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

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

NFL Pro Bowl Top Ten, One Week Left to Vote

Vince Young, Tennessee Titans / Image: Zuma Press

So, where does the team go from here? Well, for starters, they can keep handing the ball to Chris Johnson. Chris had a franchise record 228 yards with two touchdowns today. That makes Vince’s (or any quarterback’s) job a lot easier. And with a favorable schedule the rest of the way (five of their upcoming opponents have losing records)—I’m not saying the Titans have any shot at the playoffs—but maybe they can make this thing respectable. And rediscover their franchise quarterback in the process.

Source: NFL.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Vince Young is Back, Titans Win First Game

Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans / Image: Zuma Press

Chris amassed 197 rushing yards, 87 receiving yards, and three touchdowns in a 34-31 loss. Amazingly, however, he was snubbed for the Week Two Offensive Player-of-the-Week award—which went to Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub. Chris was good enough for the Pro Football Hall of Fame but not good enough for Player-of-the-Week honors? Hmm. Nothing against Matt. He had a great game, but…

Source: Twitter.com/ProFootballHOF

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Chris Johnson Momentos Headed to HOF

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was presented with the 2008 Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year award today. Joe was one of five finalists for the honor — running back Matt Forte (Bears), running back Chris Johnson (Titans), quarterback Matt Ryan (Falcons) and running back Steve Slaton (Texans).

You might recall that Matt Ryan won the AP’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. So here’s how this thing works. The five finalists were selected because of their outstanding performances throughout the 2008 NFL season. Each week, five nominees were chosen for the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week and NFL fans voted for the winner on NFL.com and via Sprint wireless. Those results were used to help determine the finalists. This was an excellent class of rookies and any one of the five could’ve won. In the end, Joe was nominated for 10 Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week awards and won twice. A record 1,002,500 fan votes were submitted.

Joe deserves this. (I really feel he and Matt Ryan were the front runners for this award because of the difficulty of the position they play.) He finished the season with 2,971 yards passing and 16 touchdowns (14 throwing and two rushing). But his steady improvement and leadership are what I believed really sealed his successful rookie season. In his final 11 games, Joe guided the Ravens into the playoffs with a 9-2 record. And he had a very impressive 90.2 passer rating during that time. I’m more than optimistic about his chances for success next season and beyond.

Note: A bunch of the NFL’s “sponsored” awards were handed out today. I wrote about this one because I was personally invited to it. Of course, it was kind of hard to attend without actually being in Tampa and all. But I appreciated the offer. The other awards handed out today were the Motorola NFL Coach of the Year (Mike Tomlin), FedEx Air (Drew Brees) and Ground (Adrian Peterson) NFL Players of the Year, and the GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Year (James Harrison). Congrats to all the winners.

Source: NFL.com/rookie, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Joe Flacco: Diet Pepsi NFL ROY

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

In a 13-10 AFC Divisional Playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens this afternoon, Tennessee Titans rookie running back Chris Johnson had a first half to remember — 11 carries for 72 yards and one catch for another 28. The Titans were controlling the clock and successfully moving the ball against the NFL’s second stingiest defense. But Chris was nowhere to be found in the second half. He quietly suffered an ankle injury late in the second quarter and could only be seen walking the sidelines thereafter. One wonders if the outcome would have been different had Chris been able to play the entire game. Titans head coach Jeff Fisher was left wondering, too:

“He (Chris) made some big plays, had some significant plays with his speed in the first half so I would think one would assume that we missed out on some opportunities. We’ve overcome injuries all year and that’s not the reason we lost the ballgame.”

Source: TitansOnline.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

What Happened to Chris Johnson?

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year yesterday by the Associated Press. I think Falcons owner Arthur Blank had hoped for Matt to have a shot at the starting quarterback position this season when the team drafted him third overall back in April. But I’m sure he didn’t expect this kind of success this soon — not for Matt and not for the Falcons as a team as the prepare to play the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals Saturday in a Wild Card Playoff game. As one would expect, Matt was typically well-spoken of the award:

“There’s a number of guys who had great rookie seasons this year, so to even be mentioned in that light is nice. It’s certainly a great honor, and I think it speaks to what we did as a team this year.”

I’m sure Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson is one of the guys Matt was talking about. It had to be a close call. Nevertheless, Matt had a great season by any player’s standards, but especially for a rookie QB. He completed 265 of 434 passes for 3,440 yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He had a respectable 87.7 passer rating and also contributed with 104 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. His 3,440 passing yards ranks sixth in a single-season in Falcons history and he became only the second rookie quarterback in NFL history to have over 3,000 passing yards. Impressive.

