More than anything, the Senior Bowl is a mecca for NFL coaches and scouts. The players are being coached by pro staffs and are evaluated more intensely during the practice week than the actual game, so they must understand that every time they take the field or speak to a team representative, they are being analyzed and scrutinized.

	LSU linebacker Bradie James works out in preparation for Saturday's Senior Bowl game in Mobile, Ala.

The participants are exposed to new techniques and philosophies, all the little things that separate college football from the pro game, and the hardest part of the week is not becoming overwhelmed by the pressure of all that information and scrutiny.

Mental preparation is key, because some guys get so tense under the pressure and worry so much about every little mistake that they are too tense to perform up to their potential. Whether the errors are physical or mental, it's important not to beat themselves up too much over small mistakes.

The idea is to go out loose and have the best performance possible, trusting in the abilities that have made this appearance possible. This is a big game, but not the lone factor that determines a player's draft status.

But at the same time the feeling that a player can only improve his draft status and will not hurt it at the Senior Bowl is not necessarily true. If a guy goes in and falls all over himself, that shows the scouts something, too.

Mental sharpness and concentration are as important as anything because they can help a player's performance in both practices and the game, which is often determined by physical matchups.

Another challenge is that that players often find themselves at different positions, meaning a college tackle could play guard this week or an inside linebacker might be moved to the outside based on what the NFL coaches want to see. Also, the defense is a controlled 4-3 with no blitzing and the offense has no motion or shifts.

There's not a lot of trickery going on. The idea is to simply line people up head-to-head and find out what kind of football players they are.

		Mental sharpness and concentration are as important as anything because they can help a player's performance in both practices and the game.

Obviously, the guys who make plays will stand out, but going outside the parameters of the playbook in an effort to make those plays can cause guys to get beat and look bad. The idea is to go into the game trusting the things they have been doing for years.

The players want to show well individually, but the attitude shouldn't be different from any other game in that the object is to win. Individuals will look better if their team wins the game, but that doesn't stop some guys from getting a little carried away with their names and status.

Being in good physical shape is also paramount, because the guys who didn't play in regular bowl games might not have put the pads on for 4-6 weeks. Those guys have to stay in the weight room and show up in good cardiovascular shape, making sure their bodies are prepared for the first dose of contact in weeks and the soreness that goes with it.

They have to maintain strenuous workouts and be ready for everything the week is going to require of them. A pulled muscle can mean missing a huge opportunity, and it's hard for a slow, sluggish player to impress.

And since this is an All-Star game there are plenty of distractions. Players are having fun with all the agents running around and coaches looking to talk to them, but they are also going to be taught a lot of new things, given a new playbook with different language, and they better be in their rooms studying.

They have to make sure that a hangover or lack of studying doesn't create questions about their focus

Above all this is a business trip. The guys should have fun, enjoy the surroundings and get to know everybody, but they have to remember that this is a work week. It's a celebration of a great college career, but this week helps determine where they sit in the draft food chain and they have to make the most of it.

Editor's note: Mark Malone played in the 1980 Senior Bowl and will broadcast the 2003 game (Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN). For more information on the 2003 Senior Bowl, go to the official site.