The Pro Bowl is the National Football League’s version of the All Star Game. It usually pits the best football players from the American Football Conference (AFC) against the best players from the National Football Conference (NFC)in an exhibition game that is played on the weekend prior to the Super Bowl weekend. After the merger with the American Football League in 1970, the NFL held this game in the current format to the first time. The format continued till 2013. In 2014, an unconferenced version of the game was introduced where two team captains selected their teams regardless of the conference. This format was discarded for the old inter-conference format in 2017.
Over the years, the game has been heavily bashed by critics and fans alike. Because of the physical and violent nature of the sport, the players and teams usually take an extremely cautious approach while playing the game. Journalists have likened the intensity (or lack thereof) of the tackles to ‘players hitting each other with pillows’. The TV ratings for the game are lower than a normal NFL game. Some former players have gone as far as ask the NFL to turn the Pro Bowl to a flag football format. Between 1980 and 2016, the Pro Bowl was held at the Aloha Stadium in Hawaii every year except two. In 2017, the Pro Bowl was moved to Orlando on a multi year deal.
As of 2017, 28 players in the history of the NFL had been selected for 11 Pro Bowls or more. Merlin Olsen, Bruce Matthews, Tony Gonzalez and Peyton Manning have made the Pro Bowl a record 14 times. After the 2019 Pro Bowl announcement, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady became the fifth member of this illustrious club with his 14th Pro Bowl selection.
Here’s the NFL’s list of all the players who made the 2019 Pro Bowl featuring some usual suspects and some fresh faces. Player names are followed by team names in the list.
AFC:
Offence
Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs; Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers; Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Running back: James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers; Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers; Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos
Fullback: Anthony Sherman, Kansas City Chiefs
Wide receiver: DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans; Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs; Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers; Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Tight end: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs; Eric Ebron, Indianapolis Colts
Offensive tackle: Taylor Lewan, Tennessee Titans; Alejandro Villanueva, Pittsburgh Steelers; Eric Fisher, Kansas City Chiefs
Guard: David DeCastro, Pittsburgh Steelers; Marshal Yanda, Baltimore Ravens; Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts
Center: Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh Steelers; Mike Pouncey, Los Angeles Chargers
Defence
Defensive end: J.J. Watt, Houston Texans; Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns; Melvin Ingram, Los Angeles Chargers
Interior lineman: Geno Atkins, Cincinnati Bengals; Jurrell Casey, Tennessee Titans; Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers
Outside linebacker: Von Miller, Denver Broncos; Jadeveon Clowney, Houston Texans; Dee Ford, Kansas City Chiefs
Inside linebacker: C.J. Mosley, Baltimore Ravens; Benardrick McKinney, Houston Texans
Cornerback: Xavien Howard, Miami Dolphins; Jalen Ramsey, Jacksonville Jaguars; Stephon Gilmore, New England Patriots; Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns
Free safety: Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers; Eric Weddle, Baltimore Ravens
Strong safety: Jamal Adams, New York Jets
Special Teams
Kicker: Jason Myers, New York Jets
Punter: Brett Kern, Tennessee Titans
Return specialist: Andre Roberts, New York Jets
Special teamer: Adrian Phillips, Los Angeles Chargers
NFC
Offence
Quarterback: Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints; Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams; Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Wide receiver: Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons; Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints; Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings; Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
Tackle: Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys; Terron Armstead, New Orleans Saints; Trent Williams, Washington Redskins
Guard: Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys; Brandon Brooks, Philadelphia Eagles; Trai Turner, Carolina Panthers
Center: Alex Mack, Atlanta Falcons; Max Unger, New Orleans Saints
Tight end: Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles; George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Running back: Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams; Saquon Barkley, New York Giants; Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco 49ers
Defence
Defensive end: Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints; DeMarcus Lawrence, Dallas Cowboys; Danielle Hunter, Minnesota Vikings
Interior lineman: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams; Fletcher Cox, Philadelphia Eagles; Akiem Hicks, Chicago Bears
Outside linebacker: Khalil Mack, Chicago Bears; Ryan Kerrigan, Washington Redskins; Anthony Barr, Minnesota Vikings
Inside linebacker: Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers; Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks
Cornerback: Kyle Fuller, Chicago Bears; Patrick Peterson, Arizona Cardinals; Darius Slay, Detroit Lions, Byron Jones, Dallas Cowboys
Free safety: Eddie Jackson, Chicago Bears; Harrison Smith, Minnesota Vikings
Strong safety: Landon Collins, New York Giants
Special Teams
Kicker: Aldrick Rosas, New York Giants
Punter: Michael Dickson, Seattle Seahawks
Return specialist: Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears
Special teamer: Cory Littleton, Los Angeles Rams
NFL: Tom Brady Makes a Record Tying Fourteenth Pro Bowl
