NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Around the Super Bowl and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of everything surrounding the game:

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REAL FUN TO COME

The NFL's best have been mingling with celebrities, signing autographs for adoring fans and enjoying all the festivities New Orleans has to offer during Super Bowl weekend. But make no mistake, they'd gladly give that all up.

They'd rather be on the field at the Superdome on Sunday.

Case in point, what New York Giants Eli Manning told Nekesa Mumbi Moody, AP's global lifestyles and entertainment editor, on Saturday:

"I'm not enjoying it as much," he said.

Manning spent Saturday with his dad Archie and brother Peyton, first watching a celebrity flag football game featuring A-listers including Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Katharine McPhee, Deion Sanders, Neil Patrick Harris and more. The family then went to the "2nd Annual NFL Honors" awards Saturday night, where Peyton Manning won AP's NFL Comeback Player of the Year award during a show televised on CBS. The younger Manning said he likes being back in New Orleans, back where he grew up.

But this time last year, he was one night away from winning a Super Bowl and being crowned the game's MVP.

Where would you rather be?

"I'd rather be right now in the hotel room, looking at my playbook, trying to figure out how to win another championship," Eli Manning said.

— Oskar Garcia and Nekesa Mumbi Moody — http://twitter.com/oskargarcia and http://twitter.com/nekesamumbi

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1 HARBAUGH FAMILY WIN

The Harbaugh family got an early win on Saturday night well before the Super Bowl.

Tom Crean, coach of the No. 3 Indiana men's basketball team, knocked off No. 1 Michigan 81-73 at home. Crean is married to Joani Harbaugh, sister of San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

It's the third time in school history the Hoosiers have beaten the No. 1 team at home. When the new AP Top 25 poll comes out Monday, Indiana will likely take back the No. 1 ranking it held for the first seven weeks this season.

The Harbaugh family will finish the weekend with a 2-1 record.

— Michael Marot — http://twitter.com/apmarot

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5 KEY PLAYERS: SAN FRANCISCO

We asked AP pro football writer Barry Wilner to pick five key players for each team in this Super Bowl. You'll want to pay attention to these guys on Sunday.

For the Baltimore Ravens, it's Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, Ray Lewis, Paul Kruger and Cary Williams. Now, for the San Francisco 49ers:

Kaepernick, Crabtree, Gore, Aldon Smith, Patrick Willis

—COLIN KAEPERNICK (QB, JERSEY NO. 7): Dynamic player who replaced injured Alex Smith in November and kept the job. Fast with long strides, strong arm, unafraid to throw into tight spots.

—MICHAEL CRABTREE (WR, JERSEY NO. 15): Matured this season and became a true No. 1 receiver. Led team with 85 catches, 1,105 yards and nine TDs. Good after catch, but needs to consider better ball security.

—FRANK GORE (RB, JERSEY NO. 21): Career rushing leader for franchise, as dependable as they come. Strong, can pound through line, but also has quick feet to cut to open space. Had 1,214 rushing yards and eight TDs during season.

—ALDON SMITH (OLB, JERSEY NO. 99): All-Pro sacks machine. Not as good as he needs to be in coverage, but is raw. Then again, why not rush him every play? Great burst off the line, big wingspan and maneuverability.

—PATRICK WILLIS (ILB, JERSEY NO. 52): With apologies to Ray Lewis, Willis is best linebacker in this Super Bowl — and probably best in entire league. Has been All-Pro in five of six seasons.

— Barry Wilner

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BROTHERLY ADVICE: THE MANNINGS

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh are hardly the only high-profile siblings who've squared off in their arena of expertise. The AP is asking some others who can relate how to handle going against a family member in the Super Bowl.

When NFL quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning squared off during a regular season game, at least one parent didn't have too hard a time deciding who to root for.

"I knew my mom was going to root for me — I'm the baby of the family, so that was an easy one," Eli Manning said.

But sibling battles can be tough on parents, the New York Giants quarterback said.

"It's hard to be excited for one child winning a game and also disappointed for the other one that didn't," he said.

As for the Harbaugh brothers: "I think they're just both trying to figure out how to get a win."

Eli's brother Peyton Manning says the Harbaughs have handled the week well, knowing one brother will be happy Sunday night while the other will be disappointed.

"Neither would be in this game if they weren't excellent coaches and no matter what happens tomorrow night, they're still excellent coaches. That's just a matter of fact," Peyton Manning said.

— Nekesa Mumbi Moody and Nancy Armour — http://twitter.com/nekesamumbi and http://twitter.com/nrarmour

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AWARDS OVER, TIME TO PARTY

Now that the NFL awards have ben doled out, it's time to bring on the celebrity-studded parties on Super Bowl eve.

Here are the headliners for Saturday night in New Orleans:

— Singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder headlines outdoor concert near Wyndham Riverfront Hotel that will also feature Texas guitarist Gary Clark Jr. Wonder's opening act: Grammy-nominated R&B and soul artist Janelle Monae. The closer: French electronic DJ Martin Solveig.

