Baskett huge fan of Colts' Manning

MIAMI — The outcome of Sunday's Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium should help determine where Peyton Manning belongs in the pecking order of great NFL quarterbacks.

Former Eagles wide receiver Hank Baskett thinks he already knows the answer.

"I am convinced that he is going to go down as the greatest," said Baskett, who had a limited role in the Colts' offense this season after being waived by the Eagles following Week 1.

Baskett played in 11 games and caught five passes for 34 yards with Indianapolis, but said just being around the Colts gave him a special appreciation for Manning's talent and leadership.

"He has years left to play, so his little notch in history is far from over," Baskett said.

While Baskett had great admiration for Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, it's clear he believes that Manning is in a class by himself as a quarterback.

"You know that thing that everybody talks about that you either have or you don't?" Baskett said. "You can't learn it later on, you can't go out and research it. . . . He just has this thing where he wants perfection. He wants to make everyone around him great.

"Donovan was great in his own respect, but everyone knows that Peyton is going to go down in NFL history as the greatest."

Despite being last on the depth chart at receiver, Baskett has more celebrity status than most of the players at the Super Bowl thanks to his wife, former Playboy centerfold Kendra Wilkinson.

The couple's son, Hank Jr., is 7 weeks old and slated to attend his first football game Sunday night.

"We got a box so he can come to the game," Baskett said. "He may not remember it, but he'll get to tell everybody that his very first game ever was the Super Bowl and his dad was playing."

Money for Manning

Colts owner Jim Irsay said he hopes to sign Manning to a contract extension when the season ends, a move that could make the four-time MVP the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history.

Manning, 34, signed a $98 million deal in 2004.

Extra points

Former Eagles linebacker Mark Simoneau participated in Super Bowl media day with the New Orleans Saints, but will not play in the game. He suffered a torn triceps in training camp and was placed on injured reserve. . . . The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has a countdown to Super Bowl XLIV on the front of its sports page each week with the days remaining correlating to an NFL player who wears that jersey number. And guess who No. 5 was yesterday? That's right, Donovan McNabb. The newspaper's comment: "McNabb is in some ways this generation's Fran Tarkenton, reaching the NFC championship five times in the last nine seasons."

This article contains information from the Associated Press.