"Although New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham insisted earlier this year that he'll retire whenever Drew Brees is done playing so that he doesn't ever have to play with another quarterback, he's been willing to bend the rules this week. Graham also has been reeling in passes from Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and Carolina's Cam Newton during practices as he soaks up his first Pro Bowl experience in Hawaii.

"Hey, I'm still a young tight end, so I'm gonna catch balls from whoever's throwing them," Graham said via telephone. "But obviously, early in practice, Drew's only looking at me."

Graham, Brees and Saints offensive linemen Jermon Bushrod, Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans are all in Honolulu this week, preparing for Sunday's game between the NFC and AFC all-stars.

They're also trying to move on after their heartbreaking 36-32 playoff loss at San Francisco two weeks ago.

First-time Pro Bowlers Graham and Bushrod sounded genuinely happy as they described the "chill" atmosphere and "awesome" experience. And really, there's no better group therapy session available in their profession. They're in paradise, surrounded by friends and family, a handful of their Saints teammates and dozens of equally disappointed star players from around the NFL.

Players interact a little bit during the season, but Bushrod said they're much more intense on game days than they are during the Pro Bowl. Graham raved about getting to spend quality time with fellow NFC tight end Tony Gonzalez, saying that he's trying to "soak up" as much as he can from "the best ever to play the game."

Nevertheless, Graham admitted the "wounds are definitely still fresh" for him, especially because of the way the game against the 49ers ended."