2008 Pro Bowl
National Football League all-star game
The 2008 Pro Bowl was the National Football League 's all-star game for the 2007 season . It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 10, 2008. The game was televised in the United States by Fox and began shortly after 11:40am local time (4:40pm EST ) following Pole Qualifying for 2008 Daytona 500 . The NFC won, 42–30, despite a 17-point first half AFC lead. NFC running back Adrian Peterson rushed 16 times for 129 yards and was named the game's MVP, winning a Cadillac CTS in recognition of his efforts.
The starting rosters for the game were released on December 18, 2007, with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady starting for the AFC and the Green Bay Packers ' Brett Favre for the NFC. However, Brett Favre withdrew due to an ankle injury. Notable Pro Bowl selections included the late Sean Taylor . The Dallas Cowboys had a record thirteen players named to the Pro Bowl roster, while five teams, including all four members of the NFC South , had no players initially named (Jeff Garcia of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was later chosen as a replacement quarterback for Brett Favre .) This was the first occasion since their 1–15 1980 season that the New Orleans Saints had no player make the Pro Bowl.[ 3] The AFC was coached by Norv Turner of the San Diego Chargers staff, while Mike McCarthy and the staff of the Green Bay Packers coached the NFC . Three Washington Redskins players (Chris Cooley , Chris Samuels and Ethan Albright ) wore #21 in memory of Taylor, their deceased teammate.[ 4] The game featured 41 players appearing in their first Pro Bowl (out of 86 total players), the most in eight years.[ 5] In addition, the NFC played their first defensive play with only ten players on the field, lacking a free safety, in Taylor's honor.
On February 4, 2008, Brady, Patriots receiver Randy Moss , Chargers tight end Antonio Gates , and Chargers defensive lineman Jamal Williams decided to pull out of the 2008 Pro Bowl. Brady was replaced by Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson , Moss was replaced by Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson , Gates was replaced by Browns tight end Kellen Winslow , and Williams was replaced by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Casey Hampton .[ 6]
The game was the most watched Pro Bowl since 2000, pulling in a Nielsen rating of 6.3 and a 12 share.[ 7] It also marked the first ever Pro Bowl to be televised by Fox. The 2008 Pro Bowl also marked the fewest players represented by a Super Bowl winning team, with Osi Umenyiora being the lone representative of the New York Giants , winners of Super Bowl XLII .
Scoring summary
1st Quarter
AFC – Lorenzo Neal 1-yard run (Rob Bironas kick), 10:59. AFC 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 4:01.
NFC – Larry Fitzgerald 6-yard pass from Tony Romo (Nick Folk kick), 7:08. Tied 7–7. Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 3:51.
AFC – T.J. Houshmandzadeh 16-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Rob Bironas kick), 2:42. AFC 14–7. Drive: 9 plays, 58 yards, 4:26.
AFC – Rob Bironas 33-yard FG, 0:48. AFC 17–7. Drive: 5 plays, 14 yards, 1:41.
Pre-game coin toss
2nd Quarter
AFC – T.J. Houshmandzadeh 1-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Rob Bironas kick), 12:08. AFC 24–7. Drive: 4 plays, 29 yards, 1:48.
NFC – Terrell Owens 6-yard pass from Tony Romo (Nick Folk kick), 7:58. AFC 24–14. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 4:10.
AFC – Rob Bironas 48-yard FG, 3:30. AFC 27–14. Drive: 9 plays, 51 yards, 4:28.
NFC – Chris Cooley 17-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Nick Folk kick), 0:28. AFC 27–21. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 3:02.
3rd Quarter
NFC – Adrian Peterson 17-yard run (Nick Folk kick), 9:49. NFC 28–27. Drive: 9 plays, 67 yards, 5:11.
AFC – Rob Bironas 28-yard FG, 6:58. AFC 30–28. Drive: 6 plays, 56 yards, 2:51.
