Out for a spin.(MY TURN)

"It's pretty heavy," says Jason Taylor, the 6-6, 255-pound star of the Dolphins. "It's a lot heavier than people think. You gotta give it some oomph."

He's talking, of course, about the Wheel of Fortune wheel. I'm at a convention center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for the taping of the syndication staple's NFL Players Week (January 23-27), and it's all about the wheel. Every player backstage is

talking about it. They've spun it in practice sessions, and apparently, it's heavy. Like, really heavy. Like, there's a decent chance you might not be able to get it all the way around, thereby cementing your status as the wussiest NFL player ever.

What babies, I think. It's a game show Wheel! Not to mention, they're pro athletes! They're paid to be all rough and tough and buff! Naturally, now I'm dying to try it myself. I approach a P.R. person. "I really, really, really want to spin the wheel. Just to try it. Can I? Pleeeease?"

She gives me a look. "Uh, maybe later." Hmm. Well, at least it's not a no. I'm led down a dark walkway to the set. The audience is packed with amped-up senior citizens. (It is a Tuesday morning, after all. And it is South Florida.) The first episode--they're filming a week's worth in one day--features Marshall Faulk (Rams), Deion Branch (Patriots) and Roy Williams

(Cowboys). Roy is fired up. He's beyond fired up. He's shaking and shimmying and dancing his way around the stage. There is absolutely nothing on earth he'd rather be doing than playing Wheel of Fortune.

I pick up on a little sexual tension between Roy and his partner (a Texas Tech sorority girl) and tell him so after the show. "She was flirting with you," I say.