Freeney’s status unclear
Ankle injury has forced All-Pro to miss practices
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The hope is that Dwight Freeney will play in Sunday’s Super Bowl for the Indianapolis Colts. The plan is to play the game without him.
After Freeney missed all four practices last week, coach Jim Caldwell said Monday the team was preparing to play without the injured All-Pro defensive end.
“He hasn’t been practicing, so if he’s not practicing, we are preparing to not have him,” Caldwell said after arriving here. “If he can’t go, we’ll do some rotations, and Raheem (Brock) will be a big part of that.”
Freeney is listed as questionable on the team’s injury report with a sprained right ankle. Caldwell said Freeney has a third-degree, low-ankle sprain and is improving.
One report indicated Freeney had torn a ligament and a person close to Freeney told the Associated Press on Sunday that the ankle was “really bad.” The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because his information differed from the team’s.
However, the Colts remain optimistic.
“I’m very hopeful he will play,” quarterback Peyton Manning said. “He has special characteristics about him and I’m counting on those …”
Freeney also has a penchant for disproving conventional wisdom. From the moment the Colts drafted him No. 11 in 2002, he has risen above expectations. He became the first Indy player to win the league sacks title in 2004, with 16, and has produced at least 10 sacks in six of eight NFL seasons.