Archives for January 2010

News and Sound Bites From Championship Sunday Edition of NFL GAMEDAY MORNING

“This guy is a regular General Schwarzkopf because he can lead a football team. He is asked to do more than anyone else in the league is asked to do.” – Steve Mariucci on Peyton Manning

“If Drew Brees wins the Super Bowl in New Orleans, he will become the equivalent of Brett Favre in Green Bay.” – Marshall Faulk

“It would give some kind of peace to all of us if at least he ended with a Super Bowl. Then we could say, ‘okay, there was a reason he did all of that.” – Michael Irvin on QB Brett Favre

“Defense doesn’t win championships. It just gives you a chance. Offense has to win it for you.” – Warren Sapp

“It’s going to be the combo platter…” – Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan on the Jets Defensive Plan vs. Colts

NFL GameDay Morning remains the FIRST pregame show on the air Sunday mornings, expanding from four to SIX hours on Championship Sunday from 9:00 AM ET straight up to kickoff of Jets-Colts. Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci, Jason La Canfora and hosts Rich Eisen and Stacey Dales bring fans the latest news, injury reports, pregame analysis and game previews to set the stage for both NFC and AFC championship games.

Final Predictions from NFL GameDay Morning Crew:

Jets-Colts Vikings-Saints

Marshall Faulk             Jets                 Saints

Steve Mariucci            Colts                Vikings

Warren Sapp               Colts                Saints

Michael Irvin                Colts                Saints

Quotes from NFL GameDay Morning:

“It all comes down to if they lose this game, then they were wrong…shut us up by winning the game.” – Marshall Faulk on the Indianapolis Colts decision to rest starters in Week 15 loss vs. Jets

“They stayed for this reason alone. So they could win this game. This game is really bigger than football right now. This is a platform that displays the spirit of this city.” – Steve Mariucci on what a Super Bowl would mean to New Orleans

“He understands how to win big games, no matter what level it’s on.” – Marshall Faulk on Jets QB Mark Sanchez

“They have to mix it up. They can’t just solely depend on the run.” – Marshall Faulk on what the Jets have to do to beat the Colts

“Defense doesn’t win championships. It just gives you a chance. Offense has to win it for you.” – Warren Sapp

“Any one of these teams could win two more games, hoist Lombardi’s trophy and still be as legitimate a champion as the NFL has ever crowned.” – Rich Eisen on the final four championship teams

“To Adrian Peterson’s credit, he’s become a better all-around back. As the pure runner, I looked at him and said, ‘I don’t know if he can play 10 years in the league running like that.’ This offense allows him lengthen his career, but the long runs just aren’t there.” – Marshall Faulk on Vikings RB Adrian Peterson

“There’s nothing wrong with Adrian Peterson. He’s having a heck of a season, he’s just in a balanced offense right now.” – Steve Mariucci on Vikings RB Adrian Peterson

“The Colts will win if Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon have productive days.” – Steve Mariucci

“If the Saints have a balanced attack, it will let Drew Brees use the weapon that most quarterbacks forget about – the hard count. They have to get this defense on its heels.” – Warren Sapp

“He (Percy Harvin) was last year’s ‘steal of the century’ in the draft.” – Steve Mariucci on Vikings WR Percy Harvin

“This guy is a regular General Schwarzkopf because he can lead a football team. He is asked to do more than anyone else in the league is asked to do.” – Steve Mariucci on QB Peyton Manning

“To be the best of all-time, he has to lead his team again to the ultimate destination and that is the Super Bowl.” – Steve Mariucci, when asked if Manning is the best of all-time right now

“He is a gadget guy. He is a guy that you have to do special things to get him the ball.” – Marshall Faulk on RB Reggie Bush

“He is definitely a finesse player…(Bush) has to know when to take the contact to get the added yards.” – Marshall Faulk on RB Reggie Bush

“The Vikings have not been to the Super Bowl since the Bicentennial. And then to have Brett Favre do it for the Vikings – it would be something that families would talk about for years to come in the NFC North. This would be a fable to be discussed forever.” – Rich Eisen on what a Super Bowl would mean to the Minnesota Vikings

“It would give some kind of peace to all of us if at least he ended with a Super Bowl. Then we could say, ‘okay, there was a reason he did all of that.” – Michael Irvin on how a Super Bowl win for Brett Favre would relate to his past retirement dilemmas

“If Drew Brees wins the Super Bowl in New Orleans, he will become the equivalent of Brett Favre in Green Bay.” – Marshall Faulk

“I have to go with Kevin Williams, because last week he was essential to the Vikings ability to stop the run and the ability to mount a pass rush against Tony Romo.” – Warren Sapp, choosing only one Vikings defensive lineman as the key to stop the Saints

“Not this Super Bowl. But if he loses this Super Bowl, it will hurt for a long time because we watched this team walk itself off the field…But as far as his career, he’s done more than enough to solidify himself as maybe the best quarterback of all time.” – Warren Sapp on QB Peyton Manning and if he needs a Super Bowl XLIV win to solidify his legacy

“What he may lack in championships, he makes up in numbers and wins.” – Marshall Faulk on QB Peyton Manning

“Special teams always plays a huge role in big games, whether you make a play or you cause a play.” – Marshall Faulk

“For Brett, whether he wins it or he doesn’t, it’s worth it for him. He’s getting what he wants out of this and that’s to play football. Brett doesn’t play the game thinking, ‘I need to win the Super Bowl.’ There’s no pressure on Brett. That’s why you like watching him; the guy plays the game not caring if it’s his last play, or what’s on the line… For the Minnesota Vikings, I believe it’s a win-win regardless if they get to the Super Bowl or not. They found out a lot about their team. Rick Spielman found out they made the right decision with [Sidney] Rice, [Visanthe] Shiancoe, Percy Harvin. They found out Adrian Peterson, with a good quarterback, can catch the ball out of the backfield and they didn’t know that about him coming out of Oklahoma.” – Marshall Faulk on whether it was worth the gamble for both Brett Favre and the Vikings if they do not win a Super Bowl

Description of Colts WR Reggie Wayne in two words or less:

“A technician.” – Marshall Faulk

“Well-respected.” – Steve Mariucci

“Very complete.” – Michael Irvin

NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi Pregame 1-on-1 with Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan:

“I only said that because it was the end of the game and it was the thing to do after we gave up that touchdown. [Today] It’s going to be the combo platter. We’re going to come after them some, play some coverages and mix in some coverages that [Peyton’s] never seen before.” – Ryan on previously saying the Jets defense was ‘conservative’ vs. the Colts and what to expect from the Jets defense today

“We just do what we do and we’ll find out. We’re here to win this game. We’re very confident.” – Ryan

‘Super Bowl Journey,’ Championship Sunday Edition – All-Access with WR Sidney Rice & A Look Back at the Jets-Chargers Divisional Matchup Through the Eyes of Jets’ Kerry Rhodes and Chargers Shaun Phillips:

“We have to come out focused and ready to execute on our plays and I believe everything will go well for us.” – Rice on NFC Championship matchup vs. New Orleans

“As far as the Super Bowl Journey goes, we think that we can get it done. We’re a confident team right now and we’re clicking on all cylinders. We’re a team to be reckoned with.” – Rhodes

To view Rice’s latest Super Bowl Journey, please visit:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-hq-videos/09000d5d815ea5c9/Super-Bowl-Journey-Rice-moves-on

To view Rhodes’ and Phillips’ Super Bowl Journey, please visit:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/new-york-jets/09000d5d815ea2b4/Super-Bowl-Journey-Rhodes-to-the-Championship

To view previous Super Bowl Journey editions from all five contributors, please visit: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl-journey

News Reports from Jason La Canfora:

• (John Mara’s comments) resonate throughout the league because in essence he was speaking for the league. The league authorized him to vent and express his frustration with the lack of movement towards a new deal. This was the same as [if you had] Commissioner Goodell doing it so obviously that brings certain connotations with it and people are going to pay attention and say ‘What’s really going on here?’ There has been a sense from the ownership that the union has dragged its feet for as much as DeMaurice Smith and union executives have talked about wanting a deal, the feel they haven’t received a solid counterproposal from the union in terms of solidifying a new CBA. The union is saying that they are frustrated as well and that the owners are not cooperating. They would like the owners to open their books. They want to see exactly what the owners make. The owners feel like they have saying ‘we’ve given you four sheets documenting all of our revenues.’ This is what the pie is. It is $8.5 billion. How are we going to divide it up?  Right now players get about 60 percent of that pie. The owners would like to ratchet that back 18-20 percent.  Maybe they ultimately meet in the middle around 10 percent and they share revenues.  But right now they can’t agree on the fundamental issues which are how much money is brought in and how to divvy it up.  Until you get over those hurdles — you talk to people on both sides of the issue who say there’s not anywhere you can go.

