As the countdown to the Super Bowl approaches, here are 25 things to consider. Some are relevant, some are quirky, but all are easier to digest than what will be left of the wings by the fourth quarter.

In this report, we'll examine why Eli Manning is no longer on a certain list with Michael Vick, which one of the Patriots has plans to make Alabama a little sweeter and what's behind Laurence Maroney's lifelong nickname.

1. The only time Peyton Manning saw his brother play in person this season was when Eli threw four interceptions (three of which were returned for touchdowns) in a Giants 41-17 loss to Minnesota. At Eli's request, though, Peyton will be in the stands on Sunday.

2. Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes' brother will not be in the stands. He's in a federal prison until 2026 for running a marijuana smuggling ring.

3. Manning will become the seventh quarterback drafted No. 1 overall since 1967 to start a Super Bowl. Name the other six. For triple extra credit, name the nine who have

not started a Supe. Answer below.

4. The price of a 30-second commercial is $2.7 million, which is $90,000 per second and more than 171 times the 42 grand it cost for a spot in Super Bowl I.

5. Pete Eisenmen, the architect of the stadium hosting the Super Bowl, has been a Giants season-ticketholder since 1957.

6. The Giants' Jerry Reese is the first African-American general manager to lead a team to the Supe. He never played in the NFL, but he was a star defensive back at the University of Tennessee-Martin. He worked himself up from the team's scouting department.

7. Randy Moss' production has dipped significantly since the Eagles game in Week 12. The Patriots' star receiver has 34 catches for 473 yards in the last eight games after posting 66 grabs for 1,052 over the first 10. He has two catches for 32 yards total in the Pats' two playoff games.

8. Patriots running back Laurence Maroney is nicknamed Kool-Aid. Seems when he was a kid he tried to douse a fire with the refreshment, but the sugar only made the problem worse.

9. Maroney's carries the last three games are 19, 22 and 25, which is easily the most work he's gotten over a three-game stretch all season.

10. Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker kicked a 57-yard field goal in high school and set a record at Texas Tech with eight touchdowns on punt returns.

11. The Giants have won 10 consecutive road games and are the designated road team on Sunday.

12. Patriots fullback Heath Evans, who opened holes for Rudi Johnson at Auburn, plans to open Dunkin' Donuts franchises in Alabama after his playing days are over. The reason is simple. The closest Dunkin' Donuts to Auburn is 30 miles away in Georgia.

13. Vegas is expecting a record handle for Sunday's game because a New York team is involved and because the Patriots are so popular among bettors. The record for legal bets placed on a Super Bowl is the $94.5 million set two years ago when Pittsburgh beat and covered the spread against Seattle.

14. Giants rookie tight end Kevin Boss originally went to Western Oregon to play basketball and decided to give football a try only on a whim. He's been huge since starter Jeremy Shockey broke his leg in Week 15.

15. The Patriots have nine different offensive starters from the last time they won the Super Bowl a mere three years ago. Quarterback Tom Brady and center Dan Koppen are the only holdovers.

16. Koppen attended Whitehall High in Lehigh Valley, the same school that produced Matt Millen. Kyle Eckel, a Patriots special-teamer out of Episcopal Academy, is playing in his first Super Bowl. Ditto for safety Ray Ventrone, out of Villanova. For the Giants, tackle Kareem McKenzie played at Willingboro High.

17. Amani Toomer and Michael Strahan are the only Giants left who played in the Super Bowl XXXV loss to Baltimore following the 2000 season. New York thumped Minnesota, 41-0, in the NFC title game to get to that Supe. "I think we were a little extra high on ourselves," Toomer remembered. "We thought we were just going to walk in there and blow them out 41-0 as well."

18. The Giants defense led the league with 53 sacks, but had just one in their Week 17 meeting with the Patriots.

19. The No. 91 on the back of the Patriots' helmet is a tribute to reserve defensive lineman Marquise Hill, who drowned in May. Jarvis Green, a close friend of Hill's, wore his fallen teammate's shoulder pads in a regular-season game against the Cowboys.

20. University of Phoenix Stadium has a retractable roof and cost $455 million to build. By comparison, Lincoln Financial Field cost $512 million.

21. The Giants are the NFC's first wild-card team to reach the Super Bowl since the 1975 Cowboys, who lost to the Steelers, 21-17.

22. The previous six quarterbacks drafted No. 1 to start a Super Bowl are Terry Bradshaw, Jim Plunkett, John Elway, Troy Aikman, Drew Bledsoe and Peyton Manning. The nine QBs picked No. 1 since 1967 who

haven't started are Steve Bartkowski, Vinny Testaverde, Jeff George, Tim Couch, Michael Vick, David Carr, Carson Palmer, Alex Smith and JaMarcus Russell.

23. Patriots backup quarterback Matt Cassel had 192 passing yards in his college career. That's not a typo. He was a backup at USC to Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart and now he's sitting behind Tom Brady. Jared Lorenzen is the Giants' backup QB.

24. Bob Griese, who quarterbacked the undefeated 1972 Dolphins, missed a portion of that season with a broken leg. He remembers life being a little different than Tom Brady's. "I don't know who the hot chicks and movie actresses were back then that we were supposed to be running around with. I had a boot on my leg, but no paparazzi came around with me."

25. The Dolphins were one-point favorites over Washington in that Super Bowl. The undefeated Patriots, at 12 points, are the largest favorites since the Rams laid 14 to New England in Supe 36. The Patriots won that game outright for their first Super Bowl title.