Shannon Sharpe is the career leader for TEs in receptions (815), yards (10,060) and TDs (62). AP

Though the good people of Massachusetts may not have seen it this way, perhaps the best moment of comic relief on NFL Films that we've seen in decades came late in a Denver rout of the Patriots at New England a few years ago. The Broncos' mouthy tight end, Shannon Sharpe, picked up the coach-to-sideline phone on the Denver bench and played like he was calling for help. "We're calling for the National Guard,'' Sharpe howled. "Because we are killing the Patriots!''

I think Sharpe, who took a job last week with the CBS NFL Today pregame show, is going to be really good on TV for several reasons. (He replaces the loud but often irrelevant Deion Sanders, who left in a contract dispute.) One reason is that Sharpe's a natural. Nobody has to write his lines for him. They just come. Sometimes he goes too far with his silly rants, but his thoughtful-provocative side made him the second-best interview in football. (The first is Brett Favre, but that's a column for another day. To be second-best among 1,700 players is pretty good.) Only one time in Sharpe's career did I see him duck the press for a bogus reason -- when he refused to confirm, deny or in any way discuss charges that then teammate Bill Romanowski had used derogatory terms when discussing black teammates. I can't think of another topic about which Sharpe hasn't been encyclopedic or a time when his opinion hasn't at least been interesting.

The second reason he'll be effective: He doesn't feel a need to scream to be heard. That's one thing about lots of the former players now on TV, and I'm not just talking about Mr. Decibel, Michael Irvin. Yelling something does not make a point better, nor does it convince me that the point is correct. It simply annoys me. So when Sharpe assured me last week he wouldn't be Old Yeller, it scored some media points right away.

"I will get my points across without yelling, without screaming,'' Sharpe said from his home in Atlanta. "I will explain myself in such a way that a housewife who barely pays attention to football will watch me and say, 'Now I understand.'"

Sharpe will get my vote for the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2009, if I'm still one of the 39 selectors. He had more catches (815) for more yards (10,060) and more touchdowns (62) than any tight end in history, but he wasn't just a numbers collector. He could lay a linebacker out if that was the assignment. He could get open like a wideout when the play broke down, and when John Elway was scrambling, he was grateful to have Sharpe. Sharpe had great hands. He was a superb route-runner. Durable. Some loudmouths aren't good team guys, but Sharpe was a terrific team guy. He hinted late last season that he was going retire, but this winter he decided that, short of getting one of the prime TV gigs on a network show, he'd be back for one more run. CBS had experimented with him in the playoffs, and liked him. "They already had four on the show, and I think five makes it too jumbled,'' Sharpe said.

Then he got lucky. Sanders, who made $1 million last year, wanted $2 million to return. CBS offered a raise, but not a doubling of his salary. Sanders refused. I'm still incredulous. Where else is Sanders going to make $1.3 million for 23 weekends of work, plus a few midweek feature interviews? The further you get from Prime Time, Deion, just watch. The money shrinks.

"I was definitely playing again,'' said Sharpe. "I started training March 1 here in Atlanta. I got my personal trainer, my nutritionist. I was working out five days a week, two times a day. I was doing Pilates Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The only day I took completely off was Sunday. But then it looked like this job would open up. Would I walk away from the game? There was no question.''

I asked Sharpe how he'd be able to just turn it off. He'd been playing football since he was 9. He'll be 34 when camp opens this year. To go from something so physical to something so non-physical, from something outside in the elements to something under the hot lights of TV, with no break-in period ... that will be tough. Or at least very, very strange. "Come August, this will be the first time in 26 years I won't be putting the pads on, going out there and playing football,'' he said. "The one problem I see -- if there's going to be a problem -- is competitiveness. I'm so competitive. I always have to feel like I'm competing against someone or something. Now the same focus and desire and burning I've had in football is to be the best I can possibly be on TV. My goal now is to win an Emmy. That's my championship now that I'm an analyst. For years coaches gave me my game plan. Now I have to call Mike Shanahan, Mike Martz, Brian Billick, the GMs. That's the game.''

