NFC PRO BOWL NEWS

RAMS LEAD NFC WITH FIVE PLAYERS ON ALL-STAR SQUAD;

TWELVE FIRST-TIME SELECTIONS ON NFC ROSTER

-- ALL 16 NFC TEAMS SEND PLAYERS TO PRO BOWL --

The NFC West-champion St. Louis Rams had an NFC-high five players voted to the National Football Conference All-Star team that will face the American Football Conference All-Stars in the 2004 Pro Bowl – the 25th game in the series to be played in Honolulu, Hawaii – the NFL announced today. 

The Pro Bowl starting lineups will be announced during the Wild Card playoff games on Saturday, January 3 on ABC-TV.

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, 2002).  The Dallas Cowboys, contending for their first playoff berth since 1999, and the Minnesota Vikings, in the thick of the race for the NFC North championship, will be represented by four players each.

Twelve NFC players will participate in their first Pro Bowl, including one of the NFL’s most exciting rookies, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver ANQUAN BOLDIN.  A second-round selection from Florida State, Boldin has 86 receptions and needs five catches to pass TERRY GLENN (90) for the most by a rookie in NFL history.  He is the lone rookie selection to the 2004 Pro Bowl.

Three NFL Europe League veterans are Pro Bowl-bound – Dallas interior lineman LA’ROI GLOVER (Barcelona, 1997), Kansas City return specialist DANTE HALL (Scotland, 2001) and Green Bay guard MARCO RIVERA (Scotland, 1997).

The Pro Bowl – will be played for the 25th consecutive year at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.  The game kicks off at 2:30 PM (HT) on Sunday, February 8, and will be broadcast live at 7:30 PM ET by ESPN and CBS Radio. 

The 42-man NFC squad is comprised of 21 offensive and 17 defensive players plus four specialists.  A 43rd “need” player will be chosen by the NFC head coach and must be a cornerback, defensive end, linebacker, or long snapper.

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, a record 55 million votes were cast by fans on NFL.com in voting sponsored by Motorola and AT&T Wireless.  Fans were also able to cast votes at more than 1,000 AT&T Wireless stores nationwide. 

Green Bay quarterback BRETT FAVRE, who has 341 career touchdown passes and needs two to pass FRAN TARKENTON (342) for second-most in NFL history, has been selected to his eighth Pro Bowl.  That ties him with tackle LARRY ALLEN of Dallas and strong safety AENEAS WILLIAMS of St. Louis for the most All-Star selections on the NFC squad.

Joining Favre at quarterback for the NFC will be a pair of Pro Bowl veterans.  Minnesota’s DAUNTE CULPEPPER, the NFC’s leading passer (95.9), makes his second appearance, while Philadelphia’s DONOVAN MC NABB is Hawaii-bound for the fourth consecutive year.

At running back, New Orleans’ DEUCE MC ALLISTER makes his second consecutive All-Star appearance.  McAllister leads the NFC with 1,542 yards rushing and 1,989 yards from scrimmage.  Joining him in the backfield is Carolina’s STEPHEN DAVIS, who makes his third Pro Bowl appearance and has rushed for a franchise-record 1,387 yards, and Green Bay’s AHMAN GREEN, a two-time All-Star choice who eclipsed JIM TAYLOR (1,474, 1962) as the Packers’ all-time leader in single-season rushing yards, gaining 1,538 through 14 games.

Paving the way for the running backs is San Francisco fullback FRED BEASLEY, who will make his first All-Star appearance.

Three veteran All-Star wide receivers join Boldin in Hawaii.  St. Louis’ TORRY HOLT, the NFC receiving leader with 102 catches and 1,518 yards, makes his third trip.  San Francisco’s TERRELL OWENS, who with 1,082 receiving yards has reached 1,000 for the fifth time, earned his fourth All-Star selection.  Minnesota’s RANDY MOSS is a five-time choice, and with 99 receptions is on the verge of his second consecutive 100-catch season.

Atlanta Falcons tight end ALGE CRUMPLER has been voted to the Pro Bowl for the first time.  Crumpler has eight receptions of 20-yards-or-more this season, tops among NFC tight ends.  Joining Crumpler is New York Giants tight end JEREMY SHOCKEY, who makes his second consecutive appearance.

Bears center OLIN KREUTZ, a Hawaii native, makes his third consecutive trip home as an All-Star, joined by Minnesota center MATT BIRK, also a three-time choice.  First-time guard LE CHARLES BENTLEY of New Orleans joins veterans Allen and Rivera, who is making his second consecutive appearance.

The tackle position will be manned by a pair of Pro Bowl veterans and one impressive first-timer.  Seattle’s WALTER JONES makes his fourth trip while St. Louis’ ORLANDO PACE his fifth.  The newcomer at tackle is Dallas’ FLOZELL ADAMS, a sixth-year pro from Michigan State.

On defense, three of the NFC’s top sack leaders will look to ply their specialty on the AFC.  Tampa Bay defensive end SIMEON RICE, the NFC sack leader with 15.0, is a three-time All-Star, while New York’s MICHAEL STRAHAN, second in the conference with 14.0 sacks, makes his sixth appearance.  LEONARD LITTLE of the Rams, tied for third in the conference with 12.0 sacks, makes his first Pro Bowl trip. 

Dallas’ Glover, Carolina’s KRIS JENKINS and Tampa Bay’s WARREN SAPP are the NFC’s interior linemen.  Glover has been selected to his fourth Pro Bowl, Jenkins his second, and Sapp his seventh.

The NFC linebackers return intact for a second consecutive season.  On the outside, Washington’s LA VAR ARRINGTON is a three-time All-Star, Tampa Bay’s DERRICK BROOKS makes his seventh trip and JULIAN PETERSON of San Francisco his second.  On the inside, linebacker KEITH BROOKING of Atlanta makes his third appearance, and BRIAN URLACHER of Chicago his fourth.  

Detroit cornerback DRÉ BLY has a career-high tying six interceptions and will play in his first Pro Bowl.  Joining him are five-time All-Star TROY VINCENT of the Philadelphia Eagles and four-time choice CHAMP BAILEY of Washington.

The NFL’s leading interceptor, Minnesota’s COREY CHAVOUS, is the NFC strong safety.  Chavous, who has helped the Vikings to an NFL-high 25 pickoffs this season, is a first-time All-Star.  Also making his first voyage to Hawaii is Dallas’ second-year free safety ROY WILLIAMS, who joins St. Louis’ Aeneas Williams at the position.

Three of the four NFC specialists – St. Louis kicker JEFF WILKINS, Chicago kick return specialist JERRY AZUMAH and Seattle special teamer ALEX BANNISTER – will make their first Pro Bowl appearances.  Carolina punter TODD SAUERBRUN makes his third trip to Hawaii.   

The American Football Conference defeated the National Conference 45-20 in last season’s Pro Bowl and holds a 17-16 advantage in the series.  The 2004 coaching staff will be from the NFC Championship Game runner-up team.

The selected players with the most votes at each position are the designated starters, and will be announced on January 3.  Under terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each player on the winning team receives $35,000, while each player on the losing squad earns $17,500.
 

NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
AFC-NFC PRO BOWL, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2004, ALOHA STADIUM, HONOLULU, HAWAII
(* First-time Pro Bowl selection)

(Note: Starters will be announced January 3 on Wild Card Saturday on ABC-TV)

OFFENSE
 

DEFENSE
 

SPECIALISTS