With Peyton Manning sitting in the coaches box during games, it's not going to happen anyway, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believes the people of Indianapolis are better off if the hometown Colts fail to make the Super Bowl.
Roger Goodell told the Indianapolis Star he thinks Naptown would benefit more economically if two out-of-town clubs play in Super Bowl 46. The NFL has never had a franchise from a host city play in its own stadium for the big game.
The horseshoes are off to an 0-3 start, with Kerry Collins and Curtis Painter filling in for Manning. Collins, who the Colts pulled off the retirement scrap heap, has guided 17 first-half drives that have resulted in five field goals. Painter may take over as soon as this weekend.
The commissioner is very worried about the lack of hotels in Indy. Indianapolis has 64.5 percent fewer hotel rooms (7,100) than the average host city (more than 20,000).
The commissioner also tells the Indy Star he's worried about mother nature in early February. "Nobody knows what the weather will be," Goodell said.
With more and more fans looking to save a few bucks during the terrible economic times, Goodell believes keeping stadiums packed on game days is the biggest challenge facing the NFL. More fans are picking a combination of TV, radio and Internet to follow the action. "It's a great experience on an iPad," Goodell said. "The challenge is that the experience is so great on those devices, how do we get people into the stadiums?"
