NFL notes: Injured Freeney may not play for Colts

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 told reporters after arriving in South Florida. "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 reiterated the team's position, saying Freeney has a third-degree, low-ankle sprain and is improving.

A week after team president Bill Polian said Freeney would play, he now says the player's chance of seeing action was 50-50.

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 this week."

BEARS HIRE OC: Mike Martz, the headstrong coach who orchestrated "The Greatest Show on Turf" while molding Kurt Warner into a Pro Bowl quarterback with the St. Louis Rams, is the Chicago Bears' new offensive coordinator.

Martz's hiring Monday ended a nearly monthlong search to replace the fired Ron Turner. His job is to turn around a struggling offense and get the most out of Jay Cutler after the quarterback and team failed to meet high expectations this season.

NOVACEK'S WIFE FOUND DEAD: The wife of former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek has been found dead in a home.

Burleson, Texas, spokeswoman Sally Ellertson says police in the Fort Worth suburb responded to a call of a possible suicide early Monday.

The Tarrant County medical examiner identified the woman as 45-year-old LeAnne Novacek, whose home address was listed in the nearby town of Joshua.

PRO BOWL RATINGS UP: The Pro Bowl's new, earlier date resulted in more viewers tuning in to the NFL's all-star game.

Sunday's AFC-NFC matchup on ESPN was watched by an average of 12.3 million viewers, the most since 2000. That's up 40 percent from last year's Pro Bowl on NBC, which drew 8.8 million viewers when the event was held after the Super Bowl.