FOR USE AS DESIRED
 NFL-123            11/7/02

NEARLY 18 MILLION ALL-STAR VOTES CAST ON NFL.COM;
FAVRE, BLEDSOE LEAD CHARGE TOWARD PRO BOWL
WITH FIVE WEEKS OF VOTING REMAINING

With nearly 18 million votes cast by fans on NFL.com, Green Bay Packers quarterback BRETT FAVRE (317,986) leads all NFL All-Stars in balloting for the 2003 Pro Bowl, the NFL announced today.

 

Buffalo Bills quarterback DREW BLEDSOE (294,091), the NFL’s leading passer with 2,802 yards, ranks second overall while Kansas City Chiefs running back PRIEST HOLMES (257,334) and tight end TONY GONZALEZ (239,205) rank third and fourth overall.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers fullback MIKE ALSTOTT (386,902) rounds out the top five.

 

The balloting, which started three weeks ago, has reached 17,989,687 total votes and is on pace to break last year’s record of 33 million total votes.  Voting continues on NFL.com through December 16.  The squads will be announced December 19 on the 2003 Pro Bowl Selection Show on ESPN.

This year’s NFL Pro Bowl All-Star Game will be televised live on ABC-TV at 5:30 PM ET (12:30 PM HT) on February 2 and will be played in Honolulu, Hawaii.   

The consensus ballots of NFL fans, players and coaches each count one-third towards determining the 43-man rosters that will represent the American and National conferences at Aloha Stadium.  Players and coaches will vote on December 16-17.

The NFL is the only professional sports league that combines voting by fans, players and coaches in determining its all-star teams.  The NFL became the first professional sports league to offer online voting in 1995.

Fans may vote on the NFL’s website, NFL.com, to help select the AFC and NFC All-Star Teams, sponsored by Motorola and RadioShack.  Fans voting on NFL.com will also qualify to win a Pro Bowl prize package.

This season fans can also cast their Pro Bowl ballots through December 1 at more than 7,200 RadioShack stores nationwide.  RadioShack will offer shortened balloting, presented by Motorola, which will allow fans to quickly vote for their favorite players in the quarterback, running back, wide receiver, defensive end, outside linebacker and cornerback positions. More than 94 percent of Americans live or work within five minutes of a RadioShack store.

All fans voting at RadioShack will be entered to win an "All Access" pass to the Pro Bowl. The "All Access" pass offers one winner a trip for two to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, including sideline access to practices, pregame and halftime courtesy of the NFL and Motorola.  The winner will be announced December 19, on the 2003 Pro Bowl Selection Show on ESPN.

Listed below are the top ten overall vote-getters and the players with the most votes at each position through November 6:

NFL ALL-STAR TOP-TEN VOTE-GETTERS
 

Pos.

Name, Team

Votes

QB

Brett Favre, Packers

317,986

QB

Drew Bledsoe, Bills

294,091

RB

Priest Holmes, Chiefs

257,334

TE

Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs

239,205

FB

Mike Alstott, Buccaneers

 239,085

RB

Marshall Faulk, Rams

221,931

RB

Deuce McAllister, Saints

218,304

RB

LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers

197,260

RB

Ahman Green, Packers

195,069

TE

Bubba Franks, Packers

192,985



AFC LEADING VOTE-GETTERS
 

Pos.

Name, Team

Votes

Pos.

Name, Team

Votes

QB

Drew Bledsoe, Bills

294,091

DE

Jason Taylor, Dolphins

94,089

RB

Priest Holmes, Chiefs

257,334

IL

Gary Walker, Texans

44,797

FB

Mike Anderson, Broncos

154,827

OLB

Joey Porter, Steelers

49,943

WR

Eric Moulds, Bills

179,526

ILB

Ray Lewis, Ravens

85,614

TE

Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs

239,205

CB

Deltha O’Neal, Broncos

58,734

T

Willie Roaf, Chiefs

49,640

SS

Greg Wesley, Chiefs

37,537

G

Will Shields, Chiefs

40,519

FS

Rod Woodson, Raiders

80,810

C

Tom Nalen, Broncos

36,143

P

Hunter Smith, Colts

48,463

K

Morten Andersen, Chiefs

128,370

ST

Larry Izzo, Patriots

33,604

KR

Chad Morton, Jets

56,008

 

 

 

 

NFC LEADING VOTE-GETTERS
 

Pos.

Name, Team

Votes

Pos.

Name, Team

Votes

QB

Brett Favre, Packers

317,986

DE

Julius Peppers, Panthers

88,011

RB

Marshall Faulk, Rams

221,931

IL

Warren Sapp, Buccaneers

111,927

FB

Mike Alstott, Buccaneers

239,085

OLB

Derrick Brooks, Buccaneers

58,350

WR

Donald Driver, Packers

160,538

ILB

Brian Urlacher, Bears

129,724

TE

Bubba Franks, Packers

192,985

CB

Champ Bailey, Redskins

79,467

T

Orlando Pace, Rams

46,525

SS

Sammy Knight, Saints

48,865

G

Larry Allen, Cowboys

57,573

FS

Darren Sharper, Packers

61,495

C

Mike Flanagan, Packers

57,361

P

Todd Sauerbrun, Panthers

84,529

K

Ryan Longwell, Packers

123,290

ST

Matt Bowen, Packers

33,394

KR

Michael Lewis, Saints

79,727