• The more big games Reggie Bush has, the greater the likelihood that he will become an unrestricted free agent. He is due to make $8 million next year in base salary.  That’s monumental money for a running back and Bush has been a specialist to this point in his career. He has a $500,000 roster bonus coming up in a few months. That is as much money as Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas, who carried the load at running back this year, make for their entire season. Talking to people involved with this situation, I don’t see any way Bush comes back. They will likely come to him and say will you take a little less, or probably a lot less to stay and he is not inclined to do that especially with these big playoff performances. There is a sense in his camp that there will be suitors out there and maybe there is someone out there who gives him four years at $20 million with five or six million guaranteed and he has a chance to earn more on the back end. Perhaps that suitor will be his old USC coach Pete Carroll in Seattle. That is certainly something to keep an eye on should he hit the market.

The Following Segments from Championship Sunday Edition of NFL GameDay Morning are Available on NFL.com:

M&M – Marshall Faulk and Michael Irvin debate some big topics for Championship Sunday:

• http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/09000d5d815ed0e2/M-M

What Will We Learn? – Steve Mariucci brings insight into ‘what we will learn’ on Championship Sunday:

• http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/09000d5d815ecc59/What-will-we-learn

Rex’s Roots – Steve Sabol examines Rex Ryan’s rise to head coach of the New York Jets:

• http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d815e792b/Sabol-s-Shot-Rex-s-roots

Favre goes to the Tape – Steve Sabol takes a look at Brett Favre’s performance in Super Bowl XXXI

• http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/09000d5d815ea4ba/Sabol-s-Shot-Favre-goes-to-the-tape

EXTRA POINTS:

• Jeff Fisher, Jim Mora, Jr. Guest Analysts on Monday’s ‘The Head Coaches’: Following Sunday’s championship games, Charles Davis, Steve Mariucci and Brian Billick, along with special guests Jeff Fisher and Jim Mora analyze the strategy and decision-making that were the difference-makers in determining Super Bowl XLIV’s participants on Monday’s The Head Coaches at 6:30 PM ET.

NFL GameDay Morning kicks off NFL Network’s schedule on Championship Sunday, followed by coverage of postgame press conferences on NFL GameDay Scoreboard at 6:00 PM ET and full recaps, highlights and game analysis on NFL GameDay Final at 10:30 PM ET.

NFL Network airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the only television network fully dedicated to the NFL and the sport of football.  For more information, log on to www.nfl.com/nflnetwork.  NFL.com is the exclusive Internet home of NFL videos and NFL Network.

Contacts:                     Brenna Webb, 310-841-4807             brenna.webb@nfl.com

– NFL NETWORK –

Transcript of NFL Network’s Conference Call with Analyst Mike Mayock Previewing Coverage of Under Armour Senior Bowl January 25-30 on NFL Network

NFL Network’s high-definition coverage of the Under Armour Senior Bowl begins with practices on Monday, January 25 at 3:30 PM ET and culminates with the Senior Bowl game Saturday, January 30 at 4:00 PM ET.

Former college stars participating in this year’s Senior Bowl include: former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow of Florida, Javier Arenas of the national champion Alabama Crimson Tide, Lamarr Houston of Texas, Taylor Mays and Stafon Johnson of Southern California, Jimmy Graham and Darryl Sharpton of Miami, Penn State’s Jared Odrick and Sean Lee, Pat Angerer of Iowa, Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle of Florida State, Kurt Coleman of Ohio State, Brandon Graham of Michigan and Sam Young of Notre Dame.

Select Quotes:

“If you’re a highly rated kid, and you have no problem exposing yourself to the Senior Bowl and the combine, trust me, it makes a huge impression on the coaches and general managers because they value competition above everything…As a side note, the fact that Tim Tebow is coming here and willing to expose himself to this kind of scrutiny, I think speaks volumes to the type of kid he is.” – MIKE MAYOCK on the importance of players’ participation in the Senior Bowl and Florida QB TIM TEBOW

“Most people think that he’s risking the most of any player coming to play this game.  What I would say is I think it’s a brilliant move…The more pro people that are around this kid and understand that he’s a genuine item, he’s not faking any of this stuff, this is who he is, I think the higher his stock will go.” – MAYOCK on TEBOW

“The two best players I’ve seen on tape this year, bar none far and away, are defensive tackles.  Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska and [Oklahoma’s] Gerald McCoy.  You can put them in any order you want because they’re different kind of defensive tackles, but they’re great football players.” – MAYOCK on DTs NDAMUKONG SUH and GERALD MCCOY

“I watched the Big 12 Championship game on tape again the other night just because I wanted to take a little time away from it and see if it was as good as I thought.  I went back to it again, and it might be the single most dominant performance I’ve seen in a high‑level college football game.” – MAYOCK on the performance of SUH and MCCOY in 2009 Big 12 Championship game

“By means of a comparison, Suh reminds me of Kevin Williams when he came out of Oklahoma State. Williams has been to five Pro Bowls in eight years, I believe.  That is the type of player [Suh] is, and maybe even a notch beyond that.” – MAYOCK on SUH

See full transcript below for Mayock’s take on various Senior Bowl participants, as well as other 2010 NFL Draft prospects:

MIKE MAYOCK:  Hello, everybody.  I’m not big on opening statements.  But if you know me, if you’ve ever heard me, you know this is my favorite week of the year.  All the kids I’ve been studying on tape for several months now kind of come to life.

And atypically of most athletic events we all cover, the practices are just as important, if not more important than the games.  And the practices are set‑up by NFL coaches to expose weaknesses in individual and one‑on‑one drills.

So it’s a pretty cool concept.  We’ve got the Lions coaching staff, and the Dolphins coaching staff, and quite frankly, I can’t wait.  So let’s open it up with some questions.

Q.  Wanted to get your take on Brandon Graham, where he rates in the draft as a whole, and whether you see him as a three‑four outside linebacker or a four‑three defensive end?

MIKE MAYOCK:  He’s a guy I really like.  One of the reasons I like him so much is because of his motor.  The first time I put a tape in on this kid, I thought LaMarr Woodley.  He’s got kind of a similar build.  A little heavier than Woodley when he came out.  Maybe not quite as high a top‑level pass rusher as Woodley, but a little more stout in the run game.

So to me because teams like Pittsburgh that play the three‑four, they don’t care quite as much about length and height, I think because of that there are other teams like New England who like their three‑four outside linebackers to be 6’3″ or better.

So I really believe that Brandon Graham right now has a solid second‑round grade, very similar to Woodley.  And I think this is a big week for him to show people.

You know he’s got a great motor, you know he can stop the run.  Now the question is does he have the technique and explosion to consistently win in the pass‑rush game.

Q.  So do you expect him to get some reps at outside linebacker this week?  If so, how important is it to show those three‑four teams that he can do that?

MIKE MAYOCK:  Typically what happens is it’s a four‑three front in most of these games.  He’ll probably play defensive end in the game.  But the more important thing is how he does in the practices, especially in the pass‑rush drill.  What they’ll probably do in the one‑on‑one drill, start with a three‑point stance and standing up.

Obviously, I’d love to see him do some pass‑drops also.  But if we don’t get that this week, we’ll get it at Pro Day and at the combine.

