INDIANAPOLIS -- Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and the other New York Giants receivers can’t wait to go against the New England Patriots’ Julian Edelman in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
And why not? The wide receiver-return man also plays in the secondary, a position he’s still learning.
Mario Manningham, for one, says it’ll be a mismatch in New York’s favor any time he or his fellow wideouts are covered by the former Kent State quarterback.
“He plays wide receiver,” Manningham said. “He’s not a real defensive back. Did he get drafted as a defensive back? We have a little bond going on knowing that we can beat somebody. We’re confident. I hope he’s out there.”
Cruz, the Giants’ leading receiver with 82 catches for 1,536 yards and nine TDs, said Edelman will be targeted.
“I see he’s very raw at that position, obviously, because it’s not his dominant position, but he’s quick, he’s fast, and he carries over a lot of the receiver stuff over to (cornerback), so we’ll see how it goes,” Cruz said. “Obviously, it’s going to be a position and an area that we’ll test out really early and see how it goes and how the game flows.”
Edelman said he’ll simply focus on the task at hand.
“It’s ultimately a foreign thing for me,” he said. “You’re doing everything backwards, from covering a guy to terminology on the defensive side of the ball. You have different terms. It’s like a different language from seeing things backwards on the track so it’s definitely been a good experience for the coaches and the players surrounding me has helped me out a bunch.”
ROB GRONKOWSKI -- Another practice, another day of progress for the Patriots’ tight end.
Gronkowski was listed as questionable for the Super Bowl after moving without a limp as New England walked through their offensive plays.
AHMAD BRADSHAW -- The Giants’ running back missed practice because of a sore right foot.
Coach Tom Coughlin listed Bradshaw as probable for Sunday’s game and said he expects him to play. Bradshaw has a broken bone in his right foot and it was sore after two days of practice at the University of Indianapolis’ practice bubble.
COMMISSIONER -- Sorry, Los Angeles. The only NFL expansion happening anytime soon is to next season’s schedule of Thursday night games.
During his annual Super Bowl news conference, Commissioner Roger Goodell said that adding to the league’s 32 teams “has not been on our agenda” and that he doesn’t “see that in the foreseeable future.”
Every club will appear on prime-time TV in 2012, thanks in part to new Thursday games that now will be scheduled from Week 2 through Week 15. All but Week 12 will be on the NFL Network.