The hardest thing for all these guys once they hang up the pads -- other than the mechanics of TV, which can be as daunting as beating a strong safety down the field -- is honesty. "It will be tough, talking about my friends,'' he said. "But I think they will understand they have a job to do and I have a job to do. One of my best friends happens to be one of the best players in football. But if Ray Lewis isn't doing his job, I'm going to be able to say that in years past, Ray was able to shoot that gap and get to the ball carrier, or this is why Ray Lewis isn't productive anymore. I'm going to talk about his play. I'm not going to talk about his character. If I'm good, I'll be able to explain that.''

Late in our talk, Sharpe said, "One of the greatest things people didn't give me credit for was my mind. Every year I was in the league, I spent more time trying to beat the defender than he spent trying to beat me." I believe he'll bring that work ethic to this job. But -- and he'll find this out quickly -- lots of TV guys work hard. It's the ones who can thoughtfully make points on the fly, in nine seconds, who succeed. It'll take a while for Sharpe to learn to make points that succinctly, but he'll get it. I think we're going to like listening to him.

Sharpe will also help one other aspect of that CBS show. I always felt watching the program that Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason didn't like Sanders and vice versa. It came across not as hatred, but as an air of, "What a windbag that Deion is." And Deion seemed to think, "What lightweights they are." That's just me interpreting what I saw. But it made for an unhealthy atmosphere on the set.  Maybe Sharpe will make us forget what isn't important and remember what is -- the game, and the people in it.

"YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!!!" --Tampa Bay radio colorman Phil Esposito, as the Lightning clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals Saturday night by beating Philadelphia.

Three notes from a couple of road trips this week:

1. Sunday's Boston Globe is $1.50 outside Fenway Park and $2.50 on the Mass Pike ... for an early edition. I might call that highway robbery if I were clever.

2. People can't negotiate traffic circles in this country. I noticed this near the Jersey Shore and in Annapolis, Md.

3. I still can't get over a bottle of water costing $4.25 at Fenway.

I would not have noticed this had I not been sitting with Reds fan extraordinaire Don Banks, my SI.com pal, and his son Matt at a Phils-Padres game Friday night at the new Citizens Bank Park in South Philly. But the out-of-town scoreboard was having a few burps. For the Reds-Astros game, the board displayed the following scores, in order:

Astros 2, Reds 1 in the first inning.

Reds 2, Astros 0 in the first.

Reds 3, Astros 1 in the third.

Tied, 3-3, in the fourth.

Reds 7, Astros 3 in the sixth.

Reds-Astros postponed.

Astros 4, Reds 2 in the sixth.

Reds 7, Astros 4 in the seventh.

The first-, seventh- and eighth-inning scores were correct. The others, including the postponement, were ... shall we say? ... interesting.

All softball, all the time. After a couple of real queries.

RE MIKE IRVIN'S CANTON FATE. From Marc of Teaneck, N.J. : "Could you comment on what you think Michael Irvin's chances are for induction into the Hall of Fame?'"

I will vote for Irvin on the first ballot and every subsequent one. I think his chances are good to very good, because the committee looks kindly upon players who played well on Super Bowl winners, which Irvin did. But I learned a long time ago that the most ridiculous words in the English language, strung together, are: "He's a lock for the Hall of Fame."

HE LIKES THE TEXANS. From Bret Haller of Phoenix: "I do not think your Jax vs. Seattle pick for the Super Bowl is so out of whack. But the sleeper team everyone is missing out on is the Houston Texans. Strong lines, David Carr getting better and what should be a very good defense.''

	MAILBAG Peter King will answer your questions each week in Monday Morning Quarterback: Tuesday Edition. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

I love Houston's Robaire Smith acquisition; run-stopping defensive tackle is the most underrated position in all of football, but you look at the great teams always have one (or two). I like the Texans, too; I think they could trump the Titans this year. Could, now. Not will. But could. I just think the Jags, sitting here in May, have a heck of a chance to make the big leap at the same time their quarterback does.

I WON'T TAKE A BOW FOR THIS, BUT THANKS. From Dave Ellis of Woodbridge, Va.: "Love your column and read it every Monday. Now I found a little more to love. As a fellow journalist, I truly appreciate that you owned up to the mis-report on Sean Taylor. Even though it was based on information that you believed to be reliable, your public correction speaks volumes on your integrity as a journalist. I wish there were more of you out there.''

Sometimes I'm an idiot. Admitting it is the first step toward recovery.

REALLY, THERE WEREN'T MANY RIPS ON THE SOFTBALL DRAMA THIS WEEK. From Medeo Feroce, of Peoria, Ariz.: "I just thought I'd point out that you have never written as much as about the NFL as you did your daughter's softball game to start off a MMQB column. Too bad you can't put as much passion into what you are being paid to do and less time about your daughter's softball game.''

OK. Now for five quick hits that were pro-softball:

From Capt. Michael Lalor of Fort Polk, La.: "I just wanted to say thanks for all the great high school sports stories from actual student athletes. I've always enjoyed them, and they were especially great when I was deployed to Afghanistan -- it reminds me of all that is good about this great country.''

From Michael Roper of West Roxbury, Mass.: "As I read your softball swan song, I realized the genuine significance of a father being proud of his daughter, and how our children are the future of this great nation. Having a daughter who is graduating from high school on May 26, I was totally entranced by your words, 'I began to think that there wouldn't be many more days like this, when her mom and dad waited outside the fence for her, to hug her and tell her we're proud of her.' Thanks, Peter, for adding a measure of joy, and for placing a tear or two in my eye."

From John Amann, of Hammond, Wis.: "I'd like to compliment you for your perspective on high school athletics. As a prep coach myself, it is nice to read the reflections of a parent who truly understands what high school competition is all about. I think a lot of parents would be all over the coach for continually trying to steal even though the Nutley catcher had thrown out several baserunners. I'm glad that, at least in the high school aspect of your column, you've always avoided the Monday Morning Quarterbacking. I'm sure it's appreciated by the coaches who were doing their best to manufacture a run.''

From Joey Grossman of Montreal: "I am a first-time father with an 8-week-old beautiful daughter. I am an avid sports person and fan and was always hoping for a boy first so that we could play sports together while I still was young. However, after reading your many columns on your daughters (and especially this last one), I cannot wait for my baby girl to grow up. I just hope I can experience what you have been able to over the last few years. I am not ashamed to admit that I tears reading your column thinking about the end for you and yet the beginning for me. I cannot wait.''

From John of Taos, N.M.: "The reason I liked having high school sports mixed in with the NFL is perspective; admittedly your daughters sound like great poster children for Title IX, but mainly your columns have served to remind us that the game is the thing. When baseball's last strike dragged on we read a lot of hooey about the damage the greedy were doing to 'baseball.' But 'baseball' wasn't damaged one bit. It's the game and what it shows us, not the scale of the league that matters. People presumably read your column because they think you write things that inform them. I don't understand why they would think that Peter King writing well about the NFL and Peter King writing about high school sports are independent phenomena."

1. I think it's going to be very interesting to see if Brad Johnson quarterbacks the Bucs this season. First Tampa Bay thought about flirting with Mark Brunell, but the Redskins blew everyone out of the way with their huge deal for the former Jaguar. Then the Bucs tried to buy Jeff Garcia for a few pennies on the dollar; Garcia went to Cleveland. Now, when Rich Gannon gets released this week, the Bucs could offer what Gannon wants desperately and no other team has: an available starting job. That's assuming Gruden and GM Bruce Allen like Gannon and his rehabbing labrum more than they like Johnson. If they even pick up the phone to talk with Gannon, which I think they will, that would say a lot about their confidence in Johnson, despite how overly effusive Gruden has been in his praise of his QB. Sounds like phony-baloney praise to me.

2. I think if I'm Kerry Collins, I thank my lucky stars that Gannon wouldn't take a pay cut. If Gannon had taken less money to stay in Oakland, I think Collins would have signed to back up Kyle Boller this week.

3. I think I like the Ravens picking up Dale Carter. You might wonder why they're taking on a veteran of the NFL's substance-abuse program, especially when cornerback-needy New Orleans dropped him. Simple. Until Carter plays a game for the Ravens in September, it costs them basically nothing to have the guy in camp for a long look.