Q.  Over the years we’ve seen a lot of guys come here, but every year or two there are a couple of guys whose draft stock is so high they choose not to come.  For these NFL scouts coming in and looking at this game, do you think they place any stock as to whether or not a guy comes here and competes?  Is it a red flag for them if they choose not to?

MIKE MAYOCK:  That’s an interesting question.  I can tell you with my private conversations with people that what teams want are competitors.  And it doesn’t mean that if a kid doesn’t come, he’s not a competitor.

But Tony Dungy once told me that it’s not like you can put a red check against a guy for not competing in the combine or not going to the Senior Bowl.  You’re not going to de‑grade him half a round or anything.

However, if you’re a highly rated kid, and you have no problem exposing yourself to the Senior Bowl and the combine, trust me, it makes a huge impression on the coaches and general managers because they value competition above everything.

As a side note, the fact that Tim Tebow is coming here and willing to expose himself to this kind of scrutiny, I think speaks volumes to the type of kid he is.

Q.  To follow that up:  Who are maybe a couple of the guys that you think can help themselves the most here this week?

MIKE MAYOCK:  Couple guys I’m really intrigued with are two offensive linemen that might not be as sexy as every position, but with what’s happened at the tackle position in the draft the last several years, those guys don’t last too long.  Vladimir Ducasse from UMass, a 1‑AA kid.  The first time I put the tape on, I thought of Jeffrey Otah, first‑round pick out of Pitt a couple years ago, now with Carolina.  He’s a big strong kid with way better feet than I anticipated when I put the first tape on.

Like any kid coming out of 1‑AA, he’s got to show he can play with the big boys.  I can tell you right now if he has a good week, he’s a first‑round prospect because his physical skill set measures up.  But people are going to be quicker, stronger and faster than he’s ever seen.

Along those same lines, Mike Iupati, who is a guard/tackle from Idaho, is a kid with a great punch.  He’s a really strong kid with great feet.  He played left guard.  I think he could play tackle in the NFL.

Both these kids came to America at age 14.  So they’re tremendous stories as well as development football players.  They both have first‑round talent and it’s a huge week for both of these kids.

Q.  Just wanted to know if you consider this kind of an offensive heavy draft or defensive heavy draft?  And which positions stick out to you so far?

MIKE MAYOCK:  If you run through it quickly, I can tell you that I think quarterback is average at best.  I think at running back you have one first‑rounder in C.J. Spiller.  After that, three or four guys will have to fight real hard to get into that first‑round like Ryan Matthews, Jahvid Best, McKnight.  Three or four potential first‑round wide receivers.

The tight end class is very average.  Gresham is healthy, he’s a first‑round pick.  The Gronkowski kid from Arizona, the junior, he’s coming off a back injury where he didn’t even play the entire season.

I think the strength of this class offensively are the tackles again.  I could easily see five or six first‑round tackles this year.

On the defensive side of the ball, you have four defensive ends that are first‑round picks.  To be honest with you, the two best players I’ve seen on tape this year, bar none far and away, are defensive tackles.  Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska and Gerald McCoy.  You can put them in any order you want because they’re different kind of defensive tackles.  But they’re great football players.

In the linebacker position, when you start talking about Rolando McClain, Spikes, Kindle, Weatherspoon, you’ve got some real solid four‑five first‑round linebackers.

We’ve got at the Senior Bowl three or four potential first round d‑backs.  I think that’s phenomenal.  I can’t wait to see.  As a matter of fact, the defensive back field has Perrish Cox, Taylor Mays from USC, and Patrick Robinson from Florida State.  All three of them could be first‑round picks and they’re all playing for the same team in the Senior Bowl.

So if you hear me talking ‑‑ then in the safety class, you’ve got two high‑level kids, Berry and Taylor Mays, and with the Texas kid coming out and the LSU kid coming out, all of a sudden the safety class is deep.

So that’s a long way of saying you add it up and the defensive side of this draft right now ‑‑ I’m talking about the top‑level guys ‑‑ I don’t know the depth of these classes because I have to watch more tape of the later‑level kids, but right now I’d say it’s better on the defensive side.

Q.  Would you say with the defensive ends you’re talking about, that most of the good ones fit a four‑three or a three‑four?

MIKE MAYOCK:  Jason Pierre‑Paul, who is probably the top‑rated defensive end out there, is a four‑three guy.  Derrick Morgan is probably a four‑three guy.  Dunlap is definitely a four‑three guy.  I think Everson Griffen from USC could play both.  Corey Wootton from Northwestern is a four‑three guy.  Then you get more of the three‑four guys like Brandon Graham, Jerry Hughes, Koa Misi, they’re all more three‑four type guys.

Q.  Wondering if you can tell me what you think some of the things that Tim Tebow has to do next week, some of the things he has to show those guys in order to convince them that he’s able to play at that level?

MIKE MAYOCK:  Here’s the thing:  Most people think that he’s risking the most of any player coming to play this game.  What I would say is I think it’s a brilliant move.  Here’s a guy who is arguably the best football player that ever played college football, yet most NFL scouts would probably put him in the third round if you’re talking about the quarterback position.  He’s got mechanical issues, and you’ve got philosophy issues if you’re going to draft the kid.  Philosophy as far as what offense you’re going to run.

So the kid’s got major issues here.  But he’s so impressive a kid, and his intangibles are so high, leadership, work ethic, toughness.  All the things we talk about and hold in high esteem, especially at the quarterback position.

The more pro people that are around this kid and understand that he’s a genuine item, he’s not faking any of this stuff, this is who he is, I think the higher his stock will go.

Whether or not he competed in this game ‑‑ he’s got mechanical issues.  There’s no question about it, and they’re not that easy to get rid of.  But this kid will work his tail off and do whatever anybody tells him to do to work on those issues.

Once the ball finally is released, he’s got a good arm.  But it takes a while to get the ball out of his hands.  So I really believe that by spending a week being coached by NFL people and letting the whole league start to get to know what kind of kid he is, I think he just no matter what the ball looks like, whether it smothers, whether it takes too long, I think he’s going to win just because people are going to want him in their huddle.

Q.  Do you remember a time or remember a draft prospect that’s been sort of that polarizing where there is so much difference of opinion on whether the kid can or can’t play or where he belongs?

MIKE MAYOCK:  Yeah, I think the two easiest examples are Vince Young and Pat White.  Vince Young was at a completely different level.  Most people thought he was a first‑round pick.  But he had the same two major issues.  He had mechanical issues for a different reason.  He pushes the ball.  He didn’t bring it all the way down low like Tebow.  But he had mechanical issues.  And he had philosophy issues.  Can you change your offense?  Can he accommodate a certain level of NFL‑style passing attack.

The fact that he’s now finally come on this year I think helps Tebow a little bit.  They’re not the same kind of player, but it’s a similar situation.

Patrick White, running the spread offense last year.  Patrick White has a big arm.  He also has an elongated delivery.  And people wanted him to play a different position, a lot like Tim Tebow.  Pat White went in the second round to Miami because a lot of people felt there was value with him as a wildcat or potential wide receiver.

To me you can say the exact same thing about Tim Tebow.  There is value there.  The way I look at this kid is I want the ball in his hands.  And whether it’s at wildcat, whether he’s in motion as an H-back and catching the football, I really don’t care, but I want the ball in his hands, because the kid’s a winner.

I think as this process plays itself out, my guess is all these people that are going in the third‑round pick, I’m guessing the kid’s going to get ‑‑ as we move closer, more and more people will like him more and that will move closer into the second round.  It only takes one team to go in the first round, obviously.

Q.  Just wanted to check on Jonathan Dwyer, the Georgia Tech running back.  Any thoughts on other Georgia Tech kids that are coming out and will be down there?

MIKE MAYOCK:  Well, most of the Georgia Tech kids are underclassmen and won’t be there.  But Jonathan Dwyer is ‑‑ the comment I get from a lot of NFL teams is he’s a difficult kid to do because of the type of offense that he’s coming out of.  But he’s a big, strong kid with great straight line speed.

The hard thing will be watching tape and saying okay, how do you envision him out of that on offense and into a traditional seven‑yards deep in the back field or standing next to a quarterback and shotgun.  His skill set and toughness and size should translate.

