Thursday morning started bright and early with the production of the "Super Bowl Roundtable."

Hench and Schein have both done hundreds of TV appearances in their lives. Adam's on SNY's Daily News Live, offering expert analysis once a week during the football season. Hench is on "Best Damn Sports Show" all the time. He's the mastermind behind all those top ten lists they've been running in the past year.

 Me? Well, I once hosted the Camp Lokanda 2001 summer video yearbook. That's the extent of my imdb.com page.

So was I nervous? Surprisingly, no. I've seen so many unbearable sports "talking head" shows in my life, that I had the routine down pat going in. I thought about all the things I hated about the guys on those programs, and decided to do everything they don't. What'd that mean?

1. No screaming. This is sports. There's no reason to ever scream over sports.

2. No interrupting anyone. Just be civil. People appreciate that.

3. Don't laugh at something that's not funny. I hate unnecessary laughter. HATE it.

4. Don't rush.

 Minutes before we went on air, our moderator, Charissa Thompson, takes out some sort of strange brush apparatus. I'd never seen one of these before. Within seconds, she's dabbing it into some bizarre powder substance, and patting it all over my face. What was going on? What was this strange process? Then, it hit me.

For the first time in my life (besides that brief confused stage in 9th grade), I was wearing makeup!

"You're schvitzing," Schein tells me. "Calm down, Schrager. You'll do fine."

He's incredible. That voice - that remarkable voice - well, it's no act. That's his real voice! We're talking about his upcoming wedding - "Just had a cake tasting - went with the chocolate mouse. It's good stuff." We're talking about South Beach - "Jogging on that strip is just a delight". Even the nightlife - "The Clevelander's my spot this week". He says it all in that incredible, unmistakable voice. I want to hear him narrate an episode of E! True Hollywood Story, or do a movie trailer for a summer blockbuster film. Hell, I'd pay to hear him read the Forum section of this month's Penthouse. I couldn't think of anything funnier. The voice is that good.

As we're getting ready to get on the set, I realize something - I'm afraid of three things: heights, sharks, and the bad guy from the movie "Candyman". Considering the set is set up 300 feet above shark infested waters, I'd have to get over the first two awfully fast. For the hell of it, I just said "Candy Man" five times into the bathroom mirror, too.

The video went fairly well. Schein played the X's and O's guy, Hench played the contrarian, and I played the Vin Diesel role - strong, good looking, respected by guys, loved by women. I didn't scream, I let everyone else finish their thoughts, I never once bellowed in laughter, and I took my time. Four for four. All in all, I'm happy with how it turned out.

Now, I just need to watch out for the Candy Man everywhere I go.

I'm fascinated with Ricky Proehl. 

Though I was unaware of this before Media Day, Ricky Proehl plays for the Colts now. Once Brandon Stokely's ankle started acting up, the Colts apparently signed him to be their token white wide receiver guy. Any team worth its salt has one of these guys. And Ricky Proehl's quite possibly the best one to ever play.  

Proehl only appeared in 2 games this year, catching 3 passes for 20 yards. That hasn't stopped him from becoming a major locker room force. When I spoke to him on Media Day, he was open to answer any question I had.

Was he giving advice to the younger guys?

"We're professionals here. Yeah, I'm offering advice. But everyone's focused and prepared."

What was the biggest play of his career?

"Probably the 1999 NFC Championship Game. 4 minutes left, down 6-5...that touchdown versus the Bucs."

Is this one special?

"It's great to be back."

You, along with Vinny Testaverde are the only active non-kickers in the NFL to have been in 1990's "Tecmo Super Bowl" game. What's that like?

"You know, the players razz me about that all the time. They play that video game in the locker room - and they'll use the Cardinals and goof off about the fact that I'm in it. Peyton loves giving me crap for being so old. He'll see an NFL Films highlight and say, "Oh, hey, there's Bert Jones ... weren't you guys rookies together?"

I wonder if he knows about Bo Jackson's prowess in that game.

I knew Proehl was in a few Super Bowls, but I had no idea how good he's been in them. It turns out that this will be the 17-year vet's fourth Super Bowl appearance in 8 years. With the Rams in '99, he had a huge game in the NFC Championship game, catching 6 balls for 100 yards, and hauling the aforementioned touchdown. He caught a ball in the Rams epic win over the Titans two weeks later.

Against the Patriots in '01, Proehl hauled in 3 balls for 71 yards, including a game-tying touchdown with 1:30 left in the game. Of course, Tom Brady then went on to lead the most miraculous drive in Super Bowl history, setting up Adam Vinatieri's legendary game-winning field goal.

Two years later, suiting up for the Panthers, Proehl caught another late fourth quarter game-tying touchdown, hauling in a Jake Delhomme pass with 1:08 left to tie Super Bowl XXXVIII with only 1:08 left. Vinatieri ruined that one too.

When NFL Films someday does a Ricky Proehl highlight package, there will be more clutch Super Bowl catches in it than the ones they ultimately make for Chad Johnson, Randy Moss, Plaxico Burress, and Terrell Owens combined. If there's an all-Super Bowl team for the game's 50th anniversary in nine years, it will be hard to leave him off the squad. Behind Jerry Rice, Lynn Swann, and Michael Irvin-there's arguably been no bigger Super Bowl performer, in so many different years, at the wideout position than Ricky Proehl.

Proehl will be in uniform for the Colts on Sunday. Whether or not he gets in the game is anybody's guess. But there's nothing he'd want more than another ring.

Luckily, Mr. Vinatieri is on his sideline this time around.

The CBS folks had their press conference in the media center on Wednesday afternoon. Jim Nantz is about to embark upon a pretty fascinating little stretch. I didn't realize this, but starting in February and going until May, the man who roomed with Freddy Couples in college is going to be doing the play-by-play for the Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four and the Masters. Talk about a Triple Crown. I believe -- and I could be wrong -- Dick Enberg is the only other man to accomplish that feat. 

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.