2010 Pro Bowl Rosters: Come And Get Your Exhibition Bonus Checks, Boys

SB Nation’s Colts Blog, Stampede Blue, is celebrating the Indianapolis contingent headed to the Pro Bowl, with special emphasis on tight end Dallas Clark, who will be playing in the exhibition for the first time ever:

After years of being a better tight end than Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates (yes people, I said it; and if you actually watched games, you believe it too), Dallas Clark finally was elected to a Pro Bowl. I mean, all he had to do to get on the roster was catch 93-friggin-balls and 10 touchdowns! That is a feat Antonio Gates has never reached, and he’s been to (now) six straight Pro Bowls!

Unbelievable.

Now, for Gonzalez, he’s caught over 90 passes and 10 TDs once before. However, Gonzalez has made ten straight Pro Bowls, and had he not been traded to the NFC and the Atlanta Falcons this year, he might still have knocked Clark out of the Pro Bowl just because of his resume. That, and Gonzalez was the only receiver worth a damn for Kansas City Chiefs for years. If QBs didn’t throw it to him, their other options included the immortal Eddie Kennison, Dante Hall, and Johnnie Morton. Meanwhile, Clark has caught 93 passes and 10 TDs this year on a team featuring Reggie Wayne and two young, dynamic receivers in Pierre Garçon and Austin Collie.

But, whatever. It’s nice to see the best tight end in football finally be recognized as such by fans, players, and coaches. I could care less about which players actually play in the Pro Bowl, but seeing deserving people like Clark get on the roster is kind of cool.

Yes, it took Tony Gonzalez leaving the AFC for a spot to be opened for Clark. Although, to be fair here, last season is the only year that Colts fans could make any case that Clark deserved to be in over Antonio Gates. Clark is having a career-year this season, though, and certainly is well-deserving of this arbitrary and subjective honor.

Also, the addition of Clark to the roster is a nice plus for everyone else on the Pro Bowl team -- they can just sit back, enjoy the sunshine and let Dallas play every position:

The Bengals are 10-5 and have already clinched a spot in the playoffs by winning the AFC North. The Ravens, Steelers and Browns -- teams against which the Bengals are 6-0 -- had a combined nine players selected for the 2010 Pro Bowl. Surely Cincinnati would get at least one player in, right? Right?

Wrong. Not one Bengal will be representing the AFC in the Pro Bowl. 

Cincy Jungle concedes that the team maybe doesn't have a dominating offensive player, their defense surely deserved at least one representative.

The biggest snub, perhaps in the NFL, is Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall. Yes, I'm a homer. I'm by default a Bengals fan. Darrelle Revis, Nnamdi Asomugha and Champ Bailey, all fine cornerbacks, were selected. Let's compare them with the Bengals corners.

	Interceptions	Passes Defensed	Tackles
Johnathan Joseph	6	26	66
Leon Hall	6	30	67
Darrelle Revis	6	37	54
Champ Bailey	3	16	72
Nnamdi Asomugha	1	5	34

 

If you compare these five, then Hall and Joseph rank in the top three in interceptions, passes defensed and tackles. In fact, Nnamdi Asomugha, as great as he may be, has absolutely no reason to be included here. No one throws to him because he's so good. Fine. Should someone be rewarded because of intimidation factor being the best corner in the game in the previous seasons? Was that the popularity vote? He's a great corner, but is he more deserving than Hall or Joseph, who largely were thrown on and bested nearly every receiver they faced, almost always in single-coverage situations?

Fortunately, Cincy Jungle isn't taking the whole situation too seriously, calling the Pro Bowl "a farce." Chad Ochocinco added his thoughts on getting snubbed earlier in the evening, via Twitter.

Just been informed myself nor any of my teammates made the Pro Bowl-bengal fans we wouldn't be abe to play in it anyway! SUPER BOWL BABY!!!

Pro Bowl year after year with nothing else to look forward to--this year no pro bowl but a chance at The Lombardi-damit ill take it-WHO DEY

The 2010 Pro Bowl will be played the week before the Super Bowl for the first time, a move the NFL made in an effort to "heighten interest." The thinking is that if the game is sandwiched in between the Conference Championships and the Big Game -- and played in the same city -- then maybe some of that excitement and drama will rub off on the Pro Bowl. So, yay -- fun times in Florida!

A slight problem, though: the players that make it to the Super Bowl will not be participating in the Pro Bowl. Why risk injury one week before the biggest game of your life? (NFL.com's Steve Wyche laughably writes, "We always hear players say they'd rather compete for a Super Bowl title than to play in any other game. Now we'll really see." Really? You think a player would pick what amounts to a glorified scrimmage over the Super Bowl?)

So what if the Super Bowl is Indianapolis against Minnesota? That's 14 players not going to the Pro Bowl anymore. Who replaces them?

Pro Bowlers on Super Bowl teams will maintain their Pro Bowl status and the league plans to introduce them before kickoff. Whether all those Super Bowl Pro Bowlers will be in attendance could depend on their team’s practice schedule leading up to the championship game and if they want to, or are allowed to, break away.

Pro Bowlers on Super Bowl teams will be replaced by players who received the next amount of votes from fans, players, and coaches. In actuality, the replacement of players and the inability of others to play is nothing new. The main difference is that, in the past, players who did not take part in the Pro Bowl did so voluntarily or because of injury.

And here's the NFC Pro Bowl roster for 2010. The AFC roster is below (* denotes player is a starter).

• Yes, DeSean Jackson is so good that he got voted in as a starter as two different positions (wide receiver and kick returner) -- he's the first player ever to accomplish that.
• Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers both made it ... awwwwkward.
• The Vikings are sending eight players to South Florida, the most of any team. The Eagles and Cowboys are both sending six players.
  

OFFENSE

Quarterback
* Drew Brees, New Orleans
Brett Favre, Minnesota
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay

Running Back
* Adrian Peterson, Minnesota
Steven Jackson, St. Louis
DeAngelo Williams, Carolina

Fullback
* Leonard Weaver, Philadelphia

Wide Receiver
* Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
* DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia
Miles Austin, Dallas
Sidney Rice, Minnesota

Tight End
* Vernon Davis, San Francisco
Jason Witten, Dallas

Tackle
* Jason Peters, Philadelphia
* Bryant McKinnie, Minnesota
Jonathan Stinchcomb, New Orleans

Guard
* Steve Hutchinson, Minnesota
* Jahri Evans, New Orleans
Leonard Davis, Dallas

Center
* Andre Gurode, Dallas
Shaun O'Hara, N.Y. Giants

DEFENSE

Defensive End
* Jared Allen, Minnesota
* Julius Peppers, Carolina
Trent Cole, Philadelphia

Interior Linemen
* Kevin Williams, Minnesota
* Darnell Dockett, Arizona
Jay Ratliff, Dallas

Outside Linebacker
* DeMarcus Ware, Dallas
* Lance Briggs, Chicago
Brian Orakpo, Washington

Inside/Middle Linebacker
* Patrick Willis, San Francisco
Jonathan Vilma, New Orleans

Cornerback
* Charles Woodson, Green Bay
Asante Samuel, Philadelphia
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Arizona

Free Safety
* Darren Sharper, New Orleans
Nick Collins, Green Bay

Strong Safety
* Adrian Wilson, Arizona

SPECIAL TEAMS

Punter Andy Lee, San Francisco
Placekicker David Akers, Philadelphia
Kick returner DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia
Special teamer Heath Farwell, Minnesota

Hot off the presses, your roster for the 2010 AFC Pro Bowl roster.

The Colts lead the way with six players, including Peyton Manning, who tallied the most votes. The Ravens, Broncos and Chargers are sending five each, and the Patriots and Texans are both sending four players. No one from the Bengals made the Pro Bowl.

OFFENSE

Quarterback
* Peyton Manning, Indianapolis
Philip Rivers, San Diego
Tom Brady, New England

Running back
* Chris Johnson, Tennessee
Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
Ray Rice, Baltimore

Fullback
* Le'Ron McClain, Baltimore

Wide Receiver
* Andre Johnson, Houston
* Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis
Brandon Marshall, Denver
Wes Welker, New England

Tight End
* Dallas Clark, Indianapolis
Antonio Gates, San Diego

Tackle
* Jake Long, Miami
* Ryan Clady, Denver
Joe Thomas, Cleveland

Guard
* Logan Mankins, New England
* Alan Faneca, N.Y. Jets
Kris Dielman, San Diego

Center
* Nick Mangold, N.Y. Jets
Jeff Saturday, Indianapolis

DEFENSE

Defensive End
* Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis
* Robert Mathis, Indianapolis
Mario Williams, Houston

Interior Linemen
* Haloti Ngata, Baltimore
* Vince Wilfork, New England
Casey Hampton, Pittsburgh

Outside Linebacker
* Elvis Dumervil, Denver
* James Harrison, Pittsburgh
Brian Cushing, Houston

Inside/Middle Linebacker
* Ray Lewis, Baltimore
DeMeco Ryans, Houston

Cornerback
* Darrelle Revis, N.Y. Jets
* Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland
Champ Bailey, Denver

Free Safety
* Ed Reed, Baltimore
Jairus Byrd, Buffalo

Strong Safety
* Brian Dawkins, Denver

SPECIAL TEAMS

Punter Shane Lechler, Oakland
Placekicker Nate Kaeding, San Diego
Kick returner Josh Cribbs, Cleveland
Special teamer Kassim Osgood, San Diego