I think the wide receiver, Thomas, another underclassmen, he reminds me a little of Hakeem Nicks coming out of North Carolina last year.  Good sized kids.  Strong hands.  Probably not as fast as most of the elite wide receivers, but still a good football player, and a late 1 to mid‑2.

The safety is a tough, aggressive kid.  Sometimes a little bit overly aggressive.  We get to him in play action a little bit, but he’s a physical kid with a good, physical skill set.  He’s probably a second‑ or third‑round pick somewhere in there.

I think, off the top of my head, they’re probably the major guys coming out of tech this year.

Q.  Just a follow‑up.  I missed the first name.  I got Mays and Robinson, but who was the other corner on the South you said we need to look at?

MIKE MAYOCK:  Perrish Cox from Oklahoma State.  Physically gifted kid with first‑round talent.

Q.  Can you talk a little about the top USC guys from the Senior Bowl?  And particularly Stafon Johnson, given his situation?

MIKE MAYOCK:  I think it’s hard for any of us really to define Stafon Johnson right now because we haven’t seen him.  Medically if he’s 100 percent and that never presents any type of issues, what you’re really looking at is, okay, a productive guy who as a junior had a good average per carry, fairly tough kid with good size.

I don’t think you can sit there and say he’s a first‑ or second‑round pick either before or after his surgery.  But he’s a good solid back, that, again, if healthy, he’s the kind of guy that can make a living.

He averaged over 5 yards a carry, and he had some value in the punt return game.  Assuming he’s healthy, I think he’s a fourth‑ or fifth‑round pick.

Now Taylor Mays we all know is a high first‑round pick.  Only question there is with his size, speed and the quality of teammate that he has, I don’t understand why he didn’t make more plays as a four‑year starter.  I need to watch some more tape and figure that out on.  But he unquestionably will go early.

Then Charles Brown, the tackle, is a really interesting guy to me.  You know, you’re talking about 6’3″, 300, athletic feet, long arms.  He needs to get stronger like a lot of those former tight ends.  He needs to get bigger and stronger and work on his technique.  But those kind of guys typically don’t last beyond the second round.

And Anthony McCoy, the tight end.  Another second‑ or third‑round guy.  Not a great blocker, but a vertical threat down the field.  He needs to get his nose in the face of defensive linemen and linebackers and show people he can be a tougher blocker than he presented on tape this year.

I think ‑‑ have I hit all the guys going to the Senior Bowl?  Byers, Jeff Byers is going.  Byers is going, he’s a draftable guy.  Smart, tough.  He can play three interior line positions.  That will help him make a team.

Outside of that, there are guys that aren’t in this game.  Kevin Thomas, the corner, is a good football player.  Better than most people thought.  He could be a third‑round pick.  The other corner, Pinker, could be a draftable kid.

So, once again, we don’t have quite as many first‑round picks coming out of there.  But when you talk about Mays, Everson Griffen is a really gifted pass‑rusher.  Can play both in the four‑three, and the three‑four.  Joe McKnight and Damian Williams, two underclassmen that are probably second‑round picks.  So there are a ton of kids that will represent USC.

Q.  Brian Price is not going to be there, of course, but what are your thoughts on him?

MIKE MAYOCK:  I like his toughness and explosion out of UCLA.  He’s only about 6’1″, 300.  But from what I’ve seen, this is a very good defensive tackle class.  He probably fits somewhere in that second round.

Q.  You mentioned Patrick Robinson, the corner from Florida State.  What have you you seen out of him?  You mentioned he could potentially be a first‑rounder.  What does he bring to the table as a defensive back?

MIKE MAYOCK:  What he’s got is naturally he’s got a naturally gifted ‑‑ it doesn’t take real long to put the film on to watch this kid backpedal and change direction.

So when you start talking about the first thing you look for for corners, I always look at their feet.  His change of direction, his transition ability, I want to see what he’s going to run.  I think he’s more comfortable as a press corner than he is at anything else.

But to qualify this, I think he has first‑round talent.  I have some concerns about how consistent he plays.  His technique isn’t always consistent.  He takes some plays off.  I want to see what his real speed is, his 40 speed.  And people beat him off the line of scrimmage when he got lazy with his hands.

So what I’m saying is people are going to look closely at him next week at the Senior Bowl, because he has the ability, but he didn’t always demonstrate it on a game‑by‑game and snap‑by‑snap basis.

Q.  And to follow up, there are two other Florida State guys in the Senior Bowl, one is linebacker Dekoda Watson, the other is Myron Rolle, who, as you probably know, didn’t play his senior year here but is still going to be participating this year.  What have you seen out of those guys?  What do you think their prospects are?  What are they going to have to do to make an impression?

MIKE MAYOCK:  Watson’s an interesting kid.  He looks the part.  Big shoulders, tiny waist, good physique, very athletic.  I think he’ll test very well.  He’s played both the Sam linebacker, he plays the Will first year.

So I think what he looks like is a real linebacker in the NFL to me.  I think he’s somewhere around a fourth‑round pick.

He’s had some elbow, knee, groin type issues, durability issues.  He’s a natural athlete.  He can rush the quarterback a little bit, too.  So some of the three‑four teams might look at him also.  But he’s only 6’1 1/2″, and about 222.  So I think his best fit is the four‑three Will.

The Rolle kid is really interesting.  The intangibles are off the charts.  Production was good.  He didn’t get his hands on a lot of footballs.  As a three‑year starter, he only had one interception.  And people are going to question his speed, his tightness in his hips, and whether or not he can truly play the safety position.  I’ve heard some people talking about outside linebacker, but he’s a little small for that.

So what he has to show next week, forgetting the fact that he hasn’t played football in a year, is he’s got to show speed, footwork, and an ability to transition from the backpedal to cover a zone or cover a man.  That’s going to be important to him.

Q.  My question is about Suh and McCoy.  You talked about them as the top two players.  Could you break those two guys down?

MIKE MAYOCK:  Sure.  I watched the Big 12 Championship game on tape again the other night just because I wanted to take a little time away from it and see if it was as good as I thought.  I went back to it again, and it might be the single most dominant performance I’ve seen in a high‑level college football game.

By means of a comparison, Suh reminds me of Kevin Williams when he came out of Oklahoma State.  Williams has been to five Pro Bowls in eight years, I believe.  That is the type of player [Suh] is, and maybe even a notch beyond that.

He’s tremendously stout against the run and can get up the field and push the pocket with the pass game.  If you get a defensive tackle that can do both, you’ve got a Pro Bowler.

He’s not as quick twitch as McCoy, but McCoy’s not quite as good against the run as Suh.  So some of those one‑gap, up‑the‑field penetrating teams are going to like McCoy a little bit better because he’s quicker.  He can get to the quarterback more quickly, and he still is stout against the run.  He’s just not quite as good as Suh is.

So it depends on what you’re looking for within the framework of your defense.  I think to me they ought to be the first two players off the board, they’re both that good.

Q.  Is there any chance in your mind that a quarterback sneaks up to the number one spot and drops those guys?

MIKE MAYOCK:  I think it’s a big reach.  The logical guy is Bradford.  We all need to do more work on Bradford since he didn’t play this year basically.  But at first blush off his junior year was I impressed with his National Championship Game two years ago?  I was.  Accuracy, poise, that was the only game all year where he was under some pressure because for the most part he could have sat in a lawn chair and thrown the football most other games.

So, no, I’m not a big Clausen fan.  I think Bradford’s the guy that could be a Top 10 pick.  But there’s no way in the world in my mind today, and I have more work to do on Bradford, but today those two players just dwarf the quarterback issue.

Q.  I don’t think you mentioned Kurt Coleman when you were talking about the safeties earlier.  Is he that far behind some of those big‑named guys?

MIKE MAYOCK:  Yes.  Coleman’s a really good college football player.  I like watching him on tape.  He’s probably got very average speed.  I think he had five interceptions this year and three forced fumbles.  He had four interceptions a year ago.  So he had nine interceptions in two years.  Pretty much a three‑year starter.

