Did he or didn't he?

The word from some scouts and personnel directors is that Texas quarterback Vince Young scored a six on the Wunderlic test.

To put that in perspective, most teams say they would have a hard time drafting a quarterback who doesn't score at least 14.

Of course, that's absurd when it comes to Young. But if that test score is accurate -- and sources say it is but the league tried to say it wasn't -- Young could drop in the draft.

"He would be out of the first round on my board," said one NFC personnel director.

"Then you also have to consider that they dummied-down the offense for him last year at Texas. If they're doing that in college, can you imagine the problems he'll have with the NFL defenses. Can you imagine him facing a guy like (Tampa Bay defensive coordinator) Monte Kiffin?"

The personnel director did say that that score would lead to more teams looking deeper into the kid.

"What if he didn't take it seriously and just goofed off when doing it? said the personnel director. "I do know it sends up a red flag."

Young is considered the second-best quarterback prospect behind USC's Matt Leinart.

But there is a chance Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler could move past him now. ...

... Florida wide receiver Chad Jackson was the buzz of the combine Sunday, his 4.32 in the 40 sending jaws a dropping.

At 6-1, 210, Jackson is a big, strong receiver who was considered a second-round prospect coming into the weekend.

He's now pushed himself into the first round.

Agent David Canter thinks he'll go in the top 15, maybe higher. He could be the first receiver off the board, moving past Santonio Holmes of Ohio State.

Word of caution to all those vaulting him up the board: He plays football, not track.

We've seen this in the past, a player working out great, suddenly the hot prospect, only to never live up to the hype.

Why do teams and media put so much emphasis on a 40 time, pushing aside what actually happened during a kid's career? Was Jackson a good player at Florida? You bet he was, but he wasn't great.

Now all of sudden because of the blistering 40 times, he's now considered great.

That's how mistakes are made.

I didn't have Jackson in my top 32 prospects, which Canter pointed out on Friday.

"Wait until he runs," Canter said.

On Sunday, Canter was beaming.

But like I told him, that won't change my opinion on Jackson -- and he's not going into the top 32.

He's a good football player and a great track guy.

That doesn't make him a great football player. ...

... The strangest quote of the day goes to a passer-by in the hall of the convention center.

The older woman looked into the media room and pointed it out to her friends.

"That's the NFL Columbine," she said.

Lady, it's combine.

North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams just might be the best player in this draft.

Yes, better than Reggie Bush.

Williams is a powerful pass rusher who dominated all three seasons he played for the Wolfpack, including as a freshman.

Williams measured in at 6-7, 295 pounds here, which means he's big and fast. He will run a 40 here, and said Saturday he expects to run under 4.8. He plays that fast, too.

He is favorably compared to Carolina Panthers end Julius Peppers, but he will be better than Peppers.

That's high praise, but you wait and see. ...

... LSU running back Joseph Addai is one of my favorite players in this draft. He's a hard-nosed, tough runner who was a productive player in college.

What I didn't realize is that he also has explosive speed.

Addai wowed the scouts Saturday by running a 4.4 on what is considered a slow track. With that time, Addai may push himself to the back end of the first round. He also may have taken himself out of contention to be on my All-Better Than team that comes out closer to the draft.

That team is players who I think are better than the scouts think. Addai was on that list, but if he vaults up to the first round, it would be hard to put him on that list now.

Addai is the real deal, folks. With that type of speed, he's going to go shooting up the draft board. ...

... Auburn tackle Marcus McNeil is a huge man. He is 6-9 and weighs 336 pounds. So when he ran a 5.09 in the 40 Saturday at the combine, it opened a lot of eyes.

One question about that: When was the last time a tackle ran 40 yards in a game, other than to help a running back celebrate a touchdown?

A far more important way to gauge a tackle would be my test: Is he willing to grab his opponent by the neck?

You tell me, would you rather have an offensive lineman fast in the 40 or one that will make a defensive end beg for mercy?

Give me the mauler any day of the week. ...

