Editor’s Note: DenverBroncos.com’s Stuart Zaas is in Indianapolis working for the NFL during Super Bowl week. He will check in from time to time with updates leading up to the game on Sunday.

INDIANAPOLIS– With the arrival of the New York Giants in Indianapolis just before 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon, both teams are present and ready to get to work in their second week of preparation for Super Bowl XLVI. The New England Patriots arrived on Sunday evening and used Monday to get in a practice session at the Indianapolis Colts practice facility. The Giants will practice at the University of Indianapolis.

BROADCASTING LIVE

The massive amount of media members covering the game continued to build on Monday with radio stations starting their live broadcasts from the media center. NFL Network also began its live coverage from Indianapolis on Monday, which will continue throughout the week leading up to Sunday’s 6:30 p.m. EST (4:30 p.m. MST) kickoff.

Two local stations are broadcasting live from Indianapolis this week — FM 104.3 The Fan and FM 102.3 ESPN are both set up among the 107 different stations that are broadcasting from radio row in the NFL Media Center.

GIANTS ARRIVE

The New York Giants’ charter flight landed at Indianapolis International Airport on Monday afternoon, meaning that both teams are now present in Indianapolis (New England arrived on Sunday).

“We’re very happy to be here and it’s an exciting time in all our lives,” Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin said upon arriving. “We’ve been in anticipation of this, in coming out here to Indianapolis, of getting started on this wonderful Super Bowl week, of conducting our meetings and practices here and acclimating our players to the surroundings…We’re excited to get things started.”

Quarterback Eli Manning talked to the team after its NFC Championship win over San Francisco, drawing on his past experience in the Super Bowl to help keep the team focused.

“We had just come off a big win,” Manning said. “We were excited about going to the Super Bowl. Our families were excited, there were a lot of things going on. I just wanted to make sure guys knew the importance of the practices last week.”

PATRIOTS HIT THE FIELD

The Patriots held their first practice of the week Monday at the Indianapolis Colts practice facility. The team practiced in pads in the morning before watching film in the afternoon.

“I think we got a few things done,” Head Coach Bill Belichick said. “It’s good to get underway down here.”

New England will continue their preparation for the Giants that they started last week. But even with two weeks to prepare, Belichick acknowledges it’s not easy.

“The Giants are a tough team to prepare for,” Belichick said. “They really do a good job with all of the different schemes they have, and the players they have present a big challenge for us.”

COACHING CONNECTION

When the Patriots and Giants take the field Sunday for Super Bowl XLVI, Belichick will look across the field and see a coach he formerly worked with — Tom Coughlin.

Belichick and Coughlin worked together under former Giants coach Bill Parcells from 1987-90. During that time, Belichick served as defensive coordinator while Coughlin coached the receivers.

“What we did was, early on there was a certain amount of competitiveness about the positions and the interaction of the positions,” Coughlin said.

However, as they worked more and more alongside each other, the coaches would feed off each other to do the best they can to prepare their team.

“We helped each other and would act as each other’s scout squad,” Coughlin said. “We would take advantage during training camp of any opportunity we were given to work against each other, whether it be red zone work, one-on-one, or whatever. We would show him the design that he wanted to see, and he would show us the coverage that he wanted to see.”

As a result of working together under Parcells, Belichick sees a lot of of his former coach in the current Giants coach.

“He was fair, but firm, like he is now,” Belichick said. “Tom is a good guy, and he has a good sense of humor….On the practice field and the game field, you have a job to do. There is a lot of Bill Parcells in that too. He is demanding. He has high expectations.”

LOOKING AHEAD

The largest media spectacle of the week will take place on Tuesday with Media Day at Lucas Oil Stadium. New England is scheduled for their photo and interview availability from 10-11 a.m. and the Giants will follow from 12 – 1 p.m. For the first time in Super Bowl history, tickets were sold to the public for the event.

-Stuart Zaas and Kenny Legan

Tags: Super Bowl XLVI

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