So I think he’s a solid player.  I think he’s a tough kid that reads blocks and supports the run.  I think he’s an average player in zone.  Average hips and change of direction.  I think he’ll be a special teams player and probably have the ability to back up at both safeties and right now I see him more as about a fourth‑ or fifth‑round pick as opposed to those other safeties that are first‑ or second‑round picks.

Q.  Do you think ‑‑ has there been any change?  It seems to me there is change in the past about picking a safety as high like, you know, the ‑‑ Buffalo did it.  I’m just curious with these guys, you’ve got to sound pretty special this year.  Could they move up, I don’t know, Top 10 or, you know, all that kind of thing?

MIKE MAYOCK:  I think people are really intrigued with Berry and Nate.  Both those kids have the ability to go in the Top 15.  And one or both ‑‑ depending on team needs and free agency, one or both could be Top 10 picks because people think they’re difference makers.

If you heard what I said about Mays earlier, I’m still concerned about whether he’s a difference maker despite his awesome physical abilities.  But both of them will be gone by the first 15 picks.

Q.  Wanted to ask you about a couple other guys.  You mentioned polarizing figures earlier.  It seems another one that is closer to home here is Terrence Cody.  I’d like to get your thoughts on him, and a couple of instate guys, Antonio Coleman and Javier Arenas.

MIKE MAYOCK:  Sure.  Cody should be a first‑round pick, especially given the scarcity of big‑time three‑four nose tackles.  If you look back a few years ago, the Patriots took Vince Wilfork with the 20th or 21st pick, if I remember correctly.  And that’s to me about where Cody should go.

However, because he’s so big and there’s been the weight question off the field, I’m not sure he’s going to sneak into the first round.

So I think this is an important week for him to show that he’s in shape.  The question of how many downs can a guy his size actually play in a game at a competitive level.

So when you start talking about a first‑round defensive lineman, yeah, they can play in the rotation, and you can give them a blow during the game.  But how many snaps are you going to get out of Cody?  Ask are they going to be high‑level snaps or is he going to be dying?  Is he only a first‑down player?  Can he play first and second?  What is he going to do on pass downs?  So there are questions to be asked of him.

Arenas is a kid I really like.  He may be undersized and all those things.  5′ 8 1/2″, 190.  He’s feisty.  Even though he’s short and compact, he’s very strong.  He will tackle, he’s physical.  I think he’s an ideal slot defender and nickel package.  Very quick feet.  He can blitz off the slot.  Did a nice job using him as a blitzer this year.

People will question his size and long speed.  I don’t think he’s real fast.  I think he’s quicker than he is fast.  He also brings value in the return game.

So you’re talking about a guy with good ball skills of the five interceptions this year.  Whether you have seven career punt returns for touchdowns, I think there is some real value there.  But he’s going to get dinged for size and speed.  I would anticipate second or third round.

Who else did you want to know about?

Q.  Antonio Coleman, the defensive end from Auburn?

MIKE MAYOCK:  Talented kid.  Motor doesn’t always run at 100 percent.  Can bring some pressure off the edge.  He’s a guy, in my opinion, when you talk to people around the league, people are all over the board about this kid.  I know he’s a hometown Mobile kid.  He ought to have a big week.  But he needs to bring it every single play, not just ‑‑ he can’t afford to take any snaps on off.

Little bit of a tweener sizewise.  6’1″, 250 plus or minus.  Is he a true defensive end?  Can he stand up and play outside linebacker?  Those are some of his issues.

Q.  Wanted to talk to you about a guy who is an underclassman, Golden Tate from Notre Dame.  What do you see as the pluses and minuses and where do you predict him going?

MIKE MAYOCK:  I think he’s probably a first‑round pick.  I think the pluses in his game are that he has extremely strong hands.  He high points the football.  He fights for the football.

Number two, once he makes the catch, he almost looks like a high‑level running back.  He’s got the attitude of a running back, and his run after the catch might be the best of all wide receivers in this draft.

As far as minuses, I don’t think he’s a route runner at this point in his career.  But I think he’s got a lot to learn.  Just to learn to get in and out of cuts.  How to set up a defensive back.  He’s fairly raw in those areas, but I don’t think that will be a problem learning.

I think he’s a guy somewhere in that 20 to 32 range, he probably goes.

Q.  I wanted to ask you about Jared Odrick, what you’ve seen on tape.  Do you think he’s a first‑rounder still?  Is he rising or falling?

MIKE MAYOCK:  I’ve talked to a couple people about him recently.  Most everybody likes him.  You know, you’re talking about a guy with great size.  For his size, you’re talking about 6’4″, 300‑plus‑pound guy who is a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

He plays every snap.  He’s got a good motor, good agility and athletic ability.  He’s got the length to also play the five technique, which is the defensive end in a three‑four.  So he’s got some scheme versatility, too.  Inside on the four‑three, or outside on the three‑four.

So when you add all that up, it should be late first round.  Some of the questions I have on tape and I’ve heard from a couple of other guys is that he’s got to be more efficient getting off blocks.  He’s got a good initial pop.  If somebody gets their hands on him with some strength, he struggles to get off some of those blocks.  He’s on the ground sometimes too much.

Now, they’re not major issues, but they could be the difference between first round and second round.

Q.  Does he strike you as an Eagles type of guy?  Kind of a pass‑rushing, interior tackle or an upfield guy?

MIKE MAYOCK:  He’s probably stronger and not as quick as what the Eagles have right now.  The Eagles have the Patterson kid and the Bunkley kid, and they also have Notre Dame kid, Trevor Laws.  All three of those guys are smaller and quicker.

I like Odrick because I think he brings a little different dimension than those three guys do.  He’s a little more stout in the run game.  Maybe not as quick in the pass‑rushing game.

Q.  I’m thinking of Brandon Minor when I ask this question.  How do NFL teams value or downgrade a running back with such an injury history like that?  Is there a magic number for carries you can expect to get out of somebody at the NFL level?  Can you talk about that in general a little bit.

MIKE MAYOCK:  You’re talking about because of his history of injuries?

Q.  Yeah, yeah.  I was just thinking of Brandon Minor when I was asking the question up here in Michigan.  But, in general, how do NFL teams value a running back that has such a significant injury history?

MIKE MAYOCK:  They look at it at every position, obviously.  The running back position, what guys do is sit there and go, okay, most running backs have a certain number of carries in their body.  Very few of them get past age 30, so whether it’s in college or in the NFL, when you start looking at the body of work, how many carries they’ve had, number one, and number two, what kind of significant injury history do they have.

If they continue to break down, most NFL teams at the running back position are going to downgrade a guy significantly, because it’s already a position that breaks down anyway.  If you show a history of it early, most teams are going to do their homework and just in their own mind say, okay, at a certain point maybe this kid makes sense.  But his natural ability ‑‑ I’m not even talking about Minor; I’m giving you an example ‑‑ his natural ability might dictate a second‑ or third‑round grade.  But since he had two knees and a shoulder, and had only played X amount of snaps, that second‑ or third‑round guy might be a fifth‑ or sixth‑round guy.

Q.  When it comes to Minor, have you done any evaluation on him yet?

MIKE MAYOCK:  I have not even looked at him yet.  I’ve got him on the side.  What I basically do is I’ve got to get ready for the top 150 players for the Senior Bowl.  I spend all my time watching tape on those guys.  Then I get feedback from my league sources about the other guys.  Once the Senior Bowl is over, I start to move past that and get into some of the later rounds as I get ready for the combine and the draft.  So I haven’t studied him yet.