... Is there anything more annoying than grown man scrambling around, running over each other, in pursuit of autographs?

With all the draft eligible players here as well as all the league personnel, the halls at the convention center are full of collectors in search of autographs.

Many have loads of deflated footballs ready to sign, deflated so they can get more in the bag they brought with them.

I asked a guy who had just landed a Joe Gibbs autographed football how much he could get for it.

"Fifty to a hundred bucks," he said.

One guy had three mini Redskins helmets for Gibbs to sign. I've even seen mini Oregon helmets that were signed by defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and another writer told me he saw a guy with New Mexico helmets getting them signed by Lobos receiver Hank Baskett.

Now that takes preparation work.

I don't mind kids asking for autographs, but grown men need to find something better to do with their time, don't you think?

The dark cloud looming over the combine this week is the lack of a new collective bargaining agreement between the NFL Players Association and the league's management council.

At the annual combine agents meeting, NFLPA director Gene Upshaw told the agents to negotiate their contracts as if there will be no new agreement. Since there were media members invited inside the meeting for the first time, some took that to be another salvo in the negotiations between the two sides.

The grim picture would mean some serious troubles for the league as it tries to get a new CBA. The cap would stay at about $92 to $95 million and the looming uncapped year in 2007 is really a major concern for the league's owners.

But there might be a glimmer of hope. There was some talk among some agents that "In the new CBA" was actually mentioned by one NFLPA member. Is that somebody just being hopeful or is that a reality?

We'll know in a week or so. Free agency is expected to begin March 3, and Upshaw said it will go on as expected with no delay.

Both sides would be stupid not to come to come to an agreement. The NFL is the golden child of sports right now, and everybody is making a lot of money.

Why let greed on both sides get in the way of that? ...

... Reggie Bush is the regarded as the top back in this draft, but his USC teammate LenDale White isn't far behind -- although he is quite different. White is considered the third back in this draft by most scouts, behind Bush and DeAngelo Williams of Memphis.

But White is the only big back in the group. He weighed in at 238 Friday, which is down from the 253 he weighed when he played in the Rose Bowl against Texas.

Why so heavy then?

"Thanksgiving and Christmas," White said.

He said his preference is to play at 234 pounds, which still makes him a power back. With Jerome Bettis retiring, he could be the one to carry on the banner for the big back sin the NFL.

"What helps me out in this draft is how big I am, how strong I am," White said. "I'm kind of happy being in this class. You get a lot of touchdowns when you're this big."...

... Words of warning: Do not ask Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban about Ricky Williams' drug-testing situation. After telling the media here that he couldn't comment on the Williams situation, Saban answered a few general questions about Williams. When they became more specific, he got angry with the line of questioning and said enough.

Saban did say that Williams was one of the "top five guys" he's been around in his coaching career, including his college career.

Confidentiality rules prevent Saban from discussing Williams' alleged failed test. But if the reports of a failed test are true, Williams will be suspended for a year. That could be why Saban is so testy about it.

The Dolphins had hoped to peddle Williams around the league in trade talks, but that's obviously not going to happen now after the latest misstep.

Once again, Ricky Weirdo has let down his team.

The bane of many of the NFL personnel in Indianapolis for the league's scouting combine this week is that many of the players don't work out.

Maybe those who are considering not working out should listen to what 49ers coach Mike Nolan has to say about his memories of Tedy Bruschi's trip to the combine after his senior season at Arizona.

"When Tedy Bruschi came here they said he was too short, too slow, too a lot of things," Nolan said. "I was coaching linebackers. I followed their group around. And every drill they did, he was beserko about being first. You could only do the vertical jump twice, but I think he wanted to do it four times so he could beat the guy who was No. 1. That told me a lot about him as a player. It said this guy is going to be a player. What position, I don't know. But he's going to be a player because of his competitive spirit. So you can gain things from players like that."

Nolan's right. If you have nothing to hide, work out.

It's too bad too many agents have their hands in what the players do, advising them not to work out ...

