2006 Pro Bowl

The 2006 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2005 season. The game was played on February 12, 2006, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. It marked the 27th consecutive time that the National Football League's all-star game was held in Honolulu. The NFC all-stars won by the score of 23 to 17.

2006 NFL Pro Bowl
1234 Total
AFC 7307 17
NFC 01076 23
DateFebruary 12, 2006
StadiumAloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii
MVPDerrick Brooks (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
RefereeGerald Austin
Attendance50,190
Ceremonies
National anthemJoJo
Coin tossGovernor of Hawaii Linda Lingle
TV in the United States
NetworkESPN
AnnouncersMike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire, Suzy Kolber, and Michele Tafoya

Game summary

The coin toss before the game with Derrick Brooks (left) representing the NFC and Peyton Manning, Al Wilson, Jonathan Ogden and Will Shields representing the AFC
AFC quarterback Peyton Manning was intercepted 3 times in the first half.

The start of the game was interrupted by a surprise rainstorm that lasted through the first quarter, although it ended midway through the second. Both teams' first possessions were punted away, and each of their second drives ended in interceptions; the Chicago Bears' Nathan Vasher intercepted Peyton Manning, then John Lynch picked off Matt Hasselbeck. The AFC scored first on their next drive, culminating with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Chris Chambers. After the teams traded punts, Michael Vick took over for the NFC in the second quarter, and led the team to the AFC 15-yard line, where Neil Rackers kicked a 32-yarder to make it 7–3. Manning led the AFC right back down the field, and Shayne Graham's 31-yard field goal increased the AFC's lead.

Jeremiah Trotter tackles LaDainian Tomlinson during the game.

On the NFC's next drive, Champ Bailey intercepted Vick for the AFC's second turnover (both interceptions came off passes intended for Steve Smith). However, the NFC's defense responded with another interception; this time, Darren Sharper returned the interception 35 yards to the AFC's 32-yard line. The NFC was forced to punt it away on their next drive, however there was some controversy on the return. Jerome Mathis was set to receive the punt deep in the AFC's zone, and when the kick from Josh Bidwell came near him, he opted not to touch it. However, it glanced off his leg and rolled into the end zone, where the NFC recovered it, seemingly for a touchdown. However, the officials did not see the ball hit Mathis, and since there is no instant replay in a Pro Bowl game, NFC coach John Fox could not challenge the call. The AFC took over on their own 20, but soon afterward the NFC defense came up with another interception. Roy Williams intercepted a Manning pass and returned it 11 yards before handing it off to the Atlanta Falcons' DeAngelo Hall, who took it 57 yards to the AFC's 20. Michael Vick hit tight end Alge Crumpler with a 14-yard touchdown pass with 8 seconds left in the half to tie the score at 10–10.

NFC quarterback Michael Vick scrambles past Dwight Freeney.

Jake Delhomme of the Carolina Panthers took over at quarterback at the start of the third quarter, and hit Steve Smith, with three straight passes. The Carolina Panthers provided the NFC's team with their coaching staff, and with the Panthers' quarterback and wide receiver running the offense, the NFC moved quickly down the field. The drive stalled at midfield, and the NFC punted it away. After the AFC's drive, led by Chiefs' quarterback Trent Green, ended in a punt, Delhomme once again moved the NFC downfield before being sacked by Casey Hampton, forcing a fumble that was recovered by the AFC's Marcus Stroud. The NFC's defense once again responded, and on the third play of the drive, Derrick Brooks returned an interception 59 yards for a touchdown that gave the NFC the lead at 17–10. After the AFC punted away their next drive, Santana Moss fumbled the ball away in AFC territory. Green led the AFC down the field again, thanks in large part to a 20-yard run by his Chiefs teammate, Larry Johnson. Green tied the game at 17–17 with a one-yard quarterback sneak. Matt Hasselbeck took over for the NFC again, and led the team on a scoring drive, ending with a 22-yard field goal by Rackers that gave the NFC the lead again. Steve McNair came in for a play at AFC quarterback, and promptly fumbled the ball away. After the NFC punted the ball away, McNair came back and lost another fumble, giving the NFC the ball on their own 18-yard line. Following the fumble, the AFC switched to a shotgun formation. After another Rackers field goal, the AFC took over on their own 26 with 1:10 left. McNair brought the AFC to midfield, but could not get them the touchdown they needed, and the game ended on a sack by the New York Giants' Michael Strahan. Brooks was given the Most Valuable Player award.

