Quarterback works clock

MIAMI GARDENS -- Preparing for his first Super Bowl in a nine-year career, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning soaked in the moment yesterday.

"I know how hard it is to get here," he said at Dolphin Stadium during media day. "I certainly would have hoped to have been here earlier, but it just didn't work out. You want to take advantage of the opportunity if you can, and that's what we have right now -- an opportunity. It's one that you don't want to take for granted."

Manning said he has sought the advice of past Super Bowl quarterbacks since the Colts beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship, although he didn't reveal if one of them was the Patriots' Tom Brady. Manning and Brady are friends, and are known to exchange e-mails and text messages.

"Some of them I called, some called me, and most of them said the same thing -- try to enjoy the week, try to keep your routine as normal as you can, and do the same things you do in season from a preparation standpoint," Manning said. "That's my goal."

One highlight of the past two weeks was the chance Manning had to catch up with some old friends and coaches. He said he appreciated a long voice mail from former Colts coach Jim Mora, Manning's boss from 1998-2001, as well as a conversation with his high school coach from New Orleans, Tony Reginelli, who suffered a heart attack the night before the AFC Championship game.

"We had a pretty emotional conversation, and he's doing better," Manning said. "During this time, during this week of opportunity that we have, I think about my old coaches who have helped me along the way."

Curious how the Colts adjusted their game plan in the second half to beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship? Tight end Dallas Clark shed some light on those changes, which helped the Colts overcome a 21-6 halftime deficit to post a 38-34 victory. He said the Patriots safeties focused on the outside edges of the field, which was designed to take away the receiving threat of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. So the Colts made it a point to attack the middle, with Clark a big part of the alteration.

"They did a great job in the first half, but we had to change things up and try to get the ball somewhere else, and I think Peyton and the staff found that out and did a great job of adjusting at halftime," said Clark, who caught three passes down the middle for 100 yards in the second half. "We were able to make some plays. I think it really started opening everything else up."

Clark said the Colts didn't make a concerted effort to exploit second-year inside linebacker Eric Alexander, who was making his first career start.

"It's just what was available," he said.

Sometimes the best offense is a good defense. That's the case for the opportunistic Chicago Bears. The Bears scored 427 points during the regular season -- the same as the high-powered Colts -- thanks in large part to an NFL-best 143 points off turnovers.

Chicago, which recorded a league-high 44 turnovers in the regular season, has five in the playoffs and has forced a turnover in 19 straight games, dating to the divisional playoff round loss to the Panthers last season.

The Bears had four takeaways in their 39-14 victory over the Saints in the NFC Championship game, three of which led to points. That doesn't include a safety the defense recorded when it forced Drew Brees to ground the ball from his own end zone.

"We want to create takeaways. We believe that takeaways really impact the game," said Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. "[A turnover] changes the game, changes the momentum of the game."

The success of the Bears' defense, which was third in points allowed (15.9 per game) and fifth in total defense (294.1 yards per game), has made Rivera a head coaching candidate. Rivera was one of three finalists for the Steelers vacancy that went to Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin. He also interviewed for the Cardinals post and is expected to interview for the vacant Cowboys job. Rivera would be only the second coach of Hispanic descent in NFL history. The first was former Raiders and Seahawks coach Tom Flores, who last coached in 1994.

Former Boston College defensive lineman Antonio Garay is enjoying his Super Bowl experience with the Bears. The 6-foot-3-inch, 303-pound defensive tackle was signed by Chicago last season after being waived by the Browns, who drafted him in the sixth round in 2003. He spent all of last season on the practice squad but saw action in four regular-season games this season, notching two tackles and one tackle for a loss. He has not been active for either of Chicago's two playoff games. "We have a tremendous line from top to bottom," said Garay, who was an end at BC. "Everyone brings something special to the game, so I mean just to be with these guys and work with these guys every day is an honor." . . . Neither team practiced yesterday.