Anything football
 Pro Bowl moves to Sunday before Super Bowl
by Keeton Hayes, Staff Writer
Since college football is done, I thought I’d step up to the pros… literally. First on my agenda is the Pro Bowl, which has always been held in Hawaii one week after the Super Bowl. However, this year it will be held this Sunday, Jan. 31, in Miami at Dolphin stadium one week before the Super Bowl. Coverage will begin at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
You may wonder why the NFL moved the game. The main reason is that the NFL commissioners are looking for alternate ways to strengthen the viewership of both the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl. The NFL commission is using this change as a way to build up the Super Bowl as a more “climatic” ending for the season. Additionally, keeping the Pro Bowl one week after the Super Bowl would have bumped into the start of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Now for the juicy stuff! The question on many of your minds is which division will win the bragging rights for the next year. I’m picking the AFC to win. Sure, I might have a biased opinion because the Steelers compete in the AFC, but the AFC has once again proven to be the stronger of the two. As you can see below, the AFC has the better players overall, so my pick is 17-13 AFC over NFC.
AFC Offense:
Quarterbacks -- Peyton Manning, Indