NFL

• Freeney hopes to test ankle Friday

  
  

  Fort Lauderdale, FL (Sports Network) - Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney hopes to test his injured ankle Friday in preparation for Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday against New Orleans.

  Freeney was hurt in the AFC Championship Game against the New York Jets and has yet to practice this week. He has continually received treatment and said the ankle is getting better every day.

  "It's starting to feel a little bit better," said Freeney on Thursday. "It's still a little sore, but that's the nature of how bad the injury was, but it's making progress." Freeney said the swelling was "softball size" initially, but has gone down considerably.

  He added that he'll have a better idea of his status after trying to work out on the field in the next day or two.

  "The first attempt will be probably be [Friday]," Freeney remarked. "I'll probably go out and see what I can do [Friday] and Saturday a lot more." Freeney, named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2000s on Sunday night, racked up 13 1/2 sacks this year in 14 games during the regular season. He was hurt late in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game, trying to avoid Mark Sanchez after the Jets quarterback had just thrown a pass.

  02/04 12:20:06 ET