Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints / Image: Zuma Press

Balloting for the 2010 Pro Bowl will conclude on Monday, December 21 following the conclusion of Monday Night Football (New York Giants at Washington Redskins, ESPN, 8:30 PM ET). The teams will be announced at 4 PM (ET) Tuesday, December 29 on a special NFL Total Access 2010 Pro Bowl Selection Show on NFL Network. The 2010 Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, January 31, 2010 and televised live on ESPN at 7:20 PM ET from Dolphin Stadium in South Florida, also the site of Super Bowl XLIV a week later on Sunday, February 7. Fans can buy tickets to the 2010 Pro Bowl at NFL.com/probowl and TICKETMASTER.com or by calling 800-745-3000.

Listed below are the top 10 overall All-Star vote-getters:

1. Drew Brees, Saints (1,120,535)
2. Brett Favre, Vikings (1,120,174)
3. Peyton Manning, Colts (1,113,934)
4. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (1,079,993)
5. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (684,698)
6. Tom Brady, Patriots (622,916)
7. Dallas Clark, Colts (603,492)
8. Cedric Benson, Bengals (565,763)
9. Chris Johnson, Titans (560,479)
10. Andre Johnson, Texans (546,693)

Source: NFL Media

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NFL Pro Bowl Top Ten, One Week Left to Vote

Andre Johnson, Houston Texans / Image: Zuma Press

Yesterday was just another Sunday for Andre as he caught 10 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns—this while being the focal point of one of the NFL’s best defenses in the Tennessee Titans. Did you hear him shooting off at the mouth about it afterward? No, he just goes about his job, striking fear in the hearts of defensive backs around the league. The only thing holding him back is his team. Yesterday, the Texans actually won a football game—something they’ll need to do a lot more of before Andre gets his deserved credit.

Source: NFL.com, Tennessean.com

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Andre Johnson is the NFL’s Best Receiver

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson might be the best receiver in the National Football League. It’s hard to argue with his numbers this season. Andre is leading the NFL in receptions (103) and receiving yards (1,408). But it’s his work off-the-field that might be most impressive on his resume. Andre’s foundation began in 2003 as a way to help single-parent homes. One of his goals is to let kids know they can go out and accomplish what they want in life despite any obstacles. Andre has special plans for the holiday season:

“Last year for Christmas, I had about 15 underprivileged kids from foster homes and things like that who really don’t receive anything for the holidays. I took all of them to Toys-R-Us and I first let them walk around the store and see where everything was. Then I let them run through the store and get whatever they wanted in a minute and a half. I gave them whatever game system they wanted, whether it was the Xbox or Playstation 3.”

Andre’s in the prime of his career and with the wealth of youthful talent surrounding him, it’s hard to imagine that the Houston Texans won’t be a playoff contender sooner than later.

Source: NFLPlayers.com, Photo: Newscom

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Andre Johnson Helps Single-Parent Homes

Here is the AFC Pro Bowl roster. Starters are listed in bold.

OFFENSE

QB: Peyton Manning, Colts; Brett Favre, Jets; Jay Cutler, Broncos
RB: Thomas Jones, Jets; Chris Johnson, Titans; Ronnie Brown, Dolphins
FB: Le’Ron McClain, Ravens
WR: Andre Johnson, Texans; Brandon Marshall, Broncos; Reggie Wayne, Colts; Wes Welker, Patriots
TE: Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs; Antonio Gates, Chargers
T: Joe Thomas, Browns; Jason Peters, Bills; Michael Roos, Titans
G: Alan Faneca, Jets; Kris Dielman, Chargers; Brian Waters, Chiefs
C: Kevin Mawae, Titans; Nick Mangold, Jets

DEFENSE

DE: Mario Williams, Texans; Dwight Freeney, Colts; Robert Mathis, Colts
DT: Albert Haynesworth, Titans; Kris Jenkins, Jets; Shaun Rogers, Browns
OLB: James Harrison, Steelers; Joey Porter, Dolphins; Terrell Suggs, Ravens
MLB: Ray Lewis, Ravens; James Farrior, Steelers
CB: Nnamdi Asomugha, Raiders; Cortland Finnegan, Titans; Darrelle Revis, Jets
S: Ed Reed, Ravens; Troy Polamalu, Steelers; Chris Hope, Titans

SPECIAL TEAMS

K: Stephan Gostkowski, Patriots
P: Shane Lechler, Raiders
KR: Leon Washington, Jets
ST: Brendon Ayanbadejo, Ravens

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2009 AFC Pro Bowl Roster

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

With key offseason acquisitions like defensive end Jared Allen and receiver Bernard Berrian, the Minnesota Vikings had the kind of 2008 expectations worthy of a Super Bowl contender. As it turns out, the first half of this season didn’t quite go as planned. But coming off one of their most complete games of the season, a 28-21 win over the Houston Texans, the Vikings are back to .500 and close to playing the kind of football they expected of themselves in training camp. I interviewed Vikings cornerback (and 2nd leading tackler) Cedric Griffin from the team’s weight room after practice today.

• 0:12 – Week 9 win over Houston was one of the best Vikings performances
• 0:42 – Limiting Texans receiver Andre Johnson to just four catches
• 1:20 – Welcoming veteran safety Madieu Williams to the secondary
• 2:00 – Packer week, Cedric and coach Childress have never beaten Green Bay
• 2:48 – Facing QB Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ multiple formations
• 3:40 – Interceptions (and returns) aren’t happening this season … yet
• 4:20 – Cedric’s hit on Saints receiver Billy Miller last month a YouTube favorite
• 5:02 – Vikings coaching staff awards Grape Crush soda for biggest hits
• 5:41 – The increasingly difficult task of playing defensive football in the NFL
• 7:02 – Facing fines and possible suspensions for playing “tackle” football
• 8:02 – Re-evaluate the rules and process of punishment in the offseason?

Links: Vikings.com, NFL Players, NFL.com

Note: My apologies for the snap, crackle, pop coming from Cedric’s phone.

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EMQB Interview: Cedric Griffin

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

There are so many different angles I could take on this post, but after having watched the Houston Texans blow a 17-point lead with six minutes and change to go, I can’t help but think this might be the game that ultimately defines their season. Backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels (filling in for sickly Matt Schaub) fumbled twice and threw an interception in the second half of the 4th quarter as the Texans lost to Indianapolis 31-27, dropping their record to 0-4. Because of the devastation of Hurricane Ike, this was the Texans first home game of the season. But the excitement of returning home and the anticipation of a first win suddenly turned into devastation. I thought they had this game won. Receiver Andre Johnson summed it up pretty well:

“You can’t put it in words. The only thing that I can say is I guess that’s why they say go out and play for 60 minutes. You never know what can happen. Everyone that’s in the locker room is in disbelief because we know we should have won that game. There’s nothing we can do about it now. We just have to move on.”

The Texans had so much promise heading into this season. So many (including myself) felt they were poised for a run at the playoffs. And while I’m not ready to tank their season just yet (although they’re a couple more consecutive losses away from just that), it’s safe to say — for one reason or another — the Houston Texans aren’t yet coming close to meeting expectations.

Source: HoustonTexans.com, Photo: Newscom

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Houston Texans Not Meeting Expectations