02/03 — My perch at University of Phoenix Stadium for Super Bowl XLII is in the auxiliary pressbox, midway up the upper level of the place, off what I think is the southwestern corner of the field. It should be off the near right end zone as you watch on the TV screen. Just thought you'd like to know.

The Patriots and Giants finished their stretching and their half-speed plays and have left the field, and now George Toma's ground crew is carefully picking up all stray bits of refuse off the immaculate grass field.

The stadium, especially with the retractable roof still closed — and, I'm guessing, it will remain closed with rain passing through the Valley of the Sun this afternoon and tonight — is loud, not just with loud music but with the whoops and chatter of fans dressed predominantly in some combination of red, white and blue.

The inactives have been announced. For the Giants, they are former Jets practice squad RB Danny Ware, DB Geoffrey Pope, T Adam Koets, DT Manny Wright, WR Sinorice Moss (younger brother of former Jets WR Santana Moss), TE Jerome Collins and DT Russell Davis. Jared Lorenzen is the third quarterback

For the Patriots, the IAs are WRs Troy Brown and Chad Jackson, CB Antwain Spann, O-linemen Wesley Britt and Billy Yates, TE Stephen Spach and DL Santonio Thomas, just signed yesterday from the Pats' practice squad. The third QB is rookie Matt Gutierrez.

We've got about a half-hour to kickoff, to what the narrator on the NFL Films Video production that aired on the end zone video boards not long ago said was "a perfect season or a perfect upset."