ORLANDO, Fla. —It's time for the best of the best to try to earn bragging rights.
The 2018 NFL Pro Bowl kicks off today at 3 p.m. ET from Orlando's Camping World Stadium, where the AFC and NFC squads will try to get the best of each other to earn just a little more trash-talking material heading into the 2018 offseason.
The AFC squad, of course, features two Indianapolis Colts players this year in wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight end Jack Doyle.
For Hilton, it's his fourth-straight Pro Bowl appearance, as "The Ghost" has continued to establish himself as one of the best receiving threats in the league. Despite having a brand new quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, learning the offense on the fly throughout the season after his acquisition just before the start of the season, Hilton was still able to catch 57 passes for 966 yards (16.9 yards per reception) and four touchdowns.
Hilton tallied the fourth-best yards-per-reception mark in the league, while his reputation as one of the league's most feared deep threats continued, as well; his 11 receptions of 25 yards or more were tied for the seventh-most in the NFL.
So while Hilton is very familiar with the Pro Bowl process — what to expect at practices, media obligations, community appearances, the game itself — Doyle has been experiencing everything for the very first time this past week.
With the Pittsburgh Steelers' coaching staff leading the AFC team, Doyle said it's been interesting trying to get the watered-down playbook down both offensively and on special teams so that he can execute in today's game.
"It's been fun," Doyle told Colts.com's Caroline Cann. "Just trying to figure out the plays so you don't look dumb in the game is the main key. So yeah, just trying to pick up on things and trying to enjoy it at the same time."
Doyle, who is known league-wide as a dependable target from the tight end position — his 80 receptions in 2017 were the second most among tight ends in the NFL, and were the second most in a single season in franchise history (Dallas Clark had 100 receptions back in 2009) — he will also like be counted on today to play various roles on the AFC's special teams units.
Doyle — who also had a career-best 690 receiving yards and added four touchdown receptions in 2017 — said it's been interesting seeing how another team approaches the various aspects of gameplanning.
"It's just different offense, different things to do, different ideas," he said. "But at the end of the day, it's all the same for the most part — it's just football. So you can kinda see what they're doing there and kinda compare it back to what we did this past year."
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2018 NFL Pro BowlTime/date:3 p.m., today
Location:Camping World Stadium; Orlando, Fla.
TV:ABC/ESPN
Stream:WatchESPN
TV crew:Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Mass Hasselbeck (color)**
AFC RosterOffense (21):**
|
QUARTERBACKS (3) |
TIGHT ENDS (2) | |
|
Derek Carr, Oakland |
Jack Doyle, Indianapolis | |
|
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh |
Delanie Walker, Tennessee | |
|
Alex Smith, Kansas City | ||
|
TACKLES (3) | ||
|
WIDE RECEIVERS (4) |
Taylor Lewan, Tennessee | |
|
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers |
Russell Okung, Los Angeles Chargers | |
|
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh |
Alejandro Villanueva, Pittsburgh | |
|
T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis | ||
|
Jarvis Landry, Miami |
GUARDS (3) | |
|
David DeCastro, Pittsburgh | ||
|
RUNNING BACKS (3) |
Richie Incognito, Buffalo | |
|
Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh |
Kelechi Osemele, Oakland | |
|
Kareem Hunt, Kansas City | ||
|
LeSean McCoy, Buffalo |
CENTERS (2) | |
|
Rodney Hudson, Oakland | ||
|
FULLBACK (1) |
Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh | |
|
Roosevelt Nix, Pittsburgh |
Defense (18):
|
DEFENSIVE ENDS (3) |
INSIDE/MIDDLE LINEBACKERS (2) | |
|
Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh |
C.J. Mosley, Baltimore | |
|
Melvin Ingram, Los Angeles Chargers |
Joe Schobert, Cleveland | |
|
Yannick Ngakoue, Jacksonville | ||
|
CORNERBACKS (4) | ||
|
INTERIOR LINEMEN (3) |
A.J. Bouye, Jacksonville | |
|
Geno Atkins, Cincinnati |
Casey Hayward, Los Angeles Chargers | |
|
Jurrell Casey, Tennessee |
Jalen Ramsey, Jacksonville | |
|
Malik Jackson, Jacksonville |
Aqib Talib, Denver | |
|
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (3) |
FREE SAFETY (1) | |
|
Von Miller, Denver |
Eric Weddle, Baltimore | |
|
Telvin Smith, Jacksonville | ||
|
Terrell Suggs, Baltimore |
STRONG SAFETIES (2) | |
|
Kevin Byard, Tennessee | ||
|
Reshad Jones, Miami |
Specialists (5):
|
PUNTER (1) |
RETURN SPECIALIST (1) | |
|
Brett Kern, Tennessee |
Tyreek Hill, Kansas City | |
|
PLACEKICKERS (1) |
SPECIAL TEAMER (1) | |
|
Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh |
Brynden Trawick, Tennessee | |
|
LONG SNAPPER (1) | ||
|
Clark Harris, Cincinnati |
**NFC Roster
Offense (21):**
|
QUARTERBACKS (3) |
TIGHT ENDS (2) | |
|
Drew Brees, New Orleans |
Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota | |
|
Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams |
Jason Witten, Dallas | |
|
Russell Wilson, Seattle | ||
|
TACKLES (3) | ||
|
WIDE RECEIVERS (4) |
Duane Brown, Seattle | |
|
Davante Adams, Green Bay |
Joe Staley, San Francisco | |
|
Doug Baldwin, Seattle |
Andrew Whitworth, Los Angeles Rams | |
|
Adam Thielen, Minnesota | ||
|
Michael Thomas, New Orleans |
GUARDS (3) | |
|
T.J. Lang, Detroit | ||
|
RUNNING BACKS (3) |
Trai Turner, Carolina | |
|
Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams |
Larry Warford, New Orleans | |
|
Mark Ingram, New Orleans | ||
|
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans |
CENTERS (2) | |
|
Travis Frederick, Dallas | ||
|
FULLBACK (1) |
Alex Mack, Atlanta | |
|
Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco |
Defense (18):
|
DEFENSIVE ENDS (3) |
INSIDE/MIDDLE LINEBACKERS (2) | |
|
Michael Bennett, Seattle |
Kwon Alexander, Tampa Bay | |
|
Cameron Jordan, New Orleans |
Deion Jones, Atlanta | |
|
Demarcus Lawrence, Dallas | ||
|
CORNERBACKS (4) | ||
|
INTERIOR LINEMEN (3) |
Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans | |
|
Mike Daniels, Green Bay |
Patrick Peterson, Arizona | |
|
Linval Joseph, Minnesota |
Xavier Rhodes, Minnesota | |
|
Gerald McCoy, Tampa Bay |
Darius Slay, Detroit | |
|
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (3) |
FREE SAFETY (1) | |
|
Thomas Davis, Carolina |
Earl Thomas, Seattle | |
|
Chandler Jones, Arizona | ||
|
Ryan Kerrigan, Washington |
STRONG SAFETIES (2) | |
|
Keanu Neal, Atlanta | ||
|
Harrison Smith, Minnesota |
Specialists (5):
|
PUNTER (1) |
RETURN SPECIALIST (1) | |
|
Johnny Hekker, Los Angeles Rams |
Pharoh Cooper, Los Angeles Rams | |
|
PLACEKICKERS (1) |
SPECIAL TEAMER (1) | |
|
Graham Gano, Carolina |
Budda Baker, Arizona | |
|
LONG SNAPPER (1) | ||
|
Jake McQuaide, Los Angeles Rams |