... One of the more enjoyable players so far has been Auburn offensive tackle Marcus McNeil.

His sense of humor is almost as big as him, which is saying something since he measured in at 6-foot-7 1/2 and 336 pounds.

McNeil was a big reason why Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams had so much success running the football at Auburn before having outstanding rookie years in the NFL in 2005.

When asked which one he liked blocking for better, McNeil paused for a second.

"That's like asking if I like eating cheeseburgers or eating French Fries," McNeil said. He also said, "They both owe me a lot of money."

McNeil, who is considered by many to be the third-rated tackle in this draft behind Virginia's D'Brickashaw Ferguson and USC's Winston Justice, will likely play the right side in the NFL and might make a lot of sense for the Dallas Cowboys, who pick 18th.

McNeil said he last gave up a sack as a freshman at Mississippi State when he was playing guard.

McNeil was asked if he had preference in terms of what team he wanted to play for next year.

"Whoever pays me the most," McNeil said.

Wait a few months, Marcus. The big money is coming your way ...

... Winston Justice has some explaining to do this week. In 2004, he was suspended for the season by USC coach Pete Carroll after an off-field incident.

The reason? He pointed a toy gun at another student.

"It's something I'll always regret doing," Justice said.

He did re-join the Trojans last year and was part of an offensive line that was as good as any in the country. Playing right tackle, he protected the backside of left-handed quarterback Matt Leinart.

One thing scouts love about him is his feet. That could be because he spent his year away from football boxing under the watch of former professional fighter Freddie Roach.

They've waited 26 years, and now the Pittsburgh Steelers finally have the One for the Thumb.

In a game that wasn't close to the level of play they showed in their three road playoff victories, the Steelers somehow found a way to defeat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 at Ford Field Sunday night, ending the improbable run of a sixth-seed to a Super Bowl ring.

Seattle at times appeared to be the better team, but mistake after mistake crippled the Seahawks' chances of pulling off the upset.

It wasn't a pretty game, but you can bet there will be no complaints from the Steelers fans.

It's been a long time coming.

Now we know why Ken Whisenhunt is one of the best offensive minds going.

With the Steelers leading 14-10, you'd expect them to pound the ball and try and work the clock.

Not this team. Not this coordinator.

He called for a reverse pass from Antwaan Randle El to Hines Ward. The result was a 43-yard scoring pass that put the Steelers up 21-10.

It was a great call, great execution.

Oakland should hire Whisenhunt this week.

The guy isn't afraid to take chances.

I love that.

The Seahawks had a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter when Jerramy Stevens caught a pass down to the Pittsburgh 2.

But that play was negated by a holding penalty on Sean Locklear. The Steelers then stopped the scoring threat when Ike Taylor picked off Matt Hasselbeck on a terrible throw to nobody.

Once again, the Seahawks killed themselves.

It's been that type of game for them.

Jerramy Stevens had the much-publicized war of words with Joey Porter last week.

He should have kept his mouth shut and practiced harder.

Stevens had a touchdown catch, but he's dropped three passes, one that could have been a huge play in the first half.

Every time he drops a pass, the Steelers defensive players get in his face.

He had to know it was coming.

Ben Roethlisberger is having an awful day.

Faced with a third-and-six at the Seattle 7, Roethlisberger tried to touch a pass to an open Cedrick Wilson. But instead of lofting a pass to Wilson, he didn't get enough on it and Kelly Herndon picked it off and returned it to the Pittsburgh 20.

From there, Matt Hasselbeck hit Jerramy Stevens for a 16-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-10.

It looked like it would be 21-3 or at least 17-3 and then next thing we know it's a ballgame.

The NFL and ABC thank you, Kelly Herndon.

So that's the starting running back for the Steelers.

All week all we heard about was Jerome Bettis coming home. Willie Parker was overlooked in a big way, even though he's the starter.

So Parker did something about it. He ran 75 yards on the second play of the second half to give the Steelers a 14-3 lead.

Parker ripped off the longest run in Super Bowl history over the right side, with Michael Boulware missing the tackle for the Seahawks that could have made it a short gain.

Parker has speed. That's a dimension the Steelers haven't had from their backs for most of their existence.

Speed kills.

That's why Parker, not Bettis, starts.

The Rolling Stones, the greatest geriatric band of our time -- they'll be around when the cockroaches are extinct -- put on a good show at halftime.

They sang three songs, the best of which was the last one -- "Satisfaction."

One thing about the Stones: Mick Jagger can still get around that stage and Keith Richards can still jam even for a walking dead man. They must be awesome in concert.

Too bad it takes a football game for me to see them.

Can a guy get a life?

Here's a one word summation for the first half: Yecch.

For those of us who love scoring, it was a first-half bore. Let's hope the second half is better.

Please, please, please.

Can we have some scoring and less predictable stuff? Please, let's see more shots down the field.

This game is putting people to sleep, including the large Steelers crowd.

The Steelers have to be really thankful they are leading at the half

The Seahawks were the better team, no question about it.

Then again, the Seahawks can't be too happy about trailing at the half after playing well for most of the half.

Their clock management at the end of the half, before Josh Brown missed a field goal with two seconds left, was terrible.

Does any team know how to use the clock? Or their timeouts?

Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good.

The Steelers' first scoring drive came courtesy of two pretty lucky plays.

The first play came on third-and-6 from the Pittsburgh 45 when Ben Roethlsiberger was flushed out of the pocket and shoveled a pass forward to Hines Ward for 12 yards and a first down.

The next play came on third-and-28 from the Seattle 40. Flushed out of the pocket, Roethlisberger appeared set to cross the line to try and pick up some yards for a possible first down. He instead stopped, threw across his body to the other side of the field. It appeared Seahawks safety Michael Boulware would intercept the pass but it was caught by Hines Ward for a 37-yard gain to the Seattle 3.

Two plays later, Roethlsiberger ran it in -- just barely -- for a 7-3 Steelers lead. The scoring play was reviewed, but it was rightfully upheld.

The Steelers have to be feeling good about the score after the way they played for most of the half.

Hey, stop the game. The Steelers got a first down.

It took a great catch by Antwaan Randle El to get it, his 8-yard catch setting off a mock cheer from the Steelers fans.

So far, it's been that type of day for the Pittsburgh offense.

Two plays later, Ben Roethlisberger was picked off by Michael Boulware on a terrible deep throw.

The Steelers look lost on offense.

Who is wearing that No. 7 jersey for the Steelers?

That can't be Ben Roethlisberger. He's been awful so far.

Roethlisberger finished the first quarter 1-for-5 for 1 yard. That won't cut it.

This hardly looks like the Steelers offense we've seen the past few weeks.

To put it bluntly, the Steelers looked dead in the first quarter.

They had better wake up, or this could get ugly.

Seattle appeared to score the game's first touchdown when Matt Hasselbeck hit Darrell Jackson in the end zone.

But Jackson, who is having a huge day, was called for pushing off Steelers safety Chris Hope.

It was the right call.

The flag negated the score, and the Seahawks had to settle for a 47-yard field goal by Josh Brown for a 3-0 Seattle lead.

The Steelers are having big problems defending the Seahawks spread formations, and they're not getting any pressure.

Darrell Jackson is the early leader in the MVP race.

Jackson is picking on Steelers corner Ike Taylor and already has four catches for 30 yards.

Jackson, who missed time this year with a knee injury, is a polished receiver when he's healthy. Taylor is having problems handling his route running so far.

It is still early.

The Steelers looked jumpy on their first possession, getting two false-start penalties.

What I didn't like about their opening series is that they didn't attack with the passing game like they did in the opening quarters of their last two games.

Just because it's the Super Bowl doesn't mean it's time to play not to lose.

By the way, the Steelers love the screen pass in long down-and-distance situations. The Seahawks had to know that when they swarmed the Steelers screen pass on the drive.

