HONOLULU – As blissful as the Pro Bowl can be, it's hard for some to let go of a harsh reality.

For Denver Broncos defensive backs Champ Bailey and John Lynch, the death of teammate Darrent Williams still burns in their minds.

Both Bailey and Lynch wanted to wear No. 27 in the Pro Bowl before the league told them it was honoring Williams by putting the number on all the players' helmets for the game. Lynch, a 14-year veteran, praised Williams for trying to change his life and "do things the right way."

Williams was shot and killed after attending a New Year's Eve party in Denver that was sponsored by Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin. Some of Williams' teammates were reportedly involved in an argument with other people at the party. Williams and some teammates left without an altercation, but the limousine he was riding in was sprayed with bullets.

Williams was hit in the neck as he sat next to teammate Javon Walker. Williams reportedly died in Walker's arms, a scene Green Bay

Dungy didn't need a

MIAMI – In a game that honors an incredibly small percentage of players as Pro Football Hall of Famers, the process of electing them is a brutally inexact science.

Or as long-time voter Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com suggested: It really comes down to a "smell test."

"There's no one way to measure a player's achievement," said Pasquarelli, who will be among 40 selectors who gather Saturday morning to discuss the 17 finalists for this year's Hall of Fame induction. "It's not just about honors or Pro Bowls or Super Bowls or stats … At the end of the day it really comes down to a gut reaction. Does this guy smell like a Hall of Fame player?"

Pasquarelli's sentiment was shared in some way by every Hall selector that Yahoo! Sports spoke with this week. Tony Grossi of the Cleveland Plain Dealer understands the difficulty better than most. Grossi votes in both the football and baseball processes.

"Baseball is pretty straight-forward because you have a lot of statistics that can show how good a

MIAMI – Brian Urlacher's eyes dart side-to-side quickly. He speaks almost faster than his eyes move, which is nearly impossible.

He is focused, intense and ready.

At that point, the Chicago Bears had only been in town for three days, but Urlacher might have already set an unofficial record for answering the most questions in a Super Bowl week.

The most important question Urlacher wants to answer is whether he and the Bears can handle the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in Super Bowl XLI at Dolphin Stadium. Without question, Urlacher is going to be the key to whatever the Bears hope to accomplish.

Urlacher is more than simply the latest in Chicago's middle linebacker legacy, the heir to the position made famous by Dick Butkus and played at a similarly outstanding level by Mike Singletary. He also could become the latest in a series of linebackers who have turned the Super Bowl into their personal showcase. From Derrick Brooks to Ray Lewis to Jack Lambert, the Super Bowl has had a stunning

MIAMI – Team president Bill Polian walks quietly through the press box at Indianapolis Colts games, rarely stopping to talk for more than a few seconds.

But when he goes to his seat behind an area set off by a dark blue curtain, the show begins. Polian yells in loud bursts, screaming about an official's call or one of myriad things that bothers him.

On the road, Polian contains himself a little better. Usually seated among reporters, Polian does his best to keep it down. But the nervous twitches and occasional fist pumps portray the feelings below his hang-dog face that's accentuated by sandy-red hair.

Polian, the man who has assembled the Colts over the past nine years and who created the Buffalo teams that went to four consecutive Super Bowls to start the 1990s, is considered many things in NFL circles. In 19 seasons as a general manager or president, his teams have made the playoffs 13 times, the conference championship seven times and the Super Bowl four times.

Polian has replaced

MIAMI – Somewhere between being one of the best players going into the 2005 NFL draft and a point earlier this season, Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson started to believe the doubters.

All the people who said he wasn't worth taking with the No. 4 overall pick. All the people who said he was too soft after his holdout and subsequent injury that cost him most of his rookie season. All the people who said he was too much of a flake, like his good friend and fellow former Texas back Ricky Williams.

"I should never have thought those things, but I did," Benson said. "You hear all the people who say, 'he can't play.' The people who try to bring you down, tell you you're not good enough. The fans test you like that, the coaches test you.

"Even the players, your teammates, test you like that. They want to see if you have the stuff, the confidence to do it."

Benson still isn't a starter for the Bears, though that could come next season. What he's hoping is that he can play a vital role

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Garbo speaks.

OK, it's really just Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison. But in the spectrum of NFL stars, Harrison is about as close as it gets to Greta Garbo, the mysterious woman who somehow combined being an actress while also being reclusive.

On Tuesday, Harrison will be forced by the NFL to break out of his quiet style. Not just forced, but pushed by almost inhuman standards.

Harrison will have to take on Super Bowl Media Day, with all its buffoonery. This day is to journalism what Paris Hilton is to singing.

Approximately 2,000 reporters will fill the field at Dolphin Stadium for the Colts' one-hour media session on Tuesday. Harrison will have to do this cold turkey. On Monday night, when the Colts arrived in Fort Lauderdale and held a brief press conference at their team hotel, Harrison wasn't among those who talked.

Neither was quarterback Peyton Manning or fellow wide receiver Reggie Wayne as the Colts continued to dismiss the NFL's desire

MIAMI – Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith brought some light reading with him on the plane ride to Super Bowl XLI on Sunday: Eighteen pages about quarterback Peyton Manning's career from the Indianapolis Colts media guide.

"That gives you an idea what we have in store," said Smith, who was nattily dressed in a dark blue suit and gold tie only a couple of hours after the Bears' plane landed at Miami International Airport. "But we have a couple of scholarship players, too."

Smith has known Manning for years, having coached at the University of Tennessee when Manning was a serious freshman. That rich history of accomplishment and relationship should make Smith painfully aware of one important thing: He has to find a way to cover for his vastly inexperienced safeties.

With all due respect, Smith doesn't have a high-level "scholarship" player back there. He has second-year starter Chris Harris, a 2005 sixth-round pick out of Louisiana-Monroe, and rookie Danieal Manning, a second-round pick