If they ever have a reality TV show about Tennessee quarterback C.J. Leak, imagine the opening scene. UT receiver Tony Brown and defensive back Jason Allen open the door and invite the viewers into the apartment they share with C.J.

"I live in the back room and sometimes I can hear C.J. in the front room screaming and yelling at the TV," Brown said Saturday at UT's football media day.

"He's not as quiet as some people think. What's something else most people don't know about him? C.J. has a shrine of his brother in his room. He has, like, 20 posters of Chris in his room. They're really a close family."

Chris Leak, C.J.'s younger brother, is Florida's talented sophomore quarterback. He visited the Knoxville apartment a couple of times during the summer. Brown describes Chris as "a good guy, kind of quiet."

The Leaks have always enjoyed playing video games against each other. They are ultra-competitive but also take time to help each other become better players.

When Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning came to UT's campus several weeks ago, he offered C.J. some tips on film study and reading defenses.

It wasn't long before the brothers were discussing the information by phone. The Gainesville Sun subsequently ran a story that said Chris was learning football lessons from a former arch-enemy of the Gators.

"I sat down with Peyton and took advantage of the time I had with him," said C.J, who is UT's No. 1 quarterback as fall drills begin.

"In the past, I had asked Peyton questions when he came down to talk with Casey (Clausen). But it's different when you're the main guy. I had some one-on-one time with him.

"He's the co-MVP in the NFL so he's the ultimate guy to listen to. He gave me a lot of good advice and I talked with Chris about it. It's a quarterback helping a quarterback. But it still comes down to going out on the field and playing."

C.J. intends to prove fans wrong who think he's the next Joey Mathews or A.J. Suggs, a band-aid quarterback who will disappear by the third or fourth game.

On Saturday, Leak celebrated his 23rd birthday. He's five years older than hotshot freshmen quarterbacks Eric Ainge and Brent Schaeffer. C.J. says his experience is a plus. He has waited too long for this opportunity to give up without a fight.

C.J isn't one of the team captains but he says he feels like a leader. When Manning took time to be his mentor, it bolstered his confidence. When UT coach Phillip Fulmer introduced C.J. as UT's quarterback at a recent booster function, the sixth-year senior took it as a positive sign he is being groomed to be "the guy."

Says C.J. softly: "I'm not going to disappoint coach Fulmer."

Allen says a piece of furniture in their apartment reveals a lot about C.J.

"He has a dresser that's probably five feet long and it's full of tapes," Allen says. "He watches game tape like most people watch TV."

You could read between the lines Saturday when Fulmer said C.J. needs to be "efficient, on time and avoid bad plays." In short, C.J. needs to get the offense into the right formation, get the play off on time and avoid fumbles and interceptions.

C.J. is aware that you don't play quarterback with the same abandon that you play video games.

"I played Chris in an NCAA Football game for a Jefferson-Pilot TV special," C.J. said.

"I was Tennessee's quarterback and Chris was Florida's. He beat me by 14 points. We threw the whole game. There wasn't any ground attack. If you try to run in those video games, it doesn't work."

Whether it's a video game or a backyard workout, C.J. and Chris have always tried to outdo each other. It will be no different Sept. 18 when Florida visits Tennessee.

Gary Lundy may be reached at 865-342-6274.