The NFL's best will be in the spotlight on Sunday, January 29 (7:00 PM ET, NBC) as the 2012 Pro Bowl kicks off Super Bowl Week.
The NFL All-Star Game will take place once again at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii and will be the signature event to start the week leading up to Super Bowl XLVI between the New England Patriots and New York Giants in Indianapolis (Sunday, February 5, NBC).
"Being selected to represent the NFC team in the Pro Bowl is a tremendous honor," says New Orleans Saints tight end JIMMY GRAHAM. "I think any guy who gets named to the Pro Bowl realizes that it's a heck of a compliment and I am grateful and humbled by it."
For the third consecutive year, the Pro Bowl will be played the week before the Super Bowl. The 2011 Pro Bowl on FOX was watched by an average of 13.4 million viewers, the most for a Pro Bowl since 1997 (13.5 million viewers), making it the most-watched All-Star game of any sport since 2009.
Last year, the NFC tied a single-game Pro Bowl scoring record by defeating the AFC 55-41 (the NFC also scored 55 points in 2004). Washington Redskins cornerback DE ANGELO HALL was named the MVP of the 2011 Pro Bowl, notching an interception, returning a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown and posting six solo tackles. The 2012 game is the 42nd between the AFC and NFC All-Stars with the NFC holding a slight edge in the all-time series, 21-20.
The 43-man teams are comprised of 21 offensive and 17 defensive players plus five specialists, including a long snapper. The AFC All-Star team will be led by GARY KUBIAK and the coaches from the Houston Texans while MIKE MC CARTHY and the Green Bay Packers' coaching staff will guide the NFC Pro Bowl squad.
The San Francisco 49ers lead the NFL with nine players selected to the 2012 Pro Bowl – kicker DAVID AKERS, safety DASHON GOLDSON, running back FRANK GORE, punter ANDY LEE, long snapper BRIAN JENNINGS, cornerback CARLOS ROGERS, defensive end JUSTIN SMITH, tackle JOE STALEY and linebacker PATRICK WILLIS.
The NFL is the only professional sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players in determining its All-Star teams. The consensus vote of each group counts one-third towards the total. Each team submits two ballots – those of the coach and the players with no one permitted to vote for a player on his own team. This year, over 100 million fan votes were cast on NFL.com and mobile devices.
Under terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each player on the winning Pro Bowl team receives $50,000, while each player on the losing squad earns $25,000.
The Pro Bowl was held consecutively from 1980 to 2009 at Honolulu's Aloha Stadium, moved to Sun Life Stadium in South Florida in 2010 and then returned to Hawaii in 2011.
Fans can purchase tickets to the 2012 Pro Bowl at www.NFL.com/probowl or www.ticketmaster.com.
2012 AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
(Starters listed in Bold)
(Non-participating players listed in Italics)
(* Replacing non-participating player)
( Need player selected by head coach)
OFFENSE
WIDE RECEIVERS
TIGHT ENDS
A.J. Green, Cincinnati
Antonio Gates, San Diego
*
Vincent Jackson, San Diego
*
Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati
Brandon Marshall, Miami
Rob Gronkowski, New England
Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh
Wes Welker, New England
QUARTERBACKS
Tom Brady, New England
TACKLES
*
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati
*
Ryan Clady, Denver
Philip Rivers, San Diego
D'Brickashaw Ferguson, New York Jets
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh
Jake Long, Miami
Joe Thomas, Cleveland
RUNNING BACKS
Arian Foster, Houston
GUARDS
Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
*
Ben Grubbs, Baltimore
*
Ryan Mathews, San Diego
Logan Mankins, New England
*
Willis McGahee, Denver
*
Brandon Moore, New York Jets
Ray Rice, Baltimore
Brian Waters, New England
Marshal Yanda, Baltimore
FULLBACK
Vonta Leach, Baltimore
CENTERS
Nick Mangold, New York Jets
*
Chris Myers, Houston
Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh
DEFENSE
ENDS
INSIDE/MIDDLE LINEBACKERS
Andre Carter, New England
Ray Lewis, Baltimore
Elvis Dumervil, Denver
Derrick Johnson, Kansas City
Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis
*
Antonio Smith, Houston
CORNERBACKS
Champ Bailey, Denver
INTERIOR LINEMAN
Johnathan Joseph, Houston
*
Geno Atkins, Cincinnati
Darrelle Revis, New York Jets
Haloti Ngata, Baltimore
Richard Seymour, Oakland
STRONG SAFETY
Vince Wilfork, New England
*
Brian Dawkins, Denver
Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
Tamba Hali, Kansas City
FREE SAFTIES
James Harrison, Pittsburgh
Ed Reed, Baltimore
Von Miller, Denver
Eric Weddle, San Diego
Terrell Suggs, Baltimore
SPECIALISTS
PUNTER
KICK RETURN SPECIALIST
Shane Lechler, Oakland
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh
PLACEKICKER
SPECIAL TEAMER
Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland
*
Montell Owens, Jacksonville
Matthew Slater, New England
LONG SNAPPER
Jon Condo, Oakland
2012 NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
(Starters listed in Bold)
(Non-participating players listed in Italics)
(* Replacing non-participating player)
( Need player selected by head coach)
OFFENSE
WIDE RECEIVERS
TIGHT ENDS
Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta
Greg Jennings, Green Bay
Jimmy Graham, New Orleans
Calvin Johnson, Detroit
Steve Smith, Carolina
QUARTERBACKS
Roddy White, Atlanta
Drew Brees, New Orleans
Eli Manning, New York Giants
TACKLES
*
Cam Newton, Carolina
Jermon Bushrod, New Orleans
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
Jason Peters, Philadelphia
Joe Staley, San Francisco
RUNNING BACKS
Matt Forté, Chicago
GUARDS
Frank Gore, San Francisco
Jahri Evans, New Orleans
LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia
Davin Joseph, Tampa Bay
Carl Nicks, New Orleans
FULLBACK
John Kuhn, Green Bay
CENTERS
*
Michael Robinson, Seattle
Ryan Kalil, Carolina
Scott Wells, Green Bay
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE ENDS
INSIDE/MIDDLE LINEBACKERS
Jared Allen, Minnesota
*
London Fletcher, Washington
Jason Babin, Philadelphia
Brian Urlacher, Chicago
Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants
Patrick Willis, San Francisco
*
Julius Peppers, Chicago
CORNERBACKS
INTERIOR LINEMEN
*
Brandon Browner, Seattle
B.J. Raji, Green Bay
Carlos Rogers, San Francisco
Jay Ratliff, Dallas
Charles Tillman, Chicago
Justin Smith, San Francisco
Charles Woodson, Green Bay
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
STRONG SAFETY
Lance Briggs, Chicago
Adrian Wilson, Arizona
*
Chad Greenway, Minnesota
Clay Matthews, Green Bay
FREE SAFTIES
DeMarcus Ware, Dallas
*
Kam Chancellor, Seattle
Dashon Goldson, San Francisco
Earl Thomas, Seattle
SPECIALISTS
PUNTER
KICK RETURN SPECIALIST
Andy Lee, San Francisco
Patrick Peterson, Arizona
PLACEKICKER
SPECIAL TEAMER
David Akers, San Francisco
Corey Graham, Chicago
LONG SNAPPER
Brian Jennings, San Francisco
