2010 Pro Bowl
The 2010 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2009 season. It took place at 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins and host site of Super Bowl XLIV.[1] The television broadcasters were Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden.
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| Date | January 31, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Matt Schaub (Houston Texans) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Jeff Triplette | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 70,697 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Honor Society | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | Don Shula | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden, Michele Tafoya, and Suzy Kolber | ||||||||||||||||||
The AFC won the game 41–34.[2]
Site & date changes
The 2010 Pro Bowl was held on the weekend before the Super Bowl, the first time ever that the Pro Bowl was held before the championship game, and the first time that the Pro Bowl was held somewhere other than Aloha Stadium in Honolulu since 1980 (1979 season).[1] NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the move was made after looking at alternatives to strengthen the Pro Bowl.[3]
The game was moved up in order to prevent a conflict that would have taken place if the game had taken place on February 13 or 14, with the game facing against the NBA All-Star Game, Winter Olympics, and Daytona 500. Due to the change, players from the conference championship teams, who were going to play in the Super Bowl the following week—the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints—did not participate. As a result, for the first time in Pro Bowl history, rosters for the AFC and NFC teams were not allowed to include any players from the teams that would be playing in the Super Bowl to avoid major injuries to members of either team. However, these players were still required to be on site for the Pro Bowl to collect a bonus payment from the NFL.
Several NFL players spoke out against the decision regarding timing of the game; ten-time Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning raised issue with the possibility that if the concept of rotating the location of the game were to continue, the 2012 game could be held in a cold-weather city (Indianapolis) not seen as a winter vacation destination.[4] NBC sportscaster Al Michaels was skeptical of the changes, telling the Honolulu Star-Bulletin that "the [NFL] thinks playing it before the Super Bowl will add to the buzz. It won't."[5] Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian also came out against the change, explaining that it seemed disruptive and "stupid" to have players voted to the Pro Bowl, only to have to sit out because they're playing in the Super Bowl, but still have to show up to the game to collect a bonus payment.[6]
Broadcasting
ESPN aired the game instead of CBS, which aired the 52nd Grammy Awards that evening.[1]
The game was the first Pro Bowl to be legally broadcast on internet radio. As part of a catch in the league's broadcast contracts, the Pro Bowl has, to this point, never been broadcast on the NFL's FieldPass system due to it being broadcast exclusively by Westwood One. The NFL had negotiated internet broadcast rights with all 32 of its teams, but never did so with Westwood One (since it was seen as redundant); since none of the 32 teams actually play in the Pro Bowl, FieldPass did not hold rights. When contracts were renegotiated in 2009, Westwood One's broadcasts were added to FieldPass, and along with it, play-by-play of the Pro Bowl.[7] The Sports USA Radio Network provided the commentary for Westwood One, with SUSA's Larry Kahn on play-by-play and Dan Fouts sharing color commentary with Westwood One's Boomer Esiason.
Scoring summary
| Scoring Play | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | |||
| AFC – Andre Johnson 33-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Dan Carpenter kick), 12:00 | AFC 7–0 | ||
| NFC – David Akers 47-yard field goal, 9:29 | AFC 7–3 | ||
| AFC – Brandon Marshall 23-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Dan Carpenter kick), 7:07 | AFC 14–3 | ||
| NFC – Steve Smith 48-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (David Akers kick), 3:37 | AFC 14–10 | ||
| 2nd Quarter | |||
| NFC – DeSean Jackson 7-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (David Akers kick), 11:31 | NFC 17–14 | ||
| AFC – Dan Carpenter 30-yard field goal, 5:31 | 17–17 | ||
| 3rd Quarter | |||
| NFC – DeSean Jackson 58-yard pass from Donovan McNabb (David Akers kick), 14:22 | NFC 24–17 | ||
| AFC – Vincent Jackson 48-yard pass from David Garrard (Dan Carpenter kick), 13:33 | 24–24 | ||
| AFC – Maurice Jones-Drew 4-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 11:27 | AFC 31–24 | ||
| AFC – Dan Carpenter 26-yard field goal, 5:13 | AFC 34–24 | ||
| NFC – DeAngelo Williams 7-yard run (David Akers kick), 1:27 | AFC 34–31 | ||
| 4th Quarter | |||
| NFC – David Akers 39-yard field goal, 11:48 | 34–34 | ||
| AFC – Chris Johnson 2-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 6:03 | AFC 41–34 | ||
AFC roster
Offense
Defense
| Position: | Starter(s): | Reserve(s): | Alternate(s): |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive end | 93 Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis[e] 98 Robert Mathis, Indianapolis[e] |
90 Mario Williams, Houston[c] | 93 Kyle Vanden Bosch, Tennessee[a][c] 92 Shaun Ellis, N.Y. Jets[a] |
| Defensive tackle | 92 Haloti Ngata, Baltimore 75 Vince Wilfork, New England |
98 Casey Hampton, Pittsburgh | |
| Outside linebacker | 92 Elvis Dumervil, Denver 92 James Harrison, Pittsburgh |
56 Brian Cushing, Houston[b] | 56 LaMarr Woodley, Pittsburgh[a] |
| Inside linebacker | 52 Ray Lewis, Baltimore | 59 DeMeco Ryans, Houston | |
| Cornerback | 24 Darrelle Revis, N.Y. Jets 21 Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland |
24 Champ Bailey, Denver | |
| Free safety | 20 Ed Reed, Baltimore[b] | 31 Jairus Byrd, Buffalo[b] | 31 Brandon Meriweather, New England[a][c] 41 Antoine Bethea, Indianapolis[a][e] |
| Strong safety | 20 Brian Dawkins, Denver | 37 Yeremiah Bell, Miami[a] | |
Special teams
| Position: | Starter(s): | Reserve(s): | Alternate(s): |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punter | 9 Shane Lechler, Oakland | ||
| Placekicker | 10 Nate Kaeding, San Diego[b] | 5 Dan Carpenter, Miami[a] | |
| Kick returner | 16 Joshua Cribbs, Cleveland | ||
| Special teamer | 81 Kassim Osgood, San Diego | ||
| Long snapper | 59 Jon Condo, Oakland[d] |
NFC roster
Offense
Defense
| Position: | Starter(s): | Reserve(s): | Alternate(s): |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive end | 69 Jared Allen, Minnesota 90 Julius Peppers, Carolina |
58 Trent Cole, Philadelphia | |
| Defensive tackle | 93 Kevin Williams, Minnesota[b] 90 Darnell Dockett, Arizona |
90 Jay Ratliff, Dallas[c] | 94 Justin Smith, San Francisco[a] |
| Outside linebacker | 94 DeMarcus Ware, Dallas 55 Lance Briggs, Chicago[b] |
98 Brian Orakpo, Washington[c] | 52 Clay Matthews, Green Bay[a] |
| Inside linebacker | 52 Patrick Willis, San Francisco[b] | 51 Jonathan Vilma, New Orleans[e] | 59 London Fletcher, Washington[a][c] 52 Jon Beason, Carolina[a] |
| Cornerback | 21 Charles Woodson, Green Bay[b] 22 Asante Samuel, Philadelphia |
29 Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Arizona[b] | 26 Antoine Winfield, Minnesota[a][b] 41 Terence Newman, Dallas[a][c][i] 21 Mike Jenkins, Dallas[a] |
| Free safety | 42 Darren Sharper, New Orleans[e] | 36 Nick Collins, Green Bay[c] | 21 Antrel Rolle, Arizona[a] |
| Strong safety | 24 Adrian Wilson, Arizona[b] | 41 Roman Harper, New Orleans[a][e] 27 Quintin Mikell, Philadelphia[a][c] | |
Special teams
| Position: | Starter(s): | Reserve(s): | Alternate(s): |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punter | 4 Andy Lee, San Francisco | ||
| Placekicker | 2 David Akers, Philadelphia | ||
| Kick returner | 10 DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia[f] | 12 Percy Harvin, Minnesota[a][b] 13 Johnny Knox, Chicago[a] | |
| Special teamer | 59 Heath Farwell, Minnesota | ||
| Long snapper | 46 Jon Dorenbos, Philadelphia[d] |
Notes:
- bold denotes player who participated in game
- 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
- e Selected but did not play since his team advanced to Super Bowl XLIV
- f Jackson was selected at both wide receiver and kick returner; he was replaced at kick returner by Percy Harvin
- g Ben Roethlisberger was the first alternate, but declined due to injury[8]
- h Carson Palmer was the third alternate, but declined due to injury[9]
- i Sheldon Brown was the second alternate, but declined citing personal reasons[10]
- j McKinnie did not play in the Pro Bowl due to unexplained absences from practices
- k Randy Moss was the first AFC alternate, but did not play citing injury and was replaced.
Number of selections per team
| AFC Team | Selections | NFC Team | Selections |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 7 | Minnesota Vikings | 10 |
| New England Patriots | 6 | Dallas Cowboys | 9 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6 | Philadelphia Eagles | 9 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 5 | New Orleans Saints | 7 |
| Denver Broncos | 5 | Arizona Cardinals | 5 |
| Houston Texans | 5 | San Francisco 49ers | 5 |
| New York Jets | 5 | Carolina Panthers | 4 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4 | Green Bay Packers | 4 |
| Tennessee Titans | 4 | New York Giants | 4 |
| Miami Dolphins | 3 | Chicago Bears | 2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 3 | Washington Redskins | 2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 2 | Atlanta Falcons | 1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2 | St. Louis Rams | 1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1 | Detroit Lions | 0 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1 | Seattle Seahawks | 0 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0 |
References
- "Pro Bowl to precede Super Bowl". ESPN. December 30, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
- "Offenses light up soggy Pro Bowl scoreboard as AFC comes out on top". ESPN. 2010-01-31. Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
- "2010 Pro Bowl moving to Miami, will be played before Super Bowl". NFL.com. December 30, 2008. Archived from the original on 2 January 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
- "Players prefer the league's all-star game to stay in Hawaii". NFL.com. February 4, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-03-07. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- "Williams' success at MU doesn't surprise Crean". JSOnline.com. February 9, 2009. Archived from the original on 16 March 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2009..
- Colts’ Polian calls new Pro Bowl setup ’stupid’. NFL.com. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
- Best, Neil (March 12, 2009). "NFL eschews ESPN, sticks with Westwood One radio". Newsday. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
- "Shoulder keeps Big Ben out of Pro Bowl". Fox Sports. Associated Press. 2010-01-20. Archived from the original on 23 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- Wilson, Aaron (2010-01-21). "Wilson: Palmer could have gone to the Pro Bowl". National Football Post. Archived from the original on 2010-01-30. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
- "Sheldon Brown turns down Pro Bowl". Philadelphia Daily News. January 26, 2010. Archived from the original on 29 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-27.