In a chat with ESPN.com users, Steinberg talked about how the Super Bowl is more than just a game. He also offered updates on a few of his clients and warned users never to get into negotiations with the Cincinnati Bengals.

An edited transcript from Steinberg's Jan. 26 chat follows:

	Super Bowl XXXI was kind to Desmond Howard.

Leigh Steinberg: Hello everybody.

I'll be on my way to Miami tomorrow. We will once again host a party for 3,000 of my closest friends. The Super Bowl is a work week for me, with loads of clients to see, owners and GM's to interact with and sleep is at a minimum.

Yesterday, I taped a segment on Roseanne's talk show which will air Friday morning. My job was to defend a Green Bay Packers fan who was selected the No. 1 couch potato in Southern California for his obsession with football, which according to his wife, was leaving her a football widow. Roseanne was the judge. It was a very funny experience which resulted in a split decision.

Just a few words on the Olympic scandal: A leader in the organization sets the moral/ethical tone for the employees. The corruption in the site selection process could not have occurred without the knowledge of its leader Juan Antonio Samaranch. It amazes me that he could retain his organizational title amongst the poisoning of the Olympic ideal.

Let's get to the questions.

Kent: Signing Tim Couch to a contract this year was one of your goals as an agent for this year's draft. Did the signing of Akili Smith attract any other great quarterbacks? Did not being able to lock in Tim Couch hurt your firm?

Leigh Steinberg: Unfortunately agents argue that the signing of one great QB should preclude an agent from representing his competitor. I reject that theory. But Akili made his selection prior to Tim Couch. I thought he was too spectacular a talent to pass up, no matter the ramifications it would have with other potential clients.

Smith has all the attributes to make him an outstanding franchise QB. Although the press' so-called "experts" have anointed Couch as the presumptive No. 1 pick in the draft, watch Smith rise to dispute that status as the months go on.

We have also agreed to represent Scott Covington from Miami who had two great games at the end of the season.

STEINBERG'S FILE

Steinberg got his start in the business by negotiating a record $600,000 contact in 1975 for college acquaintance Steve Bartkowski, and he hasn't looked back since. Steinberg has focused his practice mainly on football, helping set milestones along the way such as Steve Young's $40 million USFL contract and Troy Aikman's $11 million signing bonus. In addition to hammering out contracts for his clients, Steinberg also helps work out programs for his players that allow them to give back to their communities. He also served as a technical consultant for the hit movie "Jerry Maguire."

I think it is possible to represent multiple QBs. But this process has become hyper-competitive -- agents are making financial guarantees of millions of dollars in endorsements, hiring family members and renting chartered jets to pick up players.

We won't even try to compete with those tactics.

Alan Adamsson: Is Steve Young still collecting on his USFL contract? Who is paying it?

Leigh Steinberg: The money to fund an annuity which made up the bulk of the $42 million the LA Express committed to Steve was paid to him in the fall of 1984. So that obligation was covered 15 years ago.

Steve today is the highest paid NFL player with a package average of $7.5 million a year. We tucked in Jake Plummer's contract just a step below that in package average.

Jon: What was the toughest negotiation you ever had to go through and who is the toughest negotiator you ever had to deal with?

Leigh Steinberg: In the days prior to free agency, teams in the NFL held all the power. Negotiations in the NFL are always more difficult than the NBA or MLB. Until recently, the rules and the freedom players have had in those two sports have empowered those athletes to achieve much better deals.

I often believe that I committed some unpardonable sin in a previous incarnation that forced me to represent players that were drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. In 1987, 1992, 1994 and 1995 I represented the first round draft pick of the Bengals. Mike Brown was as tough and unrelenting a negotiator as we have ever faced. Young men could grow old, seasons could change and he would hold strongly to what ever position that he had offered. Fortunately, with a new stadium on the way and the new TV contract, the economics have changed and Brown no longer thinks he is the last link between bankruptcy and the Bengals. The last couple of negotiations have gone smoothly (O'Donnell).

Gary: Why do you think you have been so successful getting the top quarterbacks in the league?

Leigh Steinberg: I think a lot of it goes to the philosophy of our practice. I believe that athletes have a unique opportunity to serve as role models and retrace their roots to the high school, college and professional communities that an athlete has played in. The concept that an athlete has obligations to the fans, his family and the community, may not be exciting to every athlete, but it attracts some of the brightest and most caring athletes around.

There are weekends where I will represent half of the starting QBs. But it all comes down to the one-on-one relationship that I have with each of them. Warren Moon and I are in our 21st year together, and 16 with Steve Young. The longevity in these relationships comes because these athletes know how much I care for them.

Nathan: How does making the Super Bowl effect a player's marketability?

Leigh Steinberg: The ultimate goal in football is to play in and win the Super Bowl. Any player that has played a role in taking a team to the Super Bowl acquires a reputation and gloss as a winner to other teams around the league. So it boosts a player's value to other teams and to his own team. Once an owner has basked in all the Super Bowl glory, it certainly motivates him to spend more money in an effort to get back there.

In the endorsement field, the Super Bowl is a unique event that transcends the regular sports arena and goes out to all Americans. A player that excels in front of billions of fans can expect tremendous amounts of endorsement opportunities.

Tim: I'm a Charger fan and I was wondering if you can shed some light on what's going on right now with Ryan Leaf and any info that you can share.

Leigh Steinberg: Ryan will have a long offseason to figure out how to conquer football at the next level -- 1998 was certainly a painful learning experience on and off the field. So his challenge will be to fulfill his destiny as a great franchise QB. I believe that away from the pressure of the season, he'll summon up the strength that has made him a winner on every level.

Brian In Texas: What college prepares its players best for the NFL both physically and mentally?

Leigh Steinberg: Certainly the most dominant schools in the last five years have been Florida and Florida State, which, in combination with Miami, have turned out a large amount of high NFL draft picks -- many of whom have become major stars at the next level. So whatever Coach Bowden and Spurrier are doing in their preparations, it is working.

That's all the time I have for now. Hopefully I'll survive the rigors of South Beach and will be with you real soon.

Take care everyone.