Scoring summary

AFC roster

Offense

Position Starter(s) Reserve(s) Alternate(s)
Quarterback 18 Peyton Manning, Indianapolis 12 Tom Brady, New England[b]
  9 Carson Palmer, Cincinnati[b]
  16 Jake Plummer, Denver[a][b]
10 Trent Green, Kansas City[a]
  9 Steve McNair, Tennessee[a]
Running back 32 Edgerrin James, Indianapolis 27 Larry Johnson, Kansas City
21 LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego
Fullback 41 Lorenzo Neal, San Diego
Wide receiver 88 Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis
85 Chad Johnson, Cincinnati
84 Chris Chambers, Miami
80 Rod Smith, Denver
Tight end 85 Antonio Gates, San Diego 88 Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City
Offensive tackle 71 Willie Anderson, Cincinnati
77 Willie Roaf, Kansas City[b]
78 Tarik Glenn, Indianapolis[c] 75 Jonathan Ogden, Baltimore[a]
Offensive guard 66 Alan Faneca, Pittsburgh
68 Will Shields, Kansas City
54 Brian Waters, Kansas City
Center 63 Jeff Saturday, Indianapolis 64 Jeff Hartings, Pittsburgh

Defense

Position Starter(s) Reserve(s) Alternate(s)
Defensive end 93 Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis
99 Jason Taylor, Miami[b]
56 Derrick Burgess, Oakland[c] 93 Kyle Vanden Bosch, Tennessee[a]
Defensive tackle 99 Marcus Stroud, Jacksonville
76 Jamal Williams, San Diego
93 Richard Seymour, New England[b] 98 Casey Hampton, Pittsburgh[a]
Outside linebacker 59 Cato June, Indianapolis
56 Shawne Merriman, San Diego
55 Joey Porter, Pittsburgh
Inside linebacker 56 Al Wilson, Denver 54 Zach Thomas, Miami[b] 51 Jonathan Vilma, N.Y. Jets[a]
Cornerback 24 Champ Bailey, Denver
24 Deltha O'Neal, Cincinnati
24 Ty Law, N.Y. Jets
Free safety 21 Bob Sanders, Indianapolis 47 John Lynch, Denver
Strong safety 43 Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh

Special teams

Position: Player:
Punter   8 Brian Moorman, Buffalo
Placekicker 17 Shayne Graham, Cincinnati
Kick returner 13 Jerome Mathis, Houston
Special teamer 31 Hanik Milligan, San Diego
Long snapper 54 Mike Schneck, Buffalo[d]

Source[1]

NFC roster

Offense

Position Starter(s) Reserve(s) Alternate(s)
Quarterback   8 Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle 17 Jake Delhomme, Carolina
  7 Michael Vick, Atlanta
Running back 37 Shaun Alexander, Seattle 21 Tiki Barber, N.Y. Giants
28 Warrick Dunn, Atlanta
Fullback 38 Mack Strong, Seattle
Wide receiver 89 Santana Moss, Washington
89 Steve Smith, Carolina
11 Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona
81 Torry Holt, St.Louis
Tight end 83 Alge Crumpler, Atlanta 80 Jeremy Shockey, N.Y. Giants[b] 82 Jason Witten, Dallas[a]
Offensive tackle 71 Walter Jones, Seattle
76 Orlando Pace, St. Louis
60 Chris Samuels, Washington
Offensive guard 73 Larry Allen, Dallas
76 Steve Hutchinson, Seattle
68 Mike Wahle, Carolina
Center 57 Olin Kreutz, Chicago[b] 65 LeCharles Bentley, New Orleans[c] 61 Robbie Tobeck, Seattle[a]

Defense

Position Starter(s) Reserve(s) Alternate(s)
Defensive end 90 Julius Peppers, Carolina
92 Michael Strahan, N.Y. Giants
72 Osi Umenyiora, N.Y. Giants
Defensive tackle 92 Shaun Rogers, Detroit
91 Tommie Harris, Chicago
75 Rod Coleman, Atlanta[b] 97 La'Roi Glover, Dallas[a]
Outside linebacker 56 Keith Brooking, Atlanta
55 Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay
55 Lance Briggs, Chicago
Inside linebacker 54 Brian Urlacher, Chicago[b] 54 Jeremiah Trotter, Philadelphia[c] 51 Lofa Tatupu, Seattle[a]
Cornerback 20 Ronde Barber, Tampa Bay
21 DeAngelo Hall, Atlanta
31 Nathan Vasher, Chicago
Free safety 42 Darren Sharper, Minnesota
Strong safety 31 Roy Williams, Dallas 30 Mike Brown, Chicago[b] 20 Brian Dawkins, Philadelphia[a]

Special teams

Position: Player:
Punter   9 Josh Bidwell, Tampa Bay
Placekicker   1 Neil Rackers, Arizona
Kick returner 18 Koren Robinson, Minnesota
Special teamer 85 David Tyree, N.Y. Giants
Long snapper 88 Mike Bartrum, Philadelphia[d]

Source[1]

Notes:

a Replacement selection due to injury or vacancy
b Injured player; selected but did not play
c Replacement starter; selected as reserve
d "Need player"; named by coach

Number of selections per team

AFC TeamSelectionsNFC TeamSelections
Kansas City Chiefs6Green Bay Packers0
Baltimore Ravens1St. Louis Rams2
Tennessee Titans2Dallas Cowboys4
Indianapolis Colts7Seattle Seahawks7
Miami Dolphins3Carolina Panthers4
Denver Broncos5Minnesota Vikings2
New England Patriots2Tampa Bay Buccaneers3
Pittsburgh Steelers5Chicago Bears6
Buffalo Bills2Philadelphia Eagles3
Cincinnati Bengals5San Francisco 49ers0
New York Jets2Washington Redskins2
Jacksonville Jaguars1Atlanta Falcons6
Cleveland Browns0New Orleans Saints1
Houston Texans1New York Giants5
Oakland Raiders1Arizona Cardinals2
San Diego Chargers6Detroit Lions1

Officials

Fan balloting

On December 19, 2005, the NFL announced that fans had cast more than 70.5 million votes via the Internet and the Sprint wireless telephone service, bettering by more than 16% the 61 million votes cast for the 2005 Pro Bowl. Of the top ten vote-getters, all were offensive players and seven, including four of the top five, hailed from the AFC. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning led all players, garnering 1,184,142 votes, a new single-player record, and narrowly edging out Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander (1,110,575 votes) and Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (1,044,360 votes).

On the defensive side, AFC players filled six of the top ten spots, though Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher led all defenders, earning 420,983 votes; Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey (379,477 votes), Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney (374,289 votes), and Bengals cornerback Deltha O'Neal (373,918 votes) paced the AFC.

Among NFL rookies, Buccaneers running back Carnell Williams was the leading vote-getter, receiving 219,736 votes to surpass Steelers tight end Heath Miller (217,928 votes). Cowboys outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (104,592 votes), Vikings punter Chris Kluwe (100,555 votes), and Bengals inside linebacker Odell Thurman (88,715 votes) rounded out the top five.

The top vote-getter at each position (as on the official NFL ballot), irrespective of conference:

Offense

Player Team Position Fan votes
Peyton ManningIndianapolis ColtsQuarterback1,184,142
Shaun AlexanderSeattle SeahawksRunning Back1,110,575
Chris CooleyWashington RedskinsFullback422,314
Chad JohnsonCincinnati BengalsWide receiver987,650
Antonio GatesSan Diego ChargersTight end941,846
Jeff SaturdayIndianapolis ColtsCenter234,847
Larry AllenDallas CowboysGuard248,561
Orlando PaceSaint Louis RamsTackle185,095

Defense

Player Team Position Fan votes
Dwight FreeneyIndianapolis ColtsDefensive end374,289
Rod ColemanAtlanta FalconsInterior lineman (Defensive tackle)307,839
Demorrio WilliamsAtlanta FalconsOutside linebacker244,419
Brian UrlacherChicago BearsInside linebacker (Middle linebacker)420,983
Champ BaileyDenver BroncosCornerback379,477
Brian DawkinsPhiladelphia EaglesFree safety193,166
Troy PolamaluPittsburgh SteelersStrong safety270,348

Special Teams

Player Team Position Fan votes
Neil RackersArizona CardinalsPlacekicker533,004
Josh BidwellTampa Bay BuccaneersPunter236,305
Dante HallKansas City ChiefsKick returner269,541
Robert MathisIndianapolis ColtsSpecial teams130,890

Notably, four players—Cooley, Williams, Hall, and Robert Mathis—finished first in the balloting for their respective positions among fans but failed to secure a starting or reserve spot for the game.

Entertainment

JoJo performed the national anthem. Musical group Backstreet Boys performed during halftime alongside "200 hula dancers, drummers and fire knife dancers and 400 youth performers.[2]"

Stats

  • Most players selected from one team was seven, tied between the AFC's Indianapolis Colts and NFC's Seattle Seahawks (a Super Bowl XL contender).
  • Most starters selected from one team:
    • AFC: Indianapolis Colts, 7 (all of the players selected)
    • NFC: Seattle Seahawks (Super Bowl XL contender), 5
  • First-time selections was big: a total of 36 were in the Pro Bowl; 20 were starters. Here's the count for first-time selections:
    • AFC: 16 (11 starters)
    • NFC: 20 (9 starters)
      • Of interesting note, all four special team players (punter, kicker, kick returner, and special-team player) for both conferences were first-time selections.

References

Sources

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