The best football players in the world (or their stand-ins). Thousands of autograph-hungry fans (or their opportunistic, eBay-tilling counterparts). A few good deeds. Beaucoup parties. And cheerleaders — lots and lots of cheerleaders.

Welcome to Pro Bowl Week.

Coming a week after the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl has often been dismissed as an afterthought, the least significant of the major-sport all-star games, a tropical anticlimax that many invited players elect to skip.

But in Honolulu, home to the Pro Bowl for 28 years, the excitement only intensifies when the Lombardi Trophy is hoisted.

Pro Bowl Week begins quietly the day after the Super Bowl, as players arrive for initial team meetings; then it quickly escalates, with a head-spinning itinerary of events. For die-hard fans, there are plenty of chances to slap hands and snap "dis-my-boy" photos with the NFL's biggest stars.

SECURITY, PRIVACY

Players are typically selective about where and when they appear in public — taking full advantage of the lock-down security and privacy of the Ihilani Resort during their off hours. But many, including Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin, say they appreciate their fans' attention.

"It's cool doing different events, especially when you go to guys' hometowns and see where they come from," Boldin says. "It's part of the job, and I don't mind doing it."

Boldin says his whereabouts for the week are still open — but he does plan on visiting the North Shore before he leaves.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber, a four-time Pro Bowler, says he prefers to stay on the Ihilani grounds, where he and his family can relax and enjoy the beach. "I'll do some appearances, but I try to limit it," he says.

Still, Barber, like many of his fellow all stars, spent a good part of yesterday morning signing autographs for fans who lined up outside the resort's practice field, where the NFC team tuned up.

Few fans were as dogged as Glenn Lentz, an actor based in Las Vegas, who has been coming to the Pro Bowl for the past nine years and has become close friends with several NFL players, including Boldin and Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp. He and his son, Alex, 13, hung out in the Ihilani lobby yesterday collecting autographs and handing out hand-painted footballs to their favorite players.

PLENTY OF APPEARANCES

The NFL's broad appeal ensures that players, active or retired, and others associated with the Pro Bowl get plenty of appearance offers from businesses and other organizations hoping for publicity and other benefits.

Yesterday, a group of NFL cheerleaders visited eight kids at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Honolulu, as part of a partnership between Shriners and the NFL.

Mark Marble, a recreational therapist at the facility, said NFL professionals learn about the help the hospital gives to children with orthopedic challenges.

"Maybe when they go home, they'll take some of that back with them," he says. "And when they see Shriners in their own community, they'll know what we're all about."

The benefits can cut both ways. "There was one cheerleader from the Texans who really associated with this one 3-year-old kid from Samoa who was playing on a mat," Marble said. "I could literally see a change in her ... interacting with that child. It was a chance for her to not be put on a pedestal and displayed, but instead get really engaged."

Some appearances are more clearly about drawing a crowd. Retired Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon, a frequent Hawai'i visitor, is signing autographs at the Navy Exchange today, and former Denver Broncos cornerback and fellow Hall of Famer Willie Brown will be there tomorrow.

Moon and Tony Gonzalez of the Kansas City Chiefs are hosting the annual All-Pro Party at Pearl Ultra Lounge tomorrow night.

WHERE TO SPOT JOCKS

"Hosted" events have traditionally been strong draws for Honolulu's nightclubs. This year, the Chicago Bears' Lance Briggs and Devin Hester, and the New York Jets' Justin Miller are hosting events at Zanzabar Nightclub. New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan is hosting another party at the Hard Rock Cafe.

For serious fans, a good bet to jock-spot is usually Peter Maharaj's annual All-Pro Party, which routinely draws the game's biggest names — and their entourages. At one of Maharaj's parties two years ago, fans could see Terrell Owens and then-teammate Donovan McNabb set up camps on opposite sides of the room.

Maharaj — a close friend of Owens (who will fly over for the event), Moon and other NFL players — says that, contrary to popular belief, he actually loses money staging his lavish Pro Bowl parties. And that's fine with him.

"The whole thing is to make sure that these guys have a good time and that they meet new friends and come away with a good feeling about Hawai'i and the kind of people we have here," Maharaj says.

"The pros like it here because people are appreciative and respectful, and they know they can relax and just have fun."

Detroit Lions wide receiver Roy Williams, a first-time Pro Bowler, says he'll make time for his fans, but he also wants to enjoy his first trip to Hawai'i without too many distractions.

"I guess this is the Pacific Ocean," he says, gesturing at the broad expanse of azure water beyond the Ihilani's resort grounds. "I come from Texas, inland, and we didn't see a lot of water."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.