Transcript of NFL Network’s Conference Call with Analysts Deion Sanders & Michael Irvin to Preview Championship Sunday, Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV

Here are quotes from the call with the transcript below:

“You pretty much have three of the best quarterbacks, probably future Hall of Famers, to play in this game, and then you have a young kid that’s wide‑eyed and wet behind the ears…” –Deion Sanders on the QB’s

“Two of the all‑time greats and the other two have something to prove.” –Michael Irvin on the QB’s

“I’ll give you back my mom and dad to play football with Peyton Manning.”–Irvin

“He’s going to be great for at least five to seven years.  The reason is, he has instinct, mobility and one thing that people really don’t understand, he’s never out of position.” –Sanders on Darrelle Revis

“The challenge is being who you are.  Often times people come from the football field and they get on television and they want to emulate someone else instead of perfect themselves. The next challenge is being able to be honest about your friends and former teammates and guys in the league who you know very well and being able to relate that information to the viewers; and to not only be entertaining, but informative as well. That’s not a challenge for me and that’s not a challenge to Michael.  I think the honesty leaps off the TV screen.” — Sanders on the transition to broadcasting after playing in the NFL

“I like the fact that we are home with this Pro Bowl and giving the fans here who couldn’t afford to go to Hawaii an opportunity to see the players that they voted in.” – Irvin on the Pro Bowl in South Florida

See the transcript below to read how Deion and Michael ranked the four quarterbacks who will be playing on Sunday and more.

NFL NETWORK MODERATOR:  I want to thank everyone for joining us for NFL Network’s call to preview the Championship Game, Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.  A few points before we turn it over to our two featured speakers is that on Saturday night at 8:30 on NFL Network, we will be re‑airing the Jets Super Bowl III win over the Baltimore Colts as part of our Super Bowl Classics this weekend.

Also wanted to mention that NFL Network had a very successful year last year and it was announced that NFL Network was the No. 1‑rated cable network in terms of growth in 2009.  We increased our distribution by 31 percent, adding more than ten million subscribers last year.

I would now like to introduce NFL Network’s executive producer, Eric Weinberger, who will talk about our upcoming programming and introduce our featured speakers.

ERIC WEINBERGER:  Welcome, everybody.  I will be quick so I can toss is over to the two men you really want to speak to, Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin.

We are so excited, and hardly to blame, with our lengthy coverage that we will be attempting this weekend. The shows have been so successful this year, we are extending our NFL Game Day Morning Show to six hours live this Sunday, mostly because the first two weekends of the post‑season our numbers in the morning have been up 100% and about 90 percent in total household.  With that success, we are lengthening the show.  We will go on at 9:00 am Eastern and go right up to kick off at 3:00 PM for the CBS game.

Super Bowl and Pro Bowl weeks, they are always very exciting for us, even more exciting this year with the new format, being in South Florida for two weeks. It’s incredibly exciting and for a viewer, it will just be an unbelievable culmination to another great season where viewers watched football in record numbers.

With over 50 hours of Super Bowl coverage that we will have in two weeks, we have about another ten hours of Pro Bowl coverage that leads us up to the Pro Bowl Sunday on ESPN.  Deion and Michael will be key contributors to next week’s All‑Star week, which also includes another ten to 15 hours of Senior Bowl coverage from Mobile, Alabama.  This is like a football fan’s dream, and on top of Senior Bowl, Deion will also be in the broadcast booth for Team USA high school stars against The World next Saturday (1/30) from Florida.

It is so exciting to have Deion and Michael, again, on the same team.  The entertainment these two provide is unmatched.  I think going into a championship weekend where these two Hall of Famers played against each other, played with each other, the insight that they can give to what goes on in a locker room on the field is just unmatched, and we are sure that the viewers know that.

So really without further ado, I am going to kick it to Michael first, but I hope that you all just unload some questions here and really get in the minds of these two guys who know this time of year. They know winning at this time of year, as well or better than anyone that you can currently speak with about the NFL.

So Deion, Michael, take it away.

MICHAEL IRVIN:  Good evening and good afternoon. First of all let me thank you guys for taking the moment here, and I wanted to just say winning three Super Bowls, there’s nothing more exciting than this time of the year.  I am so excited to be back on the air with the NFL Network, because of the 50 hours of Super Bowl coverage, it’s football at its best.

We will get a chance to talk about every detail of the championship games and Super Bowl games, and even what it means to be a Pro Bowler, and for me, I’ve got to tell you now, this has just been a great season, first year with the network, and more importantly, on a lot of things it, Deion and I have had endless conversations about the possibility of working together.

So I want to thank you, Eric and Deion, who know what it means to me to actually be sitting here on the set and to be discussing football and all of the little conversations that we have had on the practice field about how to attack teams; now getting the opportunity to share with everybody some of those private conversations, that’s how it goes ‑‑ about how do you transition and transfer that to the football field on game day.

I can’t tell you how happy I am to be working alongside a very good friend of mine, and I think the world of him and I always called him one of the greatest athletes that I’ve ever been around, if not the greatest athlete, Deion Sanders.

So we are excited about it, guys.  You won’t get any coverage anywhere else like you are going to get on the NFL Network, because I’m sure nowhere else, no one else will have the people that we are going to have being able to give what we are able to give.

So we are excited about it.  Deion, and I know I didn’t say this to you, but I’m just excited about being on the same set, and finally, that dream being realized of you and I working together.  So that being said, I pass it Deion if you have something to say, or we can go to the questions.

DEION SANDERS:  Ladies and gentlemen, I just wanted to say on behalf of the whole NFL Network, and we are excited about the upcoming weeks of games, High School Game, the Senior Bowl, the Pro Bowl, finale of the Super Bowl, it’s amazing.  Michael and I have been in some situations, Michael one more time than I have but I’m really excited about this.

You live and you dream about the playoffs, and it’s finally here and now you get into the finale of that, and we are excited, man.  Both of us have had the opportunity to work on other networks, and I can honestly say in speaking for both of us, this is the best.  We are open, we are not censored, we are not labored.  We are just happy and ecstatic to get to work and share our thoughts with the viewers, as well as with one another, and we are just thankful to be a part of the NFL Network.

Q.  The Super Bowl III telecast Saturday night, is that the replay of the NBC broadcast that you guys aired originally?

ERIC WEINBERGER:  Yeah, it is the original broadcast. We aired it Super Bowl week last year.

Q.  To two of my favorite men, as well as favorite analysts, Deion, if you would please as a shutdown cover corner, rate the four quarterbacks left in the final four, and Michael as a receiver rate them, that would be fantastic.

DEION SANDERS:  First of all, let me tell you, by saying a shutdown corner, I don’t know what that terminology is.  Last time I checked, the corner’s job was to cover.  That would be just like saying Peyton Manning is a throwing quarterback.

DEION SANDERS:  But going to the quarterbacks, man, you have a smorgasbord.  You pretty much have three of the best quarterbacks, probably future Hall of Famers, to play in this game, and then you have a young kid that’s wide‑eyed and wet behind the ears by the name Mark Sanchez, really not even knowing where he is right now and not even understanding the opportunity and the severity that he may never get back to that point once again.

But Peyton Manning is a constant professional.  He’s poised, he’s smart, he’s intelligent and he may go down in history as the best to ever play the game.

Brett Favre is an old gun slinger, old savvy veteran.  He brings the 40‑year‑old man ‑‑ he makes me smile every time you hear his name mentioned when you’re on television because he’s a man’s man and I love him.

You’re talking about Drew Brees, all of the trials and tribulations being shipped aside from San Diego and landing feet first in New Orleans and he’s taken the NFL by storm.  Should have been an MVP by now.

And with that combination of four quarterbacks there’s no telling what can happen.  The only guy that you can question is Sanchez, and he has that old Trent Dilfer formula:  Don’t lose it; you don’t have to win it, but don’t lose it.  So I love this plethora of quarterbacks that we have in this game.

MICHAEL IRVIN:  As a receiver, I see it ‑‑ when I see this, I see it as two guys, two of the all‑time greats and the other two have something to prove.  You look at Brett and Drew Brees, Brett is one of the all‑time greats, Hall of Famer.  But Drew Brees, he should feel like he still has something to prove.

Drew Brees is one of the top players, but you have to be and the only way that I would ever be construed as one of these top players is to get a Super Bowl ring.  Sanchez, Peyton Manning, MVP, he will end up as one of the all‑time greats.  Mark Sanchez, I’m just a young guy trying to crack into this.

So you still have two of all‑time greats going up against two of the quarterbacks that have something to prove.  And I look at it from that perspective, and I say, wow.

Now, I would have loved three of those quarterbacks.  I know Sanchez ain’t going to throw a party for me from that perspective, but there’s something to be said even about Sanchez.  Deion says he has to make the most of it because he may not get to this point.  That’s true because a lot of times, people don’t get back but you have to love this kid as a winner.  People love playing with him, and I’ve sat with him.  He’s engaging and I think that he’s going to do a lot of wonderful things in New York.

ERIC WEINBERGER:  So each of you rank them one through four.

DEION SANDERS:  In what aspect?

ERIC WEINBERGER:  The quarterback, from a DB, from your perspective. Deion, who is the toughest to play against, No. 1, and who is the easiest, No. 4, and then Michael, who is the best long thrower maybe from wide receiver standpoint, No. 1 and No. 4 would be I guess Sanchez, you just said.

MICHAEL IRVIN:  I’ll give you back my mom and dad to play football with Peyton Manning.  The way he plays the game, we are coming out and we’ll see the coverage.  Now, Peyton, you don’t have any reason not to get me the ball.  You see the coverage, come to the play, call the play where I get the ball.  I would do anything to play with Peyton Manning.  That’s what he does.

Now, No. 2, I’m going to put Drew Brees because Drew Brees is a little younger and I think Drew Brees is very accurate, very accurate.  If I’m looking at it as a receiver, I want to play with Drew Brees.

Now third person is Brett Favre and I tell you why.  I think Brett Favre has done a wonderful, wonderful thing, in bringing Sidney Rice to the forefront and making him an All‑Pro receiver.  But now I think the tables are flipped.  Will Brett Favre need him, will Sidney Rice need Brett Farve to make him become an all-time receiver?

DEION SANDERS:  Brett Favre because he has something that’s an intangible. You’ve got to believe in him, you want to believe in him, you want to see him win, you want to see him prosperous and you want to see him victorious.

Now I would go to Drew Brees.  I’ve seen a bad Drew Brees right here on NFL Network against the Dallas Cowboys, but that is not the Drew Brees that I think we would like to see this Sunday.  But he landed the No. 3 spot just for that reason. I saw him live with pressure amongst him and those William brothers, they are going to put pressure up the middle, up the front.  He’s going to have to escape Allen, and that’s going to be a task for him to do.  I think he can purposely do it but I don’t know, that’s a question mark there and last but not least Mark Sanchez.  I don’t believe this kid knows where he is.

Q.  Pro Bowl question, you guys were two of the premiere players in the 1990s, Deion, if you had to pick a scoring secondary from the previous decade, and Michael if you had to pick three receivers if you were building a team, two outside guys and maybe one slot guy from the 2000s, what guys would you pick?

DEION SANDERS:  Oh, my God, that is tough, my man, from this decade currently?  From the 2000s.

DEION SANDERS:  Okay.  Ed Reed to be a safety for certain, and my God, Brian Dawkins would be the other safety.  On the corner it would have ‑‑ I would have to say at the corner back it would have to be Champ Bailey because of the body of work he’s put in, the body of work.  I know Revis and Charles Woodson, they are superb corners, but the body of work Champ Bailey has laid, he has a tremendous foundation.

Q.  And the other corner, Deion?

DEION SANDERS:  Yeah, that would probably be Charles Woodson ‑‑ no, no, Al Harris.  Al Harris and Champ Bailey.

Q.  Could you tell me why you pick Harris?

DEION SANDERS:  Al Harris, his first Pro Bowl was last year.  Doesn’t talk much.  He doesn’t say much.  Very underrated, but Michael Irvin can attest to this.  This guy over the last several years would be the best corner in the game.  Only guy that took a man, the top receiver, top opposing receiver on the opposing team man‑to‑man each game flip side, the reason Charles Woodson had a rebirth from Oakland is because when he went to Green Bay.  He was take a second receiver and got his confidence back.  Then he was able to overtake Al and take the top receiver.  That’s why Charles is Charles now, but Al Harris has been the best corner over probably the last several years.

Ed Reed, I had the luxury of playing with him, I saw him on a day‑to‑day basis and Brian Dawkins is a dog, played in the same division as the Dallas Cowboys.  I watched him closely for years, and he is a constant professional.  On and off the field he knows his assignments and he doesn’t miss tackles.  He makes plays and he is a fierce competitor.

MICHAEL IRVIN:  I’ve got to take into account the talent that I’m looking for but also the system that the talent was in as he performed this last decade, you see what I mean.  I don’t want to duplicate.  I could see Randy Moss…let me give you my Top three and then I’ll put a team together.  Top two would be T.O. and Randy Moss, why not?

So it’s hard for me not to take both of those guys, but the reality is Randy Moss is your top guy.  T.O. is still going to want to go up top, because functioning where both of these guys is going to be a bit difficult, Randy is going to want everything that goes up top and the ability to get up top.

Putting a team together, I would have work both of those guys in, TO and Randy Moss, T.O. having the ability to work the intermediary, 20 yards in and everything and those routes.  But as I rack my brain here on the third guy ‑‑

DEION SANDERS:  I’ve got him for you.

MICHAEL IRVIN:  Wes Welker.

DEION SANDERS:  You forgot Marvin Harrison.

MICHAEL IRVIN:  And Marvin wasn’t a part guy ‑‑ inaudible ‑‑

DEION SANDERS:  Marvin was great.

MICHAEL IRVIN:  I didn’t hear enough of Marvin doing the slot to make me say that he can work ‑‑ in the slot.  And without having that guy that’s going to just be an intermediate guy, and ‑‑ because these other two guys are knock them off the top kind of guys.  A 20‑yard route runner because I don’t think Randy is going to become that.  I have to turn T.O., into catch 20 yards, 17, 18, and ‑‑ Randy Moss, you take care of everything over 25.  I want to work the whole field.

DEION SANDERS:  Tim Brown.

MICHAEL IRVIN:  Too old.

Q.  For Deion, if you would, may I ask you your thoughts on the Darrelle Revis and just how good he might be able to become?

DEION SANDERS:  I think he’s going to be great for at least five to seven years.  The reason is, he has instinct, mobility and one thing that people really don’t understand, he’s never out of position.  He’s never high.  He plays low.  He has great balance.  I’m not going to say he’s a speedster, but he has a burst, and he knows the integral parts of the game.  He’s a studier.  He takes his work home with him.  You’re not going to worry about him going to jail after practice or something absurd like that.

He is a constant professional on and off the field, and his work habits are second to none.  I just feel elated about this kid, his potential.

MICHAEL IRVIN:  I got a chance to watch the piece that Deion did with him and I then I had an XO that I was looking at on Darrelle Revis and he were comparing him to another top corner, might have been  Lem Barney.  You can see in the XO, we had them lined up on the run coverage on a wide receiver and the guy was releasing, Barney as he got ready to turn, his feet came really high off the ground each time he got ready to turn and run.

Revis, watch him when he plays, his feet never comes off the ground.  Because when you’re playing cornerback, you have to cut immediately right into the next cutting ‑‑ if your feet are coming high off the ground it’s going to take time to get off the ground and make the cut.  Revis, he stays low, so he’s already ready to make the cut.  You should watch this on Deion.  Deion, by the fact that he’s scooting, he kept his feet low on the ground, so when it’s time, as soon as you make a cut ‑‑ because their feet are on the ground all the time.  Just little things.  We’ll give you this free, next time you need something like that, you watch it on TV.

Q.  Deion, have you gotten to know Darrelle at all?

DEION SANDERS:  Yes, over the last couple of years.  Ty Law told me about this kid when he got into the league, and I had been following him since then, and we started text messaging probably about a year ago.  And I reach out to him often.  I mean, often, often, at least twice a week, and he’s a great kid, man.

Q.  I was going to ask you, his uncle, Sean Gilbert, seems to be such a powerful, positive influence in his life.  What is your take on that and what that is meaning to this young man’s career?

