get to this point. He said, "Let's see, we were 0-2, (giving up) 80 points and I'm thinking why did I leave the beach?''

Linebacker Antonio Pierce said he wasn't even thinking about the possibility of the Patriots making history, going 19-0, against the Giants.

"To me, it's always about us,'' he said. "We're here to make our own history this week.''

Just some things to chew on while counting down the days to Super Bowl XLII:

Each member of the winning Super Bowl XLII team will receive $78,000, a $5,000 increase from the last two Super Bowl winning shares. Members of the losing team will receive $40,000, an increase of $2,000 over last year.
That's not exactly a bad day’s work, eh?

The Patriots have been designated as the home team and are practicing at Arizona State University in Tempe. New England was 10-0 as a home team this year.

The Giants, of course, are the road team, and they've won an NFL-record 10 consecutive road games, including three in the playoffs. New York is practicing at the Arizona Cardinals facility in Tempe.

Anyone tail-gating at Super Bowl XLII will have to do so with cold food. Security measures have banned grills. In a security release on Monday, Super Bowl officials noted that fans “may tailgate near their vehicles with their own food and beverages but may not bring grills. Fans may not take up more than one parking spot and tents are prohibited.’’

Maybe open fires are OK?

The pre-game show will include the music of nine-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys.

Jordin Sparks, who last year became the youngest winner of American Idol, will sing the national anthem. Her father, Phillippi Sparks was a cornerback for the Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, a top rock band since their debut album in 1976, will provide the halftime entertainment. The group is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.