Poll: AFC/NFC Pro Bowl

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NFL Pro Bowl Preview - NFC vs. AFC

By Bryan McGovern, NFL Editor

This exhibition marks the 54th anniversary of the Pro Bowl game. It is also the 34th time the American Football Conference will meet the National Football Conference, and the 25th consecutive year the Pro Bowl will be played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The 2004 Pro Bowl kicks off from Honolulu on Sunday, February 8 and will be broadcast live by ESPN television and CBS radio.

The first Pro Bowl to use conference All-Stars against each other was played on January 14, 1951, when the American Conference defeated the National Conference All-Stars, 28-27, at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. Otto Graham, who was the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns at the time, was named the game's MVP.

The AFC leads the all-time series, 17-16, and has captured each of the past three meetings. The 2003 Pro Bowl was won by the AFC, 45-20. Miami running back Ricky Williams scored two touchdowns and forced a fumble on special teams to earn the Dan McGuire Award as the game's MVP.

PRO BOWL COACHES: Each member of the coaching staffs of the losing teams in the conference championships gets an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii for this contest. For the coaching staff of the Philadelphia Eagles, however, the long voyage to Honolulu has become a stark reminder of what could have been.

NFC head coach Andy Reid has led the Eagles to the past three NFC Championship contests, only to fall on the losing side of each decision. The AFC All-Stars will be led by the Indianapolis Colts' coaching staff, including head coach Tony Dungy.

Also on hand this year to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the game in Hawaii are Hall of Fame coaches Don Shula and Marv Levy, who will serve as honorary coaches for the NFC and AFC all-star squads, respectively.

Each squad is made up of 43 players with one player selected to the team by the respective head coach as a need player. Both teams have 21 offensive and 17 defensive players, four specialists and one need player.

The NFL is the only professional sports league that combines fan voting with the votes of the coaches and players in determining its All-Star teams. The consensus vote of the fans counted as one-third of the total. Each team had two equal votes, with the coaches and players not allowed to vote for a player on his own team.

The selected players with the most votes at each position are the designated All-Star starters. Under the terms of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, each player on the winning Pro Bowl team receives $35,000, while each player on the losing squad earns $17,500.

NFC vs. AFC

The Super Bowl XXXVIII champion New England Patriots sent three players to Honolulu. Defensive lineman Richard Seymour, OLB Willie McGinest and cornerback Ty Law will represent Bill Belichick's squad. Seymour and Law were both selected to start for the AFC, while McGinest was named to the team as an injury replacement for Baltimore's Peter Boulware.

The NFC champion Carolina Panthers will be represented by RB Stephen Davis, DT Kris Jenkins and punter Todd Sauerbrun. All 16 NFC teams had at least one player selected to the game, only the fifth time since 1990 that has happened (AFC in 1990 Pro Bowl; NFC in 1991; and AFC-NFC in 2002).

Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair, who will be making his first Pro Bowl appearance, will start under center for the AFC team. Kansas City's Trent Green, who is also a first-time All-Star, and Indy's Peyton Manning will serve as the backup signal-callers.

McNair, who shared league Co-MVP honors with Manning, will be joined in the AFC's offensive backfield by Baltimore's 2,000-yard rusher Jamal Lewis, Denver's Clinton Portis and the KC tandem of Priest Holmes and FB Tony Richardson. This is the first trip for Lewis, Portis and Richardson. Holmes earned his third consecutive All-Star selection.

The AFC boasts a talented quartet of receivers, led by Indy's Marvin Harrison, who earned his fifth consecutive honor. Cincinnati's Chad Johnson, Tennessee's Derrick Mason and Pittsburgh's Hines Ward join Harrison in the AFC's receiving corps. Johnson travels to Hawaii for the first time. Mason is an All-Star for the first time as a receiver after playing for the AFC as a kick returner in 2001. Ward now has three All-Star distinctions to tie John Stallworth and Lynn Swann for the most by a Steelers wide receiver.

Tony Gonzalez (Chiefs) and Todd Heap (Ravens) are the AFC's tight ends.

The NFC offense is led by second-time Pro Bowler Daunte Culpepper of Minnesota. Green Bay's Brett Favre and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb were also voted in but will miss the game due to injuries. First-time All-Stars Matt Hasselbeck (Seahawks) and Marc Bulger (Rams) were named as injury replacements.

The NFC's stable of running backs is a who's who of All-Stars. Green Bay's Ahman Green will start in Reid's backfield next to first-time All-Star FB Fred Beasley of San Francisco. Deuce McAllister of New Orleans will miss the game due to injury. Carolina's Davis is joined by first-time All-Star Shaun Alexander (Seahawks) as the backup running backs.

Arizona rookie WR Anquan Boldin is one of 16 first-time All-Stars selected to the NFC squad, but he's the only rookie on either team. The second-round draft pick from Florida State broke Terry Glenn's record for the most catches by a rookie with 101. Boldin will start opposite St. Louis' Torry Holt, a third- time All-Star who led the NFL with 117 catches in 2003.

Minnesota's Randy Moss and San Francisco's Terrell Owens were both selected to the team but will not play due to injuries. Washington's Laveranues Coles and Tampa Bay's Keenan McCardell were named as replacements.

Atlanta's Alge Crumpler, who will be making his first trip to the Pro Bowl, and New York's Jeremy Shockey were selected as the NFC's tight ends. Shockey will miss the exhibition contest because of an injury. Green Bay's Bubba Franks was named as his injury replacement.

Five first-time All-Stars headline the AFC's defensive line. Shaun Ellis of the Jets marks the third consecutive year that a Jet defensive end has earned a spot in the Pro Bowl (John Abraham 2002, 2003). Second-year player Dwight Freeney is the first Colts All-Star defensive lineman to play in Hawaii and is the first Indianapolis defensive end to represent the AFC since 1977 when both Mike Barnes and John Dutton made the team. AFC sack leader Adewale Ogunleye (15) of the Dolphins rounds out the defensive end rotation for Dungy.

New England's Seymour is the only returning All-Star on the D-line. He's joined in the interior by Pittsburgh's Casey Hampton and Jacksonville's Marcus Stroud.

All-Star veterans Ray Lewis (Ravens), Zach Thomas (Dolphins), Al Wilson (Broncos) and Keith Bulluck (Titans) headline the linebacking corps. Buffalo's Takeo Spikes is a first-time selection.

Pro Bowl newcomers Chris McAlister (Ravens), Ed Reed (Ravens) and Jerome Woods (Chiefs) join mainstays Law, Patrick Surtain (Dolphins), and Brock Marion (Dolphins) in the AFC's defensive backfield.

Completing the AFC's roster of specialists with the Chiefs' Dante' Hall are Tennessee punter Craig Hentrich and Indy kicker Mike Vanderjagt. Baltimore's Adalius Thomas earned his first Pro Bowl nod for his standout special teams play in 2003, but Thomas is injured and will be replaced by Kansas City linebacker Gary Stills.

Carolina's Jenkins is joined by La'Roi Glover (Cowboys) and Philly's Corey Simon as the NFC's defensive tackles. Simon was named to the NFC squad as an injury replacement for Tampa Bay's Warren Sapp, who is one of the top free agents this offseason.

NFL sack leader Michael Strahan will be making his sixth Pro Bowl appearance. Strahan, who had 18.5 sacks in 2003, is joined by Tampa Bay's Simeon Rice and St. Louis' Leonard Little, a first-time selection, as the NFC's defensive ends.

The NFC linebackers would have returned intact for a second consecutive season if Tampa Bay's Derrick Brooks could have played. However, Brooks will miss the Pro Bowl due to an illness in his family. He was replaced by Dallas' Dexter Coakley, who will start on the outside with three-time All-Star LaVar Arrington. San Fran's Julian Peterson will make his second trip to Hawaii. The inside linebackers are once again Chicago's Brian Urlacher and Atlanta's Keith Brooking.

Reid's secondary is made up of three first-time All-Stars: free safety Roy Williams (Cowboys), strong safety Corey Chavous (Vikings) and cornerback Dre' Bly (Lions). Washington's Champ Bailey, who is a four-time choice, rounds out the starting defensive backfield at cornerback.

Three of the four NFC specialists -- St. Louis kicker Jeff Wilkins, Chicago return specialist Jerry Azumah and Seattle special team's ace Alex Bannister -- will make their first Pro Bowl appearances. Carolina's Sauerbrun makes his third trip to Hawaii.

Predicted Outcome: AFC 38, NFC 24

[Art Vandelay]

Do not want to speak too soon...., but never underestimate the power of the BettorsChat poll results! At the very least, a great start.

[davidguy]

What a rigged game.. Im glad I didnt bet on it.. Funny how the AFC is leading the game and needing to run the clock, and Manning snaps the ball with 15 seconds still left on the clock to throw an interception.. Then of course they let the AFC come all the way back just to loose on a 51 yard fg.. Pro sports arent about the game its about the entertainment and money.. :angryfire

[Art Vandelay]

It was an amazing collapse of historic proportions - 6 turnovers in the 2nd half - c'mon! Then after all those ridiculous fumbles in the 3rd quarter, the AFC pulls out that jackass "victory dance" early in the 4th - unbelievable! They ended up throwing for 542 yards and they lost. At least it was an entertaining way to send us into the long offseason.