Open it up, Steelers. That's what got you here.

The Seahawks opened the game by using spread formations on the game's opening drive, hitting a couple of passes to Darrell Jackson to move the ball out from their own end.

Spreading out the Steelers is a way to attack that 3-4 defense.

But the drive bogged down when Jackson appeared to run a wrong route on a second-down play. On third down, Clark Haggans dumped Matt Hasselbeck for a sack.

Memo to Seahawks: Don't block Haggans or Joey Porter with a running back. Haggans killed Maurice Morris to get to Hasselbeck.

The spread plan is a good idea and something to watch as the game goes along.

Poor Tom Brady.

He agrees to flip the coin for Sunday's game, and it happens to be the game involving the Steelers, a team that doesn't really care too much for him.

Brady was booed loudly when he was announced.

Hey, Tom. You did beat the Steelers in last year's AFC Championship Game, didn't you?

Just a thought: How in the heck do the Steelers fans get all the tickets?

The crowd has to be 95-percent Steelers fans. The Terrible Towels are everywhere.

Will kids not be eating in Pittsburgh this week to cover ticket costs?

It's absolutely stunning to see how many Steelers fans managed to get tickets. Normally, it's 10,000 or so from each team and the rest is corporate tickets.

Not this year.

How do they do it? If there was any doubt as to who the best fans in the league are, there shouldn't be any more.

The Steelers are tops.

They are America's Team.

You know it's a big halftime show when Stevie Wonder only qualifies as a pregame performer.

With the Rolling Stones the headliner of the halftime show, Wonder was the star of the pregame.

He put on a heck of show with some help of many Motown Stars, and the NFL did a heck of a job working them in.

Stevie Wonder is a heck of talent -- even if he did play second-fiddle to the Stones on this day.

Willie Williams is the only player on the Steelers roster to play in a Super Bowl.

Lucky for him, too. He isn't playing in this game.

Williams was designated one of the team's eight inactive players by coach Bill Cowher. Williams was member of the Steelers last Super Bowl team in 1995, a team that lost to the Cowboys.

Steelers running back Jerome Bettis was one of the first players to take the field, prompting the Steelers fans to start waving their Terrible Towels (10 bucks a pop, by the way) in the concourse.

Bettis came out in a sleeveless gray shirt and took a slow lap from the tunnel to the other end of the field.

It's hard to miss him. He has to go about 290 these days -- give or take a pound or two.

Playing in his hometown has been the story of the week leading up to the game. Not bad for a backup running back.

On my trip the concession stand I encountered one of the handful of Seattle fans in the crowd.

He was from Minnesota. He was also a lucky fan.

How in the heck did he get tickets?

He won them in the NFL Lottery -- before the Seahawks earned their way in.

Too bad he's was being smothered in a sea of Steelers fans.

If it's Super Bowl time it must be price gouging time.

Here's how I know: I wanted a Mountain Dew to get the pregame buzz going, but they didn't have it in media auxiliary box, but they do at the concession stand. So I ventured down to get one.

Cost: Six bucks.

Can you believe that? And no lid, either.

Welcome to Super Bowl XL.

By the way, boss, that $6 will be expensed.

Upon arriving at Ford Field, it was clear this was definitely a pro-Steelers crowd.

The Steelers Nation was in full force. They were chanting, drinking -- isn't that what we expect? -- and singing.

"Here we go Steelers, here we go."

The crowd was painted in black and gold, just like the city has been the past three days.

Finding a Seahawks fan is like finding sunshine in Detroit.

It's hard to do.

The media security line coming into the stadium was a breeze, which was a surprise.

There was no wait, just smooth sailing, unlike media day where there were long lines.

One difference this year from past years was that the media credentials were scanned at the gate to check for counterfeits.

There is talk that a few counterfeits got through the security last year in Jacksonville and into the media section.

Not this year, buddy.

Meanwhile, all those in favor of playing an outdoor Super Bowl in the North, please step forward.