DEION SANDERS:  I’m sure his maturation process has been expedited because of that.   And there has to be someone in your life that has do be able to tell you no and that means no, and I think Sean Gilbert provides that for him.  He’s been there and has done that, and admires him and loves him sincerely and there’s no hidden agenda and that’s very important with today’s athletes.  In today’s athletes, that’s a whole different key out there right now.

Q.  You mentioned Senior Bowl and you’ll be a couple of hours from home for the Super Bowl coverage, but we have two players from your hometown in the Senior Bowl, Nate Alan and Terrence Cody, and I have to wonder what you think about how Fort Myers where you’re from used to only have you and maybe one Williams in the league, and now at the start of the season, 18 players from Naples or Fort Myers were in training camp.

DEION SANDERS:  I think that’s tremendous and a testament to the coaching and the youth activities in that city because it all starts from somewhere.  It represents it well.  I mean, do not ‑‑ that’s the enormity of Jevon Kearse, what he brought to the League and out of Fort Myers and out of the same high school I matriculated from, Edgerrin James, how much he meant.

When you have successful guys that come from one area and are able to come back and respect it and are seen in the cities, I think it just inspires and encourages others to do so, not only in the inner cities, just throughout all of the Fort Myers area.

Q.  Talk about the transition from playing to it TV analyst, and was it a difficult one or was it a challenge at all or did you fit right in from the get‑go?

DEION SANDERS:  Well, the challenge is being who you are.  Often times people come from the football field and they get on television and they want to emulate someone else instead of perfect themselves, and then the next challenge is being able to be honest about your friends, former teammates and guys in the league who you know very well and being able to relate that information to the viewers; and to not only be entertaining, but informative as well. That’s not a challenge for me and that’s not a challenge to Michael.  I think the honesty leaps off the TV screen, and you can relate it and he can articulate his thoughts at a very nice pace.

It’s wonderful.  That’s why I thank God, I really do, for the NFL Network.  I mean, I was on another network and I didn’t have the flexibility and the freedom to do the things that I can do here and I’m very happy and elated about this relationship.

Q.  Deion, just curious, last month when the Jets and Colts played, Peyton did not shy away from going after Revis now.  You could argue now Peyton is the best offensive player in the league, and Revis the best defensive player in the league, wondering how you saw that match up playing out on Sunday.

DEION SANDERS:  I tell you what, I think it’s going to play out, early, because last week in the game, the reason they didn’t have being ‑‑ they didn’t jump out leaps and bounds versus the Baltimore Ravens is because they didn’t involve Reggie Wayne into the game plan.  It’s almost like they went into half‑time and they made ‑‑ they said what are we doing, we have not thrown Reggie one ball, he doesn’t have one catch, let’s get him involved.  And they came right after half‑time and got him involved with the first two passes like back to back plays and they can’t wait that time period to get Reggie Wayne involved and Reggie Wayne will have Darrelle Revis in front of him unless Rex Ryan decides to double Reggie Wayne and then put Revis on another side of the field.

But I tell you what, it’s going to be a great match‑up.  They are going to have to face each other and you are going to have to build Reggie’s confidence up right off the bat, and it’s probably going to be an inside route, something safe on a double move and that’s one thing that Michael can attest to:  When you are playing against a good corner and Michael, you can elaborate on, this one thing you need him to do is to stop his feet and to start again.

MICHAEL IRVIN:  Absolutely.  Absolutely.  Now that’s the game, the interesting thing here, too, and I look at this match‑up and I know, you know, in the first match up, he didn’t get as many looks, but the game, what they were not planning on doing a whole lot in this game ‑‑ this game was different.

Deion hit on it, but the reality is, Peyton Manning has to play the next five or six, seven years with this guy over here being his No. 1 target.  He cannot let these guys believe there is somebody on the other side that will stop him from throwing the ball to him.  He can’t go into the game, not only this game, but as they move forward.  You know, these are conversations that ‑‑ these are conversations that I had with Norv Turner and Troy Aikman playing somebody like Deion.  We cannot let the rest of our team see that we are not going to go at someone, because I always say, you attack a man’s weakness if you want to beat him but if you attack his strength, you can break him.  And you can’t allow that to break, the not for the receiver, but the rest of that team.  Very important.

So that’s why this matchup is going to be an intense matchup, and I think ‑‑ I don’t think Reggie is the kind of guy that will hold on to what happened the first time.  Revis is up for the challenge.  This is going be to one of those great match‑ups, because also, Reggie is not as light ‑‑ I’ll use that word ‑‑ inaudible ‑‑ and he’s quick in and out of his breaks.  I like some of the tall receivers that Revis has to work with, so it’s going to be a unique combination of strength and speed for Darrelle Revis, and I want to see how this thing pans out.

Q.  With regard to the Pro Bowl being before the Super Bowl this year, do you think that’s a plus, a minus, is it something that you’re looking forward to from this stand approximate point?

MICHAEL IRVIN:  Well, you know, let me tell you something.  I’ve always, you know, admired and I don’t mind saying it, and the game is ‑‑ All‑Star Weekend is the week after, and I know Deion, you play basketball games and all of those things, and I enjoy going to Hawaii, but I’ve always admired what the NBA had, and I used to always say, wow, unless Hawaii would be ‑‑ the Pro Bowl would be in the States, we would get a chance to see this and I like it that they are putting it in the same city as the Super Bowl.

Now, that being said, if you’re in the Super Bowl, you’re not going to have an opportunity to play in this game.  I think I would have missed some of it ‑‑ but I assure you, I like this format and as long as you get me out there, I was supposed to be here, but I have that another game next week, it’s all good.

I think it’s great for the fans.  You know, and I think it’s great for the game because there’s no telling.  No need to go back to go to Hawaii in a few years, but when you go back now, you’re going back and going to have a greater and new appreciation for what they have, because they won’t have had it.  They won’t have had it for a couple of years.

So I like the fact that we are home with this Pro Bowl and giving the fans here who couldn’t afford to go to Hawaii an opportunity to see the players that they voted in.

DEION SANDERS:  I like it 100% for a number ‑‑ many reasons, many reasons.  First of all, there is no following the Super Bowl.  The Super Bowl is the finale.  You can to the play a World Series and then have another game after the World Series.  You can’t have the NBA Finals and then play another game after that.  You cannot do that.

So the Super Bowl is the finale.  Someone wants to see another football game shortly thereafter, they have forgotten ‑‑ some of the guys have the gotten out of shape, and it’s easy to get out of shape after a couple of weeks, and some of these guys went home right after the season.  They were not fortunate to go to the playoffs.

And now you have to to try to get back in shape to play a game way in Hawaii where you have to take your whole family where it’s going to cost at least a grand.  So I really like it.  I like the ticket prices are very affordable.  Not everyone can make it to the Super Bowl.  The Super Bowl is crazy.  The ticket prices are crazy, but it’s worth it, it’s worth every minute of it.

But to be able to afford to go to the Pro Bowl and to see everybody is like the best of the best in one melting pot, and that’s something that I can’t wait to take my kids to.  I can’t wait for them to go.  They have never been over to Hawaii, my youngest kids, to see a Pro Bowl, but they will be in Miami to see this Pro Bowl.  I’m happy and elated about it, I really am.

Now, when the guys ‑‑ one last thing.  The guys playing in the Super Bowl, they want to get an opportunity to play in the Pro Bowl, but some of them are angered anyway.  If you lose the Super Bowl and you made the Pro Bowl, I don’t feel like it, I’m upset; and then you have to disturb a guy that didn’t plan on going to get him up and get him over there with that last minute call.  So it’s allowing them to play in the Pro Bowl, I like that part of it, also.

MICHAEL IRVIN:  And also with the economy doing what it is, what the NFL is doing, it’s giving you an opportunity to get more bang for the buck.  If you’re going to spend money coming down to the Super Bowl, Wednesday or Thursday, why not just say I’m coming in the Friday before, and I can do both games, I can get to see the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl for the same ticket price.

You see, as opposed to going to Miami for the Super Bowl and then having to pay all of that money to go to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl.  You can get your fix by doing one ticket price and going and be here for all, both games.  I thought that was a great coup for the NFL.