When you think about what the Falcons organization and the fans went through in watching their supposed savior quarterback Michael Vick being led off to prison and their proud franchise reduced to jeers amidst the embarrassment of former head coach Bobby Petrino, this has to be an especially proud moment. From 4-12 in the basement of the NFC South last season to 11-5 and a Wild Card berth this season, the team can look to their Rookie of the Year quarterback as a building block for many years to come.

Source: AtlantaFalcons.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Matt Ryan NFL Offensive ROY

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

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

2009 AFC Pro Bowl Roster

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees received 951,246 votes to lead all NFL All-Stars in fan balloting for the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl. N.Y. Jets quarterback Brett Favre (880,833 votes) ranks second overall, while N.Y. Giants quarterback Eli Manning (821,852 votes), Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis (767,817 votes) and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner (673,710 votes) round out the top-five. Here is the list of Top-Ten vote-getters for the 2009 National Football League Pro Bowl:

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
2. Brett Favre, N.Y. Jets
3. Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants
4. Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
5. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
6. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
7. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
8. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
9. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
10. Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins

The Top-Five rookie vote-getters were Chris Johnson (Tennessee Titans), Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons), Matt Forté (Chicago Bears), Chris Horton (Washington Redskins), and Steve Slaton (Houston Texans).

The teams will be announced at 4 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, December 16 on a special NFL Total Access 2009 NFL Pro Bowl Selection Show on NFL Network. The 2009 NFL Pro Bowl presented by State Farm will be played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday, February 8 and televised by NBC.

Source: NFL Media, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

NFL All-Stars Top-Ten Vote-Getters

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

Forget seconds. How about thirds? That’s the appetizer on the National Football League Thanksgiving menu this Week 13 of the NFL season — three Turkey Day servings of football, followed by a whole lineup of games on Thanksgiving Sunday and Monday. Even the players will be in their easy chairs. Like Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning:

“I remember watching Thanksgiving games as a kid. Even in high school and college, and now in the NFL, you practice, you come home and you watch Thanksgiving football.”

Football has been a part of my Thanksgiving Day for as long as I can remember. Whether I’m relaxing with my family at the Outer Banks of North Carolina or home for the holidays in snowy Pennsylvania (like this year), you can bet we’ll have all three games on — even if in the background during dinner. Thanksgiving Day has always been about family, food and football. I wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. Here’s what’s on the pigskin platter:

TENNESSEE TITANS at DETROIT LIONS (CBS, 12:30 PM ET): Fans will see two of the top rookie rushers in the league in Tennessee’s Chris Johnson (second among rookie RBs with 833 yards) and Detroit’s Kevin Smith (fourth with 599 yards). Kevin has consecutive games of 96, 112 and 86 yards. The 10-1 Titans are smarting from their first loss to the Jets last week. “It was a great run,” says Tennessee head coach Jeff Fisher. “We’ve got to win our next game.” With a win and an Indianapolis loss, the Titans take the AFC South.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS at DALLAS COWBOYS (FOX, 4:15 PM ET): The final Thanksgiving game in Texas Stadium, where some of the most memorable NFL games on the holiday have been played (Cowboys Thanksgiving record in the stadium: 21-14). The Cowboys look like they’ve regained their early-season swagger. The Seahawks will have to bottle up receiver Terrell Owens, who comes off his second-best career yardage day — 213 yards on seven catches. “He’s still got it,” says Cowboys QB Tony Romo. Whatever.

ARIZONA CARDINALS at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (NFL Network, 8:00 PM ET): The QBs are riled! And that’s not good for the DBs. The Cards’ Kurt Warner, after Arizona lost to the Giants on Sunday, says, “We can play with anybody if we eliminate the mistakes.” A win and the Cards capture the NFC West. QB Donovan McNabb, benched for the first time in his career Sunday, is still the starter for Philly. “Sometimes you have to step back to step forward in a positive way, and Donovan will do that,” says Eagles coach Andy Reid.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

NFL Thanksgiving 2008

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

The Tennessee Titans rushed for a franchise record 323 yards en route to a lopsided 34-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs this afternoon. Rookie running back Chris Johnson had 168 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown. And running back LenDale White added 149 yards on 17 carries with three touchdowns. The Titans are not only running the football (currently third in the NFL), they are stopping the run (they held the Chiefs to 58 rushing yards today and average giving up less than 90/game) — a formula for certain success in the National Football League. Nevertheless, head coach Jeff Fisher sees room for improvement:

“Any time you run for the yards that we did, the franchise record and the two backs over 100, it’s impressive. But we still made some mistakes. I think we can play better. We just keep working, stress improvement.”

I guess there’s always room for improvement, but at 6-0 and as the only remaining undefeated team, the Titans are on a roll. I love the way this team plays the game — old school, smash mouth football. How far it will take them without a loss remains to be seen. But it sure is fun to watch.

Source: TitansOnline.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Tennessee Titans Run Wild