Patriots All-Pro outside linebacker Mike Vrabel wore Andre Tippett’s red No. 56 jersey for the start of practice Wednesday at Arizona State University. The nod of respect from the current playmaker to his predecessor is an effort to bring even more publicity to Tippett’s Hall of Fame candidacy. Tippett is one of 17 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2008. The panel of media members that selects the Hall class will vote this Saturday morning and the Class of 2008 will be anounced later that afternoon on an NFL Network special. It says here that Tippett, who was also a finalist last year, finally gets in. It’s a long overdue honor.

PATRIOTS POOL REPORT FROM DAN POMPEI OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE:

Quarterback Tom Brady’s injured ankle was not much of an issue during the Patriots practice Wednesday.

Brady participated in all phases of practice and moved better than he did Monday. He did not have his ankle taped outside of his shoe and he was not limping noticeably.  The Patriots did not list Brady’s ankle on the injury report.

Asked about how Brady moved, coach Bill Belichick said, “Everybody practiced. They’re fine.”
    
Wide Receiver Jabar Gaffney’s participation in practice was limited because of a shoulder injury, however.
    
Though Brady did not appear affected by his ankle, the passing game was a little uneven. Asked about the practice, Belichick said, “I’ve seen better. There’s always things to work on. We have plenty of them.”

In a two hour practice at Sun Devil Stadium under sunny skies, the Patriots wore pads for the first time this week. “We tried to get the tempo up a little bit and we did that,” Belichick said.   
   
The sideline was more crowded than usual. Former Patriots coach Chuck Fairbanks was in attendance, as were Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Curt Menefee, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, Pam Oliver, Chris Myers and others from the Fox crew.

Following is a list of injured players for Super Bowl XLII (February 3): 

I urge Patriots fans to check out this week’s “PFW in Progress” radio shows on Patriots.com. Yesterday we had Patriots president Jonathan Kraft and soon-to-be Pro Football Hall of Famer Andre Tippett as guests. Today we had living legend Gino Cappelletti and Gil Santos, the voices of the team on the WBCN Rock Radio Network.

Gil talked about his chance to make an historic radio call this Sunday night at University of Phoenix Stadium. Cappelletti, who has been with the team since the days of the AFL as a player, coach and broadcaster, reflected on the transformation of the team and the overall Super Bowl exerpience over the last 42 years.

I urge all Patriots fans to check out the show and the interviews. We’ll continue to broadcast from the team hotel, the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa, over the next two days. Check it out.

OK, apparently that first one was too easy. Congratulations to … well … everyone. The answer I was looking for was New England’s Mike Woicik, the player or coach with the most Super Bowl rings. But yes, Neal Dahlen, a front office executive, has a total of 7 from his days with the 49ers and Broncos.

So, let’s try another one.

A number of musical acts have performed the national anthem more than once at the Super Bowl. But who is the only solo artist to have done it twice?

Every kid dreams of scoring the game-winning touchdown and being the hero of the Super Bowl. Dan Koppen was no different.

 The Patriots center said he always dreamed of catching the winning TD pass in the Super Bowl but there was at least one thing that prevented it. “I wasn’t the skinniest guy growing up so I never had the chance to be a skilled guy,” Koppen said with a smirk.

 But he did concoct a scenario in which he could be the hero. “First we’d have to make sure I was uncovered at the end of the line so all the linemen would have to go to one side to make me eligible,” he said while making a wiping motion with his hands to indicate he would be an eligible receiver. “Then they could send me out for a pass … but I don’t think that would work. We do some pretty funky stuff, but I don’t think Bill would go for that.”

The Giants players all wore black suits to Arizona. It’s believed they all donned black as a sign of team unity but word broke today that the color was chosen because the Giants players were mourning the death of the Patriots dynasty. On Wednesday, some of the players offered differing opinions on the subject:

LB Kawika Mitchell: “Yeah, that’s one way to put it. I think black lets you know that we’re here for business, that we’re here for a reason. We’re not here for a celebration. There’s nothing to celebrate yet. I’ve been wearing the black everyday this week. It’s really just a mindset for me. It’s all business and that’s why I’m here. I’m not here to party, I’m not here to play around. I’m here to win the game.”

S James Butler: “No, that’s not true (laughing). It’s all about team unity. The guys felt like we all wanted to be in black to make a statement. And we were looking real clean in our all black too. It’s all for unity. It has nothing to do with the New England Patriots. It’s all about us.”

LB Reggie Torbor: “Where did you get that from? We just wore all black because we’re going to a special occasion. We wanted to wear the proper attire so that’s why we wore the all black. It’s going to be a celebration Sunday.”

KR Domenik Hixon: “No comment on that one. If we win on Sunday, I’ll tell you all about the black suits.”

Wes Welker was asked Wednesay morning at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa if he had any regrets or was upset that his career didn’t continue in Miami after catching 60-plus balls for the teams last season.

“No,” Welker responded, almost cutting the questioner off. ”It was a great opportunity.”

Another interesting note out of Welker’s comments came when he acknowledged similarities between the offense he played in under Mike Leach under Texas Tech and the pass happy attack the Patriots used this season.

 ”Absolutely. They are very similar in a lot of ways,” Welker said. ”It definitely prepared me and got me ready to get ready to play at the next level.”

OK, Patriot Nation, how ’bout a little friendly competition … from now till Super Bowl Sunday, we’ll post a Super Bowl-related trivia question here on the blog. The reader(s) with the correct answer will get bragging rights and a mention on the next day’s posting.

Here’s the first question:

Which NFL player and/or coach, past or present, owns the most Super Bowl rings?

Giants RB Reuben Droughns was asked about the Patriots defense this season and he compared it to the offense of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens.

“They don’t make mistakes defensively,” Droughns said. “I think the Patriots are like, if I can reflect to a different team, I would say the Baltimore team. It’s just opposite roles this time where the offense is really the strong point and the defense just tries to not make mistakes. When the Ravens won the Super Bowl back in 2000, their defense was great but the offense went out there to not make mistakes. That’s what the Patriots defense is. They’re just going out there trying to not make mistakes and let the offense do its job.”

Droughns did have high praise for the senior member of New England’s defense. When asked if Rodney Harrison was the key to what the Patriots do defensively, Droughns replied, “I think Harrison is an aggressive player but in my eyes, Junior Seau is the key to the defense. He’s the guy the other players really look up to and respect around that locker room. I think he’s definitely the key to their success.”