Shannon Sharpe seems really smart, poised and likeable in person. So why all the LOL'ing and forced laughter on air every Sunday? My biggest gripe with the NFL are those ridiculous studio shows. If I'm Roger Goodell, I spend the off-season working with the networks on making those programs watchable, first...and then handling instant replay second.

I had dinner last evening at a place on South Beach called GrilledFish, where Kevin Hench and I sat next to a few of the Indianapolis Colts. What do you think a table of four NFL players would discuss at dinner on the eve of the Super Bowl? Anything but X's and O's, right? Their bludgeoned over the head with football all week. They'll want to talk about any other topic, right? Wrong.

The Colts guys were strategizing. And eating the clams casino. I'm not sure what that means, but there's my inside dirt of the week. Do what you must with it.

At the other table next to us was FSN's "Totally Football" host Laura Okmin. I'm not sure what she was eating, but she was quite friendly as always. I told her she did a great job working as the sideline reporter at the Orange Bowl, which she really did.

Speaking of sideline reporters, I think I've fallen in love. I met Bonnie Bernstein this week. And well, she's beautiful in person. And cool. And from New Jersey. And well, if she had a MySpace page, I'd be posting several comments on it fairly often.

With a big few days ahead, I called it an early night, returned to my hotel room and watched this week's "I Love New York". Chance and Mr. Boston better get their own reality show spinoff.

Them, or the Grey Goose and Favre guy.