Seahawks

NEW YORK — Two days after their grueling season concluded with a tense 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, the New York Giants took a victory lap in Manhattan on Tuesday.

The celebration kicked off with a parade that wound north up Broadway's Canyon of Heroes, amid a sea of confetti, horns and fans in blue jerseys, and ended with a ceremony at City Hall Plaza, where Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg presented the players with keys to the city.

"Today I am declaring the Big Apple the Big Blue Apple, and if you got a problem with that, you can talk to this guy," said Bloomberg, gesturing to ex-Giants defensive end Michael Strahan.

As many as 1 million people were expected to attend, an estimated 33 percent from outside New York.

For the throngs of fans who showed up, the day started early. Bleary-eyed police officers who had been in position since before sunrise had cups of coffee. Stacks of Giants-centric newspapers were for sale. Occasionally, mini-footballs and toilet-paper rolls soared across the street, drawing chants from the crowd.

Coach Tom Coughlin said the Giants were successful because they never gave up.

"The key thing was to remember this: All things are possible for those who believe," Coughlin said. "We always believed."

The Giants' welcome did draw criticism, as some have argued returning Iraq war veterans deserve one of their own. Tuesday's parade was the fourth in the city since 2000 to honor either the Giants or baseball's New York Yankees.

The Giants made their way to East Rutherford, N.J., where about 30,000 fans waited for a second celebration at MetLife Stadium.

Notes

• Giants tight end Jake Ballard tore a knee ligament during the second half of the Super Bowl.

• Baltimore running back Ricky Williams, 34, said he is retiring. He rushed for 10,009 yards in his career and was a backup to Ravens standout Ray Rice last season.

• Kicker Rian Lindell, 35, re-signed with the Buffalo Bills. He is a former Washington State and Seahawks kicker.

The Bills hired Pete Metzelaars, another ex-Seahawk, as tight-ends coach.

• The Chicago Bears hired Jeremy Bates as quarterbacks coach. Bates was the Seahawks' offensive coordinator in 2010 but was fired after that season.

• Todd Haley was hired as offensive coordinator by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was 19-26 as coach of the Kansas City Chiefs before being fired Dec. 13.