• I found some common ground this week with the Colts' Hunter "The Punter'' Smith. We both think that Peyton Manning MasterCard commercial, where Peyton exults after getting that restaurant worker's apron tossed to him, represents his finest work on the small screen.

"I love that one,'' Smith said. "Just the way he catches the apron and goes, 'Yes! Yes!' Peyton's generally a funny guy. He's probably telling the producers, 'Hey, let me run that one again. I can do it better.' ''

• Speaking of Smith, he's also the Colts' holder for field goals and extra points. Given the Tony Romo blunder in the first round of the playoffs, holders everywhere have become each other's own little support group. I asked Smith if he felt the NFL's "K balls'' were to blame, and boy did he have an opinion.

"One of the most unfortunate things about our game was the institution of the K ball, that whole rule,'' Smith said. "I do believe that had something to do with Romo dropping that ball. The balls are slick. Lord willing that will never happen to me.''

• Both the Colts and Bears feature a two-back approach on offense, and while I expect Chicago to run the ball more with Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson on Sunday (see Grossman, Rex), something tells me Indy will run it more effectively with the tandem of Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes.

Just the early hunch I'm getting.

• And I don't care what Edgerrin James says about being happy for his ex-teammates in Indianapolis, this week in Miami -- his town -- has be painful on some level for the former Colts-turned-Cardinals running back.

• He didn't say so in so many words, but I do believe Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri admitted this week that he reads my stuff on SI.com. When asked if he felt lucky to be in yet another Super Bowl -- the fifth of his 11-year NFL career -- Vinatieri agreed, adding, "I've got a horseshoe on my helmet and I think I've got another one somewhere else.''

I basically wrote that line three weeks ago. Honest.

• Ah, there's nothing like this time of the year. Forget Super Bowl week. For me, I just love trying to keep track of just how many players have dropped out of the Pro Bowl, citing injuries both real and slightly exaggerated. Can you say "third alternate?''

And yes, guys, we know it's the ultimate honor to be voted in by your peers. But I imagine not quite as much when they didn't vote you in as anything other than an alternate, and you needed two other guys to send in notes from their doctor before you punched your ticket to Hawaii.

• That's one bad flat Mohawk that Colts reserve linebacker Keith O'Neil sports. It looks like a driveway that got partially re-paved before the owners ran out of money.

• Loved the suit on Super Bowl Media Day, Jimmy Irsay. Pinstripes (even those big, wide ones) are back, and those French blue/white collar shirts certainly seemed to bring luck to Patriots owner Bob Kraft at Super Bowls past.

Don Banks covers pro football for SI.com.