T.J. Houshmandzadeh on Gene Upshaw, who died on Thursday.

"I think, I was talking to Jonathan Hayes about him, because Jonathan was one of the guys who had to go through the strike (1987), and people (NFL players today) don't understand how much Gene did for the players in the NFL. I don't know if they understand the full capacity. He took a stand back then when nobody else wanted to. He was a leader. What defines a leader is someone people are willing to follow."

Houshamndzadeh, who is the Bengals' player rep, had this to say about Upshaw's death and what that could mean for the upcoming negotiation for the collective bargaining agreement: "Any time any one passes away, it's a sad situation. It's not just that he was a union leader. He is a Hall of Fame player. He is one of the best linemen to every play football. The good thing about the situation with the CBA is you know there is three years to play football: '08, '09 and '10. You know that for a fact. There is a lot of time to decide on who is going to do what and be what. I think there is more than enough time and enough people who are qualified (to replace him)."