The All-Pro quarterback's injury seems unlikely to affect next season, but the threat of injury exists in any football game — even a low-key, halfhearted affair such as the NFL's all-star game.

"You never want to see anybody get hurt in a game like this, where it's just an exhibition," said Kansas City tight end Tony Gonzalez, a veteran of eight Pro Bowls. "Hopefully it's not something big."

Despite the ever-present threat, serious injuries are rare in the Pro Bowl — and even moderate injuries usually have at least three months to heal before most clubs open minicamps.

The most infamous Pro Bowl injury didn't even occur during the game. New England running back Robert Edwards' career was ruined when he seriously injured his knee during a rookie flag-football game on the beach after his standout 1998 rookie season.

Though Edwards attempted a comeback four years later, he ended up with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes.

Defensive players typically don't deliver their hardest hits in Hawai'i, and Brees — who throws right-handed — didn't appear to get hit particularly hard while throwing a fourth-down incompletion on the NFC's second offensive series.

Washington safety Sean Taylor ignored those rules of decorum in the third quarter when he hit Buffalo's Brian Moorman hard enough to knock the punter's legs at least 2 feet off the ground. But Moorman, who had been attempting a fake run, popped up and ran on to the field to say hello to Taylor.

"Believe it or not, it wasn't as bad as it looked," Moorman said.

Indianapolis receiver Marvin Harrison used the only surefire technique for avoiding injuries in this exhibition: The new champion didn't play, watching from the sideline and wearing a Pro Bowl cap instead of a helmet.

Washington tackle Chris Samuels also didn't play.

PEYTON'S PLACE: Peyton Manning led the Indianapolis Colts to a championship last week, and he already holds most of the Pro Bowl's career passing records from his first six trips to Honolulu.

He had earned the right to play two series and then watch the rest of today's game from the sidelines.

Manning went 5-of-12 for 67 yards before watching MVP Carson Palmer and rookie Vince Young finish up the AFC's 31-28 victory. Manning was thrilled to take a backseat before heading back to real life, including an upcoming series of talk-show appearances.

"It is good to get back to a little bit of normalcy," Manning said. "It was an exciting past two weeks, and it was fun to share it with some guys over here, but also with (fellow Pro Bowlers) Marvin and Reggie (Wayne) and Tarik (Glenn) and Jeff (Saturday). That really makes it special."

Wayne caught six passes for 137 yards in his first Pro Bowl, including a 72-yard TD throw from Palmer — but he had a sly dig for the Bengals star.

"He is always one of the top guys in the league," Wayne said. "It was great to catch a pass from someone other than Peyton Manning. I guess that you can say that he is the second-best QB in the league."

Told of Wayne's words, Palmer laughed.

"Well, he's the second-best receiver," Palmer said while looking pointedly at teammate Chad Johnson's locker.

MEETING BELICHICK: For several AFC stars, the most interesting part of Pro Bowl week was the opportunity to investigate Bill Belichick.

Sure, the New England coach is widely respected after leading his club to three Super Bowl victories. But his competitive nature and sometimes ruthless personnel decisions left some players wondering what he would be like in such a relaxed setting.

"I never really met Belichick before, and you always hear about how he's a mean guy," Baltimore linebacker Adalius Thomas said. "But it's real interesting to see how he reacts with different players, how he gets comfortable over here. He's actually a really nice guy. I was surprised."

Belichick got the job running the AFC squad after the Patriots lost to the Colts in the conference championship game. he kept his practices comfortable and quick in Hawai'i, clearly enjoying himself — though he repeatedly said he would rather have been coaching last week in the Super Bowl.

"For Bill, this is his peace on the football field," league MVP LaDainian Tomlinson said. "He's definitely happier out here. This is where he loves to be. Out here, I get to talk to him and understand the man."