Step outside into the Detroit winter and tell me what you think now.

It's freezing. Since I came in on a bus, I was outside for about a total of 300 steps.

That's 298 too many.

For this Florida boy, the temperature of 25 degrees and the blowing wind combined to rip right through my body.

Thank goodness for the roof at Ford Field.

Could you imagine sitting outside in that mess?

Football in the elements sounds good, but the reality is comfort of the big-money fans that come to the Super Bowl is more important than a snowy game.

It's too damn cold in Detroit to play the game outside. Thankfully, it's won't be.

Insulting a teammate is now a black-on-black crime?

Are you kidding me?

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said this week that when former teammate Terrell Owens said the team would be better with Brett Favre, it was a form of black-on-black crime.

What?

Has McNabb lowered himself down to Owens' level?

Ownes has said some really outlandish things, but there's no way race was a factor in what he said when he made the statement. Favre is white, but he's also one of the best of all time.

Would the insult have been OK if he Owens had said the team would be better with Byron Leftwich or Daunte Culpepper?

So if a white teammate thinks a black player would be better for his team, is that white-on-white crime?

McNabb should know better.

Black-on-black crime? Please.

Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt isn't saying anything publicly this week about the open Oakland Raiders job, but he is expected to interview next week.

Word is he's being advised by some not to take the job.

Here's what I say to that: It's only one of 32. That makes it special.

Even with Al Davis poking his sweat suit-wearing ways into all matters related to the Raiders, it's still a chance to be a head coach.

If the Raiders offer it, Whisenhunt, a guy I respect a great deal, would be wise to take the job. What happens if the Steelers fall off the next couple of years? Not likely, but it could happen. Then he cools as a candidate.

Strike now, Ken.

It's one of 32, the last one open. Take it if it it's offered.

I find it funny when a player says something a little cocky and the media eats it up, as if it can actually have an impact on the game.

My brethren love it when that happens, writing pre-game talk as if it will actually make somebody run harder, tackle better or catch the ball better.

What? Playing in the Super Bowl isn't motivation enough?

That's why when Steelers linebacker Joey Porter and Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens got into their little verbal exchange the past couple of days -- little being the right word -- I didn't think it was all that big a deal.

Show me the last time a game was won or lost because of pre-game talk and it will be the first.

So let Joey Porter and anybody else keep talking.

It means absolutely nothing come Sunday.

Mouths in football matter only when calling plays and signals -- not when calling out the other team.

Here's a Bill Cowher game time weather forecast: Lots of wind and spitting rain.

That's Cowher's sideline forecast nearly every week of the season and again this week in Super Bowl XL.

Cowher has a tendency to let the wet ones fly when he's in the face of a player.

"We've all had it get on us," Steelers safety Troy Polamalu said.

Hey, spit happens.

The Super Bowl is "on" time.

Everybody is on. They bring their A games in terms of self-importance and phrases like "Hey Babe" abound.

Whether it's walking around the hotel lobby in sunglasses or strutting around outside the hotel, everyone seems to think they are somebody important. By that, I mean fans attending the game, media covering it and many others.

They all must have gone to the Stuart Scott School of Self Importance.

Lesson One: Pretend you are a celebrity, even if you are not.

Lesson Two: Walk around in designer threads and talk hip street lingo.

Lesson Three: Learn how to breathe with head in the rectum of real celebrities.

Word of warning: We hear you can't get deep breaths in there.

The Steelers are staying way out in Pontiac, Michigan, away from all the Super festivities.

That's the one drawback for the players, but at least they've all been provided a Cadillac to use.

There is one drawback to that.

The cars all have Super Bowl logos on them.

"So when we go do something, everyone wants to know who we are and if we're with the Steelers," said safety Mike Logan. "I went to the mall and a bunch of people asked who we were because of the logo. You can't really sneak off anywhere in that car."

Not that he was complaining, mind you. Doesn't riding in a free Cadillac beat taking a cab?