John Elway , when I was an assistant, sent me to the Pro Bowl a couple of times.

But when you lose a Super Bowl, it's twice as bad. It's like the further you go, the harder you fall.

I think it's cyclical. There are a couple more teams that are going to do it. We'll see how long people stay with it. It's one thing to make the change; it's another to stick with it.

His credentials speak for themselves, ... He's been to the Super Bowl and a couple of Pro Bowls. But he's a guy who's always been asked to [play] for a team that's rebuilding. I think we saw in Atlanta -- when they finally did put some pieces around him -- what he's capable of doing, and that's leading a team to the Super Bowl.

When we drafted Hines we didn't envision this. He has turned out to be a special, special player.

There's no question that he's the best there is when he's healthy. He was an integral part of our defensive success before the injury, and we expect him to be part of the future as well. He has worked very hard to come back, so we're not worried about him at all.