Pro Bowling- Football Style

With the deadline for fans to vote on Pro Bowl rosters having come and gone, here is my ballot on who has proved most deserving to represent their conference in Honolulu come February. Like any voting process, choosing the squads is an inexact science with many factors available to compare players by position. Do you vote purely on statistics? How much does the record of the player’s team mean? Does name recognition matter?(The number of players at each position is per nfl.com voting rules. Players are ranked within their position.)
American Football Conference
Quarterback: Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers
Perhaps the biggest question mark heading into this season was whether Rivers could adequately take over for the departed Drew Brees. Yes, LaDainian Tomlinson resides in the backfield, but he has the fewest interceptions in the league with six. Chargers fans had to be disappointed watching Ben Roethlisberger guide Pittsburgh to the Super Bowl last year as they selected the ACC product over the MAC standout. Now, with Big Ben on the opposite end of the spectrum with 20 interceptions, San Diego can breathe a sigh of relief.

Running Back: Tomlinson, Larry Johnson, Willie Parker
LT and LJ were two of the top three picks in the majority of fantasy drafts, so no surprise there. Parker gets the nod over Rudi Johnson by a smidgen due to his better receiving numbers.

Wide Receiver: Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Andre Johnson
Looking back at Manning’s 2004 season for the record books seems that much more spectacular considering their offense this season ranks in the top 5 in most every category, yet is a microcosm of the team that drove down the RCA Dome turf like it was Indianapolis Motor Speedway. An absent Brandon Stokley has enabled secondaries to focus more on Wayne and Harrison.

Fullback: Zack Crockett
At least the Raiders are solid at the non-skill positions.

Tight End: Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez
Both players lead their respective teams in receiving and Gonzalez is closing in on passing Shannon Sharpe for most career touchdowns by a tight end.

Kicker: Nate Kaeding
Maybe he wins by default because he’s made 16 more extra points than anyone thanks to the high-scoring “Super Chargers.”

Punter: Shane Lechler
Oakland’s offense goes three-and-out so much, he better be reliable and he is, averaging almost four more yards than the second-best punter.

Guard: Will Shields, Alan Faneca, Mike Goff
Shields currently holds the second-longest consecutive starts streak behind Brett Favre. Longevity is what it’s about in the trenches.

Tackle: Jonathan Ogden, Tarik Glenn, Willie Anderson
Last year it was announced that Glenn was voted in by the fans for a free trip to Honolulu. Shortly thereafter, Commissioner Tagliabue informed the Colts’ lineman that there was a mistake and he didn’t receive enough votes. When all was said and done, Glenn eventually made the trip to Hawaii to replace an injured Willie Roaf. This year he should get in without controversy as he is a major reason why Indianapolis has allowed a league-low 14 sacks to Manning.

Center: Tom Nalen, Jeff Saturday
Nalen has anchored Denver’s O-line since 1995 and is a symbol of why the Broncos are so successful rushing the football.

Cornerback: Rashean Mathis, Champ Bailey, Asante Samuel
I could give a spot to Nnamdi Asomugha, but two Raiders have somehow previously been tabbed, and that is more than enough for a 2-11 team.

Strong Safety: Troy Polamalu
“The Tazmanian Devil’s” hair can be seen as a fixture on highlight reels wreaking havoc on opposing offenses.

Free Safety: Ed Reed
Out of all the Miami (Fla.) defensive players active in the league (Sean Taylor, Ray Lewis, William Joseph), Reed is No. 1.

Defensive End: Shawne Merriman, Jason Taylor, Adalius Thomas
Having played in four less games, Merriman is tied for the lead in sacks with 12.5. Since it sounds like his steroid suspension was related to taking an over-the-counter supplement that was unknowingly against policy, he gets a reprieve this once.

Inside Linebacker: Donnie Edwards, London Fletcher-Baker
Yes, Fletcher-Baker is the same person who was known as London Fletcher with the St. Louis Rams “Greatest Show on Turf” teams. People might second guess Houston’s decision to take Mario Williams first overall (or those people might have went with Reggie Bush or Vince Young during the April draft). However, the Texans round two pick of DeMeco Ryans from Alabama is looking pretty special. I wanted to pencil him in, but rookies should have to wait at least one season before they get to hang out with the best the game has to offer.

Outside Linebacker: Keith Bulluck, Cato June
With slim pickings at OLB, June is a rare bright spot on a poor Colts defense.

Interior Lineman: Trevor Pryce, Ty Warren, Vonnie Holliday
Jetting the Mile High City for Baltimore, Pryce plays opposite Terrell Suggs, bolstering an already-intimidating Ravens defense.

Kick Returner: Justin Miller
The second-year player has two return touchdowns, including the longest in Jets history. What has happened to Dante Hall? The “X-Factor” burst onto the scene, but now lingers around the bottom of the conference in both kickoff and punt returns.

