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		AFC notes and quotes from the Pro Bowl By Morris Phillips February 9, 2009

	When attempting to reach and then maintain status as one of the best football players in the world, every time on the field is an opportunity to be a student of the game and hone your craft. After the Pro Bowl, 11-year veteran Peyton Manning talked about the kinship that he developed with Kerry Collins and Jay Cutler, the other two AFC quarterbacks, during a week of practice and team meetings. “Kerry and I—all three of us had a good week together talking football together. We all exchanged phone numbers, and we’ll keep in touch. I get to Nashville fairly often and both Jay and Kerry will be there.” Maybe it’s the friendly nature of the Pro Bowl and the week on the Island, but Manning made no mention of the continuing rivalry between the Collins’ Titans and his Colts, who but heads twice a year in pursuit of the AFC South title. So assume his desire to touch bases with the other two quarterbacks to be genuine. And since Collins has more NFL seasons under his belt than Manning, and just as many Super Bowl appearances (one), you can imagine that Manning also sees off-season meetings with the other quarterbacks to be an opportunity for growth in his game as well as in the games of Collins and Cutler. Marshawn Lynch, Tony Gonzales and Nnamdi Asumogha all donned the California Bears uniform as collegians, but until Sunday had never played with each other. Asumogha was quick to note the significance of the partnership. “I didn’t even know Marshawn was coming, I just knew that Tony was going to be here, but me and Tony have talked, and we knew that was going to be a fun time. But just having Marshawn makes it special.” Lynch was a last-minute addition as a replacement for the injured Chris Johnson of the Titans. He made the most of it, leading all rushers with 48 yards and showing his shiftiness and explosion with a pair of lengthy gainers. Asumogha said he mentored and coached Lynch while he was at Cal and Lynch was still in high school in Oakland. Gonzalez, in his 10th consecutive Pro Bowl, opened the scoring with a pretty catch and toe tap in the corner of the end zone on a pass from Manning that covered 16 yards. Gonzales, 33, is rumored to be leaving the Chiefs after a 12-year career that has created a Hall of Fame buzz around the prolific tight end. The 2008 World Champion New York Giants are among the suitors for Gonzalez. Asumogha started for the AFC opposite Titans’ corner Cortland Finnegan, and once again things were quiet on his side of the field, as his reputation as a lock-down corner not worth testing held up in Hawaii. Kerry Collins hadn’t appeared in the Pro Bowl since 1999, and this year he competed in all 16 regular season games for the first time since 2002. In 2004-2005, Collins was a Raider throwing 41 touchdown passes but suffering 64 sacks. This year, when Vince Young had his meltdown, Collins took over and the Titans started the season 11-0. And now the Titans want him back as a starter, regardless of what happens with Young. How has he managed to keep it going this long? “I think more than anything, I appreciate it so much more now,” Collins said. “As I‘ve gotten older, I appreciate how special it is. I appreciate just what it means just to be part of the NFL. That’s what keeps me going-- to continue to get the opportunity to do something that very few people get to do.” Asumogha wasn’t an All-American or even an All-Pac-10 player at Cal. Now he’s the premiere cornerback in the NFL. How has he made the leap in ability and quality of play from college to pro? “It’s just about being confident in what you can do and being able to deal with hard times, if they are not going as planned, and just sticking to it,” Asumogha said. “And I was able to do that. Eventually it always falls in place. If it’s meant to be, it’s going to happen.” The Honolulu Star-Bulletin asked Asumogha were he would be playing in 2009, and he answered that he’s anticipating that the Raiders will stick him with an the exclusive franchise tag, returning him to the Raiders for a seventh season at better than $11 million. After the game though, he was a little less certain. “It’s my expectation. I don’t know what is going to happen,” Asomugha said after the game. “We still have some time, but your guess is that is what’s going to happen, so that’s my guess.”