"Sunday christens the official launch of Super Bowl Week. The NFL would appreciate the capital W on that and tell you the event officially commencing the seven-day countdown is the annual all-star game out in Hawaii, the Pro Bore.

Sorry, Freud. I meant Pro Bowl.

Leading off your Super Bowl Week with the Pro Bowl is like leading off your International Film Festival with a retrospective appreciation of Heaven's Gate.

This is the game players claim to be honored to be selected for but don't wish to actually play in. For example, Steelers safety Ryan Clark, upon making his first Pro Bowl, replied, "I wasn't too terribly excited or anything" — a mind-set held by most fans as well.

Moving the game a week ahead of the Super Bowl was itself a shot to the foot by erasing from the Pro Bowl the best players from the two best teams. So many other players drop out with sudden "injuries" that myriad replacements are needed. It gets ridiculous. I hear the AFC roster just added Don Strock.

Last year, the NFC won 55-41. (Hopefully this year they'll let a few defensive players on the field.)

The Pro Bowl is so superfluous, we might as well swivel attention immediately to the Patriots-Giants Super Bowl in Indianapolis, the buildup to which may be summarized in three words:

Manning oh Manning!"