STEELERS POST AFC-HIGH SIX PLAYERS ON ALL-STAR SQUAD; FIVE RAVENS & CHIEFS CHOSEN; 10 FIRST-TIME SELECTIONS

The Pittsburgh Steelers landed an American Football Conference-high six players on the 2005 Pro Bowl squad that will face the National Football Conference All-Stars, the NFL announced today.  The 2005 Pro Bowl will be played Sunday, February 13 in Honolulu, Hawaii (7:30 P.M. ET, ESPN).

The Pro Bowl starting lineups will be announced during the Wild Card playoff games on Saturday, January 8 on ABC-TV.

The Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs will send five players each to Hawaii.  Represented by four players will be the Indianapolis Colts and the defending Super Bowl-champion New England Patriots.  Ten AFC players were selected for the first time in their careers.

The 42-man AFC squad is comprised of 21 offensive and 17 defensive players plus four specialists.  A 43rd “need” player will be chosen by the AFC 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 61 million votes were cast on NFL.com, in stadiums and via wireless text message in voting presented by Ameriquest Mortgage Company.

Five NFL Europe League veterans are Pro Bowl-bound – Philadelphia kicker DAVID AKERS (Berlin, 1999), Dallas interior lineman LA’ROI GLOVER (Barcelona, 1997), Green Bay guard MARCO RIVERA (Scotland, 1997), New England kicker ADAM VINATIERI (Amsterdam, 1996) and Kansas City guard BRIAN WATERS (Berlin, 2000).

Three quarterbacks are named to each Pro Bowl squad.  Chosen for the AFC’s 2005 team are New England’s TOM BRADY, who is going to his second Pro Bowl and is tied for the second-most touchdown passes in the conference (24); DREW BREES of San Diego, who is the first Chargers quarterback to play in the game since Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN FOUTS (1986); and PEYTON MANNING of Indianapolis, who needs two touchdown passes to surpass the NFL record for most in a season – 48 by Miami’s DAN MARINO in 1984.  Manning received a record 1,075,089 fan votes to lead all NFL All-Stars in balloting for the 2005 Pro Bowl.

Two of the three AFC quarterbacks will be joined in the backfield by teammates.  The Colts’ EDGERRIN JAMES earns his third Pro Bowl honor while LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON of the Chargers receives the Honolulu nod for the second time.    New York’s CURTIS MARTIN, who leads the NFL in rushing (1,511) and could become the league’s all-time oldest rushing champion (31), will play in his fifth career Pro Bowl in his 10th NFL season.  The Chiefs’ TONY RICHARDSON earns his second All-Star distinction as the AFC’s fullback.

Three of the AFC’s eight offensive linemen hail from the Chiefs.  Kansas City guard WILL SHIELDS represents the American Conference for an AFC team-high 10th consecutive year while his fellow Chiefs guard Waters appears in Hawaii for the first time.  Tackle WILLIE ROAF completes the Kansas City trio, playing in his 10th Pro Bowl in 12 years and his third-consecutive as a Chief.  Steelers help solidify the middle of the AFC offense as guard ALAN FANECA and center JEFF HARTINGS take part in their fourth and first NFL All-Star Games, respectively.  New York center KEVIN MAWAE, a key reason for the Jets owning the league’s No. 2-ranked rushing offense, earns his sixth consecutive spot on the AFC roster.  Tackles WILLIE ANDERSON of Cincinnati and Baltimore’s JONATHAN OGDEN complete the AFC offensive line.  This is Anderson’s second consecutive honor while Ogden, an AFC All-Star fixture, plays for his conference for the eighth year in a row in his nine-year career.

The AFC’s tight ends are ANTONIO GATES from San Diego and Kansas City’s TONY GONZALEZ.  Gates, who did not play college football at his alma mater Kent State, has 12 touchdowns and needs one more to post the most in a season by a tight end in NFL history.  Gates is a first-time Pro Bowl player and is the first Chargers tight end to be named to the All-Star squad since Pro Football Hall of Famer KELLEN WINSLOW (1988).  This is the sixth consecutive selection of Gonzalez, who is tied for the NFL lead in receptions by a tight end with 77.

MARVIN HARRISON of Indianapolis, Houston’s ANDRE JOHNSON, CHAD JOHNSON of Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh’s HINES WARD represent the AFC’s wide receiver corps.  Harrison, who is tied for the NFL lead with 14 touchdown receptions, earns his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl honor.  Of the AFC’s “Johnson & Johnson” tandem, Houston’s half makes his Pro Bowl debut, as the Bengals’ Johnson prepares for Aloha Stadium for the second year in a row.  Ward chalks up his fourth All-Star distinction, surpassing Hall of Famers JOHN STALLWORTH (3) and LYNN SWANN (3) for the most Pro Bowl honors by a Steelers wide receiver.

An AFC-high four defensive players from Baltimore join the Ravens’ Ogden: inside linebacker RAY LEWIS, cornerback CHRIS MC ALISTER, strong safety ED REED, and outside linebacker TERRELL SUGGS.  Suggs, who has 21.5 sacks in 30 career games, is a first-time All-Star.  McAlister and Reed make the AFC team for the second consecutive year while Lewis notches his seventh Pro Bowl honor in a row.  Reed leads all NFL players with eight interceptions.

Six teams are represented within the AFC’s six defensive line positions.  Defensive ends JOHN ABRAHAM of the Jets and the Dolphins’ JASON TAYLOR join interior linemen SAM ADAMS of Buffalo and New England’s RICHARD SEYMOUR as three-time AFC All-Stars.  Indianapolis defensive end DWIGHT FREENEY becomes the first Colts defensive end to make the team in consecutive years since MIKE BARNES in 1976-77.  Freeney leads the NFL with 15.0 sacks.  Interior lineman MARCUS STROUD of Jacksonville also earns his place on the AFC roster for the second time in two seasons.

Alongside Baltimore linebackers Lewis and Suggs are a pair of Steelers in inside linebacker JAMES FARRIOR and JOEY PORTER on the outside.  Farrior is one of 10 first-time AFC All-Stars while Porter makes his second-career appearance in the game.  Buffalo’s TAKEO SPIKES bolsters the AFC lineup for the second consecutive year.

Teaming with the Ravens’ McAlister and Reed in the AFC defensive backfield are two AFC newcomers from Denver -- cornerback CHAMP BAILEY and strong safety JOHN LYNCH.  Bailey will play in his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl, but his first for the American Conference.  Lynch also will make his AFC debut, making his sixth appearance in the game in the past eight years.  Pittsburgh strong safety and first-time All-Star TROY POLAMALU completes the AFC defense.

The AFC special teams feature kick return specialist TERRENCE MC GEE of Buffalo, who makes his Aloha Stadium debut with an NFL-high three kickoff returns for touchdowns.  New England special teams standout LARRY IZZO earns his third Pro Bowl distinction as his Patriots teammate Vinatieri, who leads the NFL with 127 points, handles AFC kicking duties for the second time.  Raiders punter SHANE LECHLER also will play in his second Pro Bowl.  Lechler tops the NFL with a 47.6-yard average.

The American Football Conference was defeated by the National Conference in a wild 55-52 contest last season, the highest scoring game in Pro Bowl history.  The all-time series is tied 17-17.  The 2005 coaching staff will be from the AFC 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 8.  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.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

AFC-NFC PRO BOWL, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2005, ALOHA STADIUM, HONOLULU, HAWAII

(* First-time Pro Bowl selection)

(Note: Starters will be announced January 8 on Wild Card Saturday on ABC-TV)

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

SPECIALISTS