The culmination of an entire season, beginning with mini camps last spring, is now just days away. Super Bowl XLI is set. The Indianapolis Colts will face the Chicago Bears in Miami on Feb. 4. But there's plenty of football news beyond the obvious. Here are five storylines you should be watching this week:

You know the story by now. It's been dissected in every office cubical and critiqued on Saturday Night Live. (Check out the seriously funny skit on YouTube.) What exactly was in Michael Vick's water bottle? The Atlanta Falcons' enigmatic quarterback aroused suspicion last Wednesday at Miami International Airport with his reluctance to let go his bottle at the security checkpoint. And the contents of the bottle reportedly smelled like marijuana. Regardless what actually happened — the bottle tested negative for drugs — this latest episode calls into question Vick's ability to manage himself. This isn't the first time Ron Mexico made headlines for what he did or didn’t do off the field. Add to his situation the uncertainty of a new coaching staff and you should at least be leery of making him a part of your fantasy team going forward.

Don't forget to watch the 58th Under Armour Senior Bowl. Miss Bowl Season? Now's your chance to catch college football's top prospects and feel like Mel Kiper Jr. come fantasy draft day. The game is Saturday at 4 p.m. ET at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. If your lucky enough to have the NFL Network — several markets don’t — you can catch 19 hours of coverage leading up to and including the game. Philip Rivers was named MVP of the 2004 game while Larry Johnson outshown Carson Palmer to earn the 2002 MVP. A guy who could raise his stock with a big performance is underrated University of Florida quarterback Chris Leak. Hey, it's never too early to start evaluating next season's top rookie performers and a game like this is a strong historic benchmark for success.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is the NFL's most prolific passer of the last decade. But the marquee pitchman had a significant hole in the resume. No longer. Manning engineered the greatest comeback in either AFC or NFC Championship Game history on Sunday as the Colts rallied past the New England Patriots, 38-34. Not only did Manning win big in the playoffs (6-6 all-time) and reverse the curse against the Patriots, he reached the Super Bowl for the first time in his ninth season. Manning hasn't been at his best this postseason with a 2-6 touchdown to interception ratio and a 66.8 quarterback rating. But he is playing with grit. The question is: can Manning, who suffered a bruised right thumb against the Patriots, deliver in the Super Bowl?

In the wake of New England's 38-34 loss to the Colts in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, evil genius Bill Belichick must get to work reconstituting the Patriots' aging defense. Linebacker Tedy Bruschi has left open the possibility of retirement and game-breaking cornerback Asante Samuel becomes an unrestricted free agent. Young pass-rushing linebacker Tully Banta-Cain could also be lost via free agency. Don't forget injury-plagued safety Rodney Harrison. What's his future? Calm down, Foxboro freaks! The Patriots own a pair of first-round picks. And if its defensive-minded coach has his way, they'll be spent on fast, fierce young defensive studs. But New England has other holes, too. Tight end and a downfield threat at wideout would be high on Tom Brady's wish list. Belichick has proven to be a savvy talent evaluator in the past, but next season could be a transition year for the Patriots defense.

Bill Parcells stepped down as coach of the Dallas Cowboys on Monday after four years, becoming the sixth coach to be fired or jump ship this season. No less than 10 teams changed coaches a year ago, and only three made enough of an impact to guide his team to the playoffs in 2006. But the bigger issue is that a new coach means wholesale changes for personnel. The Miami Dolphins, for example, concluded their coaching search on Friday with the hiring of San Diego offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. His addition has to give Miami players such as running back Ronnie Brown and wideout Chris Chambers an instant fantasy boost heading into 2007. The same can't be said in Big D right now. Quarterback Tony Romo might have to prove himself all over again and super-talent / super-headache Terrell Owens might not be welcome. Monitor closely.