— Justin Timberlake takes stage for his first concert in more than four years during "DIRECTV Super Saturday Night." It's invitation only.

— Chevel Johnson

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FANTASY CONSIDERATIONS

Many of the millions of Americans who play fantasy football will be watching Sunday's Super Bowl with an eye toward next season's drafts.

But as one fantasy expert warns, don't put too much stock into what you see in the game — good or bad.

Matthew Berry, an ESPN fantasy analyst nicknamed "The Talented Mr. Roto," said there will be some interesting players on the field from a fantasy perspective, including 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, Baltimore wide receiver Torrey Smith and San Francisco wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

But barring major injury, fantasy owners shouldn't get caught up in how they perform in New Orleans, Berry said.

"I think fantasy owners are smart enough and savvy enough to know that the postseason is something different and it's a very small sample size," Berry says.

Simply put, it takes more games than a Super Bowl to judge whether someone's fantasy worthy.

But if you thought you could be sneaky and nab Kaepernick or Crabtree with a late draft pick next season, think again. The duo's performance throughout the last half of the regular season and the postseason mean they'll go in higher rounds, Berry says.

— Oskar Garcia — http://twitter.com/oskargarcia

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QUICKQUOTE: AP'S MVP SPEECH

Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson thanked God, his parents, teammates and coaches for propelling him to the Associated Press 2012 NFL Most Valuable Player award.

And he wants to win the hardware again.

"God willing, next year I'll be accepting this award again. Trying to get two or three like Peyton (Manning). Trying to get to your level ... But I won't be there to accept it because I'll be winning with my coach, the most important award, the team award, the Super Bowl."

— Nancy Armour — http://twitter.com/nrarmour

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STAT OF THE DAY: HALF DON'T CARE WHO WINS

This Super Bowl stat of the day comes by way of Jennifer Agiesta, AP's director of polling: A Seton Hall poll shows 53 percent of Americans don't care who wins on Sunday.

The Seton Hall Sports Poll, conducted Jan. 28-30, shows 26 percent of people rooting for the San Francisco 49ers and 21 percent rooting for the Baltimore Ravens.

One-third of Americans plan to skip Sunday's game.

The poll of 894 randomly selected adults has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

— Jennifer Agiesta — http://twitter.com/jennagiesta

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AP TOPS PEYTON FOR MVP

Minnesota's Adrian Peterson is the NFL's Most Valuable Player as selected by an Associated Press vote.

The running back coming back from major knee surgery beat out Denver quarterback Peyton Manning on Saturday night.

It's Peterson's second award of the night after winning Offensive Player of the Year.

Peterson led the Vikings from a 3-13 mark to 10-6 and a wild-card playoff berth. He is the first running back to win MVP since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006.

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PEYTON'S COMEBACK

NFL fans everywhere wondered if Peyton Manning could come back from four neck surgeries after 13 years in Indianapolis without missing a game.

Now he's AP's 2012 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Manning sat out 2011, then made Denver one of the league's top teams, guiding the Broncos to the AFC's best record at 13-3.

Manning received 31½ votes Saturday from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league. He easily beat Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who got 17½ votes.

— Barry Wilner

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QUICKQUOTE: RG3

One year in the NFL and Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III is already an award winner.

He took home AP's NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors on Saturday night and promptly warned the league he plans to improve.

"It's truly a blessing to be up there — to be able to stand, first and foremost," said Griffin, who underwent knee surgery last month.

Next season, "you'll see a better Robert Griffin," he said.

— Barry Wilner

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PETERSON OFFENSIVE POY

Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson went from major knee surgery to dominating voting in The Associated Press 2012 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.

It helps that he rushed for 2,109 yards, 9 short of Eric Dickerson's record.

Peterson had 36 of 50 votes; Denver quarterback Peyton Manning had eight.

Peterson scored 12 touchdowns rushing and averaged 6.0 yards per carry.

— Barry Wilner

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WATT ALMOST SWEEPS

Houston end J.J. Watt just missed being a unanimous pick for AP's 2012 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

The final vote tally with 50 voters:

Watt, 49. Denver linebacker Von Miller, 1.

Watt is the first Texans player to win the award.

— Barry Wilner

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INTERIM TO TOP

Bruce Arians is the first interim coach to win the top NFL award from The Associated Press.

He won 2012 Coach of the Year honors Saturday night for his work with the Indianapolis Colts. Arians now is head coach in Arizona.

Arians took charge of the Colts in late September after head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia. The Colts, 2-14 the previous season, went 9-3 under Arians and made the playoffs.

Pagano coached the final game of the regular season and a wild-card playoff match.

Arians earned 36½ votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. Pagano finished second with 5½.

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KUECHLY WINS DEFENSIVE ROY

Linebacker Luke Kuechly of Carolina has won the Associated Press 2012 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Kuechly, a first-round pick from Boston College, led the league with 164 tackles.

He earned 28 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league. That easily outdistanced Seattle LB Bobby Wagner with 11. Continued...