Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Katharine McPhee will serve as judge on Most Talented Performer Thursday night on CBS.

CBS will air an 8 p.m. special called MVP: Most Valuable Performer, featuring NFL players in what amounts to a talent competition.

And it’s a talent competition with a singing show link. One of the judges will be former American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee.

Six NFL players will show off their off-field talents during the show. Sharon Osborne will mentor the group. A panel of celebrity judges — including Katharine, former New York Giant wide receiver Brandon Marshall and “Superior Donuts” star Maz Jobrani — will narrow the field from six to three.

An online audience vote will then determine the winner.

Those competing include three Baltimore Ravens. Not competing will be brothers Cody and Jacob Hollister of the New England Patriots, who qualified but can’t participate because their team made the Super Bowl.

The competitors include:

* Brandon Williams (Baltimore Ravens, defensive tackle) for singing;

* Jonathan Stewart (Carolina Panthers, running back) playing piano;

* Justin Tucker (Baltimore Ravens, placekicker) opera singing;

* Alex Collins (Baltimore Ravens, running back) Irish dancing;

* Kevin Zeitler (Cleveland Browns, guard) doing tricks with his dog;

* Domata Peko (Denver Broncos, nose tackle) playing guitar.

Follow the links to get a sample of their skills.