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Warren Sapp of NFL Network said during the network's media day coverage that he does not believe that Dwight Freeney will play when the Indianapolis Colts take on the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV.He says that due to the lack of a compression wrap around his ankle that the Colts have basically given up on his treatment. When asked by host Rich Eisen if it was possible that he was perhaps taking this hour at media day to just be casual about it, Sapp nearly laughed him out of the building.
Sapp makes a point when he says that treatment has to be around the clock if he has any shot of playing in the Super Bowl, and that even taking an hour off will have devastating results when it comes game time.
Freeney said that whether he plays or not will come down to a "coach's decision," so it does not sound good for the prolific pass-rusher.
On the other side of the coin, Deion Sanders said that he believes Freeney is far too competitive to miss the Super Bowl, sprained ankle or not. That could just be a gut feeling for Deion, while Sapp's observation is an educated guess, but it just adds more mystery around Freeney entering this game.
Earlier in the week ESPN's Mark Schlereth also said he thought Freeney would play, but that he would be used sparingly. So really we've got three different guys, all former players, with three different opinions of the situation.
It's just another sub-plot in what should be one of the greatest offensive battles the Super Bowl has ever seen.
Note: If Freeney is unable to go, Raheem Brock will start in his place.