4. I think these are my non-football thoughts of the week:

a. Sopranos Alert: Please skip this if you plan to watch the show but haven't yet. Best show of the season. By far. We all knew it was coming, didn't we, the weed-whacking of Adriana. You know what amazed me? How it was done so dispassionately. Tony was so matter-of-fact, and Silvio so ruthless. By the way, how good is Johnny Sack? Typecast city.

b. Montclair (N.J.) High Softball Note of the Week: New Jersey Group IV, North I quarterfinals last Wednesday. Montclair, seeded eighth in the region, at No. 1 Clifton. Senior lefty Mary Beth King in the circle against precocious soph Brianne Moore. Groundhog Day. Scoreless through seven. Through eight. Through nine. With one out in the bottom of the 10th, their leadoff hitter singles to center. She's sacrificed to second. The three-hitter is quasi-intentionally walked. Here comes the cleanup hitter. She's 0-for-4. Mary Beth's gotten her three straight times on changeups, forcing her to ground weakly to the left side each time. The count goes to 1-and-2. The catcher, Meg Mylan, who has done a terrific job in her first year behind the dish, calls for the change. Mary Beth nods. "Watch the change!'' the leatherlung along the right-field fence hollers, but I'm sure the kid was mindful of it anyway. Bing! Ground ball through the hole into left. Play at the plate ... Safe. Ballgame. Clifton 1, Montclair 0. Ten frames. Meg is devastated. Far too involved, I ask Mary Beth if I can call Meg. She says sure. I call her and say, "Look, you'd used the change and gotten that kid out three times in a row --grounder to short, grounder to third, grounder to third. Now you're ahead in the count, and you have to call a pitch. If you call for a riser and she hits it for the winning hit, you'll beat yourself up and say, 'I should have called for the change.' If you call for the change and it gets hit, you'll beat yourself up and say, 'I should have called for something else.' This is the cleanup hitter for the top-seeded team in all of North Jersey. Give her some credit. And don't kill yourself over a very good hitter getting one ground-ball hit in 10 innings.'' Pitching, and calling pitches and location, is a never-ending chess game, particularly when you're not a strikeout pitcher. And so it goes. We played our second-to-last game Saturday, at 17-8 Paramus. I'm sure you can guess what happened. Paramus 1, Montclair 0. In 10 innings. With Mary Beth hurling. On a bang-bang infield grounder with two out in the bottom of the 10th. In a span of nine days, she's lost three 1-0 games, in 16, 10 and 10 innings. My favorite thing about this 2004 MHS team: Not a single finger has been pointed. Great kids, trying their rear ends off, and it's just not happening. That's life.

c. Coffeenerdness: To the folkas at Green Mountain Coffee on the Merrit Parkway in Connecticut -- you're doing a great job with that dark roast. Keep it fresher, though. Nothing worse that burnt dark roast.

d. The worst thing about reality TV is it makes stars out of common folks, who then fill the covers of the People and Entertainment Weekly mags that infiltrate my house, which forces me to acknowledge the existences of people I care nothing about.

5. I think I experienced a weird sight the other night, cruising into Philadelphia and seeing the Vet in a crumpled heap at the corner of Broad and Pattison in South Philly. The new place has a few kinks, like the aforementioned out-of-town scoreboard, but it's a great new ballpark, beautiful, with excellent sightlines and terrific food. Loved the cheesesteaks in left-center field. Love the Phanatic. And I love how the open spaces in the park allow fans to stand and watch an inning from different vantage points without being in the way of other fans. By the way, this park is going to be a gem for home-run hitters. It won't quite be Coors Field East, but it looks like the most generous home-run park east of Arlington.

6. I think I am just dying to know what Tim Couch is thinking. Not signing with the Packers. Filing a grievance against the Browns for not allowing him to work out at the Browns' facility. Wake up, man! Go get a job!

7. I think I'll be one of the few who take a pass on overly praising the Giants if they sign Kurt Warner. Not that it would be a bad signing. It's that none of us has any idea what kind of player they'd be getting. Warner, in the last two years, has been a mistake-prone fumbler, looking unsure of himself, 0-8 in his last eight starts. Maybe he can get it back. But if you're counting on him to be a very good player for a contending team, you're making a mistake. He might be one, but no one can say they're confident he'll be one.

8. I think I was surprised to hear Phil Simms say the other day, "Kellen Winslow's the best rookie I've seen come in the league in a while.'' High praise from a man who measures his words.

9. I think nothing about the NFL's decision to punish the Giants for violating offseason rules was surprising. Taking away two practice days, and not allowing players into the facility on those days, is a just penalty for the Giants' minor infractions of making the offseason program more mandatory than voluntary.

10. I think Brad Johnson woke up this morning and thought: What did I ever do to Jon Gruden to make him think I'm just some schmoe quarterback?

Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King covers the NFL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com. Monday Morning Quarterback appears in this space every week.