INDIANAPOLIS - They're baaaacck.

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have returned to the Super Bowl, and
once again the New England Patriots quarterback and head coach
are a victory away from adding their names to the record books.

They've already made their mark in the NFL, obviously, and will
set at least another at kickoff by becoming the starting
quarterback-coach tandem with the most Super Bowl appearances,
with five.

But Brady and Belichick struck out at matching the four Super
Bowl titles of quarterbacks Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw and
coach Chuck Noll the last time they made it to the NFL final.
The Patriots, of course, lost to the New York Giants four years
ago.

And once again, those Giants stand in the way of history in a
rematch that is likely to set records of a different kind - for
hyperbole.

Still, there is no overstating what is at stake for both teams
in Super Bowl XLVI and for Belichick and Brady, who have the
opportunity to join a select few.

"I was a 49er fan growing up, so Joe Montana and Steve Young
were my two favorite players," said Brady, who was born and
raised in San Mateo, Calif. "It was always a special time for
me to go out there [to Candlestick Park]. My parents had season
tickets and we'd go sit up down in the end zone about ten rows
from the top of the stadium."

Montana won Super Bowls for San Francisco in 1982, '85, '89,
and '90. Bradshaw and the Pittsburgh Steelers set the bar with
championships in 1974, '75, '78, and '79. Brady won three in
four years - 2001, '03, and '04. If New England beats the
Giants, he will join Roger Staubach as the only other
quarterback to win Super Bowls six years apart.

Belichick would match Cowboys coach Tom Landry in that regard
with a victory. But to win four is the goal and would place him
on par with Noll, an achievement Grace Ybarra, a 12-year-old
from the Scholastic Kids Press Corps of Indianapolis, noted
when she asked the taciturn 59-year-old coach what it would
mean.

"It's very flattering to be mentioned in the same sentence with
Chuck Noll," Belichick said. "So thank you for doing that."

Belichick and the Patriots aren't normally welcomed to this
Midwest city with open arms. New England beat the Colts, for
many years their chief rivals, in the playoffs on the way to
two crowns.

"I never had too much hospitality here till I went for it on
fourth and 2," Belichick quipped, referring to the 2009
regular-season game against the Colts when he went for it from
his own 28-yard line.

The Patriots touched down here Sunday at 5 p.m. Earlier in the
day, 25,000 fans gave the team a send-off at Gillette Stadium.
At the rally, Brady said, "We're going to give it our best and,
hopefully, we have a lot more people at our party next
weekend."

A few New York media outlets characterized the statement as
Brady guaranteeing a victory, Joe Namath style.

"Well, it was a pep rally," Brady said. "People are pretty
excited."

The Giants, who arrive Monday, don't need extra motivation.
Quarterback Eli Manning and coach Tom Coughlin are also trying
to make history by joining the Super Bowl two-timers club.

Belichick was asked if New England had revenge on their minds.
The Giants not only upset the Patriots, 17-14, in Super Bowl
XLII, but they dashed their hopes of finishing 19-0.

"I don't think [it] has very much bearing on anything,"
Belichick said. "I think the team that wins Sunday will be the
team that performs the best."

Brady and Belichick have often been on the team that performed
the best. No matter what happens Sunday, both already have
their exalted place in the annals of the game.

Gronk update

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who suffered a high ankle
sprain in the AFC championship, wore an air cast off the
airplane.

Though his father, Gordy, recently told a New York radio
station that his son would play Sunday, Belichick was evasive
when asked for a prognosis on his Pro Bowl tight end.

"I'd say day-to-day," Belichick said.

A high ankle sprain typically takes more than two weeks to
completely heal, but signs point to Gronkowski giving it a go.

Contact staff writer Jeff McLane at 215-854-4745,
jmclane@phillynews.com
or @Jeff_McLane on Twitter.

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Belichick and Brady playing for Super Bowl immortality