4th Quarter
AFC roster
Offense
Position
Starter(s)
Reserve(s)
Alternate(s)
Quarterback
12 Tom Brady , New England [b]
18 Peyton Manning , Indianapolis [c] 7 Ben Roethlisberger , Pittsburgh
3 Derek Anderson , Cleveland [a]
Running back
21 LaDainian Tomlinson , San Diego [b]
29 Joseph Addai , Indianapolis [c] 39 Willie Parker , Pittsburgh [b]
28 Fred Taylor , Jacksonville [a] 23 Willis McGahee , Baltimore [a]
Fullback
41 Lorenzo Neal , San Diego
Wide receiver
81 Randy Moss , New England [b] 87 Reggie Wayne , Indianapolis
17 Braylon Edwards , Cleveland [c] 84 T.J. Houshmandzadeh , Cincinnati
85 Chad Johnson , Cincinnati [a]
Tight end
85 Antonio Gates , San Diego [b]
88 Tony Gonzalez , Kansas City [c]
80 Kellen Winslow II , Cleveland [a]
Offensive tackle
72 Matt Light , New England 71 Jason Peters , Buffalo [b]
75 Jonathan Ogden , Baltimore [b]
73 Joe Thomas , Cleveland [a] [c] 73 Marcus McNeill , San Diego [a]
Offensive guard
66 Alan Faneca , Pittsburgh 70 Logan Mankins , New England
68 Kris Dielman , San Diego
Center
63 Jeff Saturday , Indianapolis
67 Dan Koppen , New England
Defense
Position
Starter(s)
Reserve(s)
Alternate(s)
Defensive end
69 Jared Allen , Kansas City 93 Kyle Vanden Bosch , Tennessee
99 Jason Taylor , Miami [b]
94 Aaron Schobel , Buffalo [a]
Defensive tackle
92 Albert Haynesworth , Tennessee 75 Vince Wilfork , New England
76 Jamal Williams , San Diego [b]
98 Casey Hampton , Pittsburgh [a]
Outside linebacker
92 James Harrison , Pittsburgh 50 Mike Vrabel , New England
56 Shawne Merriman , San Diego
Inside linebacker
59 DeMeco Ryans , Houston
52 Ray Lewis , Baltimore
Cornerback
24 Champ Bailey , Denver 22 Asante Samuel , New England
31 Antonio Cromartie , San Diego
Free safety
20 Ed Reed , Baltimore
Strong safety
21 Bob Sanders , Indianapolis [b]
43 Troy Polamalu , Pittsburgh [b]
47 John Lynch , Denver [a] [c] 41 Antoine Bethea , Indianapolis [a]
Special teams
NFC roster
Offense
Position
Starter(s)
Reserve(s)
Alternate(s)
Quarterback
4 Brett Favre , Green Bay [b]
9 Tony Romo , Dallas [c] 8 Matt Hasselbeck , Seattle
7 Jeff Garcia , Tampa Bay [a]
Running back
28 Adrian Peterson , Minnesota
24 Marion Barber III , Dallas 36 Brian Westbrook , Philadelphia
Fullback
49 Tony Richardson , Minnesota
Wide receiver
11 Larry Fitzgerald , Arizona 81 Terrell Owens , Dallas
80 Donald Driver , Green Bay 81 Torry Holt , St. Louis
Tight end
82 Jason Witten , Dallas
47 Chris Cooley , Washington [f]
Offensive tackle
76 Flozell Adams , Dallas 71 Walter Jones , Seattle [b]
60 Chris Samuels , Washington [c] [f]
76 Chad Clifton , Green Bay [a]
Offensive guard
70 Leonard Davis , Dallas 76 Steve Hutchinson , Minnesota
73 Shawn Andrews , Philadelphia
Center
65 Andre Gurode , Dallas
78 Matt Birk , Minnesota
Defense
Position
Starter(s)
Reserve(s)
Alternate(s)
Defensive end
74 Aaron Kampman , Green Bay 97 Patrick Kerney , Seattle [b]
72 Osi Umenyiora , N.Y. Giants [c]
58 Trent Cole , Philadelphia [a]
Defensive tackle
93 Kevin Williams , Minnesota 94 Pat Williams , Minnesota
91 Tommie Harris , Chicago [b]
90 Darnell Dockett , Arizona [a]
Outside linebacker
59 Julian Peterson , Seattle 94 DeMarcus Ware , Dallas
55 Lance Briggs , Chicago [b]
98 Greg Ellis , Dallas [a]
Inside linebacker
51 Lofa Tatupu , Seattle
52 Patrick Willis , San Francisco
Cornerback
31 Al Harris , Green Bay 23 Marcus Trufant , Seattle
41 Terence Newman , Dallas
Free safety
21 Sean Taylor , Washington [e]
26 Ken Hamlin , Dallas [c]
Strong safety
42 Darren Sharper , Minnesota
31 Roy Williams , Dallas [g]
Special teams
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
e Posthumous selection
f Wore 21 in honor of Sean Taylor
g Replacement for posthumous selection Sean Taylor
Number of selections per team
AFC Team
Selections
NFC Team
Selections
San Diego Chargers
9
Dallas Cowboys
13
New England Patriots
8
Minnesota Vikings
7
Cleveland Browns
6
Seattle Seahawks
6
Indianapolis Colts
6
Green Bay Packers
5
Pittsburgh Steelers
6
Chicago Bears
4
Baltimore Ravens
4
Washington Redskins
4
Tennessee Titans
3
Philadelphia Eagles
3
Buffalo Bills
2
Arizona Cardinals
2
Cincinnati Bengals
2
San Francisco 49ers
2
Denver Broncos
2
New York Giants
1
Kansas City Chiefs
2
St. Louis Rams
1
Houston Texans
1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1
Jacksonville Jaguars
1
Atlanta Falcons
0
Miami Dolphins
1
Carolina Panthers
0
Oakland Raiders
1
Detroit Lions
0
New York Jets
0
New Orleans Saints
0
Halftime
The halftime show featured a performance by the band Lifehouse , who played their songs "Hanging by a Moment " and "First Time ".
Foreign transmissions
References
^ NFL.com . "2008 Pro Bowl Gamebook" (PDF) . Retrieved February 10, 2008 .
^ Maffei, John (February 8, 2008). "Davis focuses on job with ESPN" . North County Times . Retrieved February 10, 2008 .
^ "New Orleans Saints All-Pros and Pro Bowlers" . Pro Football Reference.
^ Sakamoto, Kyle (February 8, 2008). "Redskins to honor fallen teammate" . The Honolulu Advertiser website . Archived from the original on February 14, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2008 .
^ Jaymes Song (February 9, 2008). "Fred Taylor among 41 Pro Bowl 'rookies' " . Associated Press . Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2008 .
^ "Judge: Vick can keep bonus" . Associated Press . February 5, 2008. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2008 .
^ "Pro Bowl draws highest ratings since 2000" . Associated Press . February 12, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008 .
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