Special Teamer: Larry Izzo
A gritty player on the Patriots dynasty teams, Izzo has been rewarded four times as the special teams representative for the AFC. If the NFL released official statistics on special teams tackles, Izzo would rank third all-time.

National Football Conference
Quarterback: Drew Brees, Marc Bulger, Eli Manning
Wow. What an awful season for NFC QBs after Brees. Donovan McNabb was having an MVP-type season before tearing his ACL and Matt Hasselbeck missed significant time with an MCL sprain. Tony Romo has played exceptionally in Dallas, but he was inserted into the fold too late to be considered an all-star.

Running Back: Frank Gore, Steven Jackson, Tiki Barber
Who predicted that Frank Gore would be the best tailback from “The U” beating out the likes of Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, and Willis McGahee? Seeing as fantasy owners plucked those three by the second round and let Gore slide to round six, not many people did. Another Barber is contributing in “Big D.” This time it’s Marion Barber III. If your fantasy league values touchdowns over yardage, Barber III is a sleeper scoring three more times, 13, than anyone in the NFC, or 12 more than the soon-to-be-retired Barber. Not exactly LT-like, but impressive nonetheless.

Wide Receiver: Torry Holt, Terrell Owens, Steve Smith, Darrell Jackson
Smith might fall short of carrying Carolina to the post-season, but after missing the first two games, he is still third in receiving yards. Owens playing in the game is, of course, contingent upon him getting enough sleep on the flight.

Fullback: Mack Strong
New Orleans blocker Mike Karney came out of nowhere in primetime scoring three touchdowns in Dallas. If he resembles that at all next year, watch out for the loaded Saints backfield.

Tight End: Alge Crumpler, Jeremy Shockey
The NFC East is loaded at the tight end position, containing four of the top five in receiving yards. Shockey, Jason Witten, Chris Cooley, and L.J. Smith are all integral parts of their respective team’s offense.

Kicker: Robbie Gould
Kicking at Soldier Field in Chicago with gusting winds is no easy task and Gould is 13-13 on field goals at home.

Punter: Mat McBriar
The former Australian rules football player, who attended the University of Hawaii, has pinned opponents regularly this season.

Guard: Steve Hutchinson, Adam Timmerman, Marco Rivera
Hutchinson is earning every penny of his $49 million contract, labeling him the highest-paid guard in the NFL. Chester Taylor has reaped the benefits of the holes paved by the 6-5, 313 pound Viking.

Tackle: Walter Jones, Wayne Gandy, Jon Runyan
After Seahawk stud Jones, a plethora of comparable players make up a deep position to dig through. Jordan Gross, Bryant McKinnie, Fred Miller, and Chris Samuels are also all-star deserving.

Center: Olin Kreutz, Shaun O’Hara
Kreutz was born and grew up in Honolulu. Welcome home, Olin.

Cornerback: DeAngelo Hall, Lito Sheppard, Charles Woodson
Sheppard is a pro bowler in the hearts of Eagles fans just for his red zone interception to beat Dallas and that receiver.

Strong Safety: Roy Williams
Detroit’s Roy Williams leads the conference in receiving yards, but Dallas’ version gets the all-star nod.

Free Safety: Dwight Smith
The Super Bowl XXXVII MVP is on his third team in three years, but if Minnesota is smart, they will keep him for a long time.

Defensive End: Julius Peppers, Will Smith, Leonard Little
Bears fifth round pick Mark Anderson is probably the best rookie that no one outside of “The Windy City” has ever heard of. With 10 sacks, Chicago keeps on reloading their stingy defense.

Inside Linebacker: Brian Urlacher, Antonio Pierce
A coin flip was held to differentiate between Pierce and Jeremiah Trotter, but a better barometer might be Sunday’s clash of the players’ NFC East rivals.

Outside Linebacker: Julian Peterson, Lance Briggs
Peterson’s nine sacks question why San Francisco let him go.

Interior Lineman: Fred Robbins, Kevin Williams, Bryant Young
Tommie Harris, a key component to Chicago’s defense, would be a lock as a starter if not for being sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Kick Returner: Devin Hester
If you watched the Monday Night Football game, no explanation is needed.

Special Teamer: David Tyree
The Giants wide receiver should make a return trip cross-country beating out a sparsely-used group of specialists.

There you have it; these players will be assembled in Aloha Stadium a week after Super Bowl XLI providing a final glimpse of pigskin action. Indianapolis and San Diego lead the AFC with six representatives, while the New York Football Giants pace the NFC with seven. Arizona, Cleveland, Detroit, Tampa Bay, and Washington fail to produce a contestant.

(Precinct results are being tabulated and final results will be announced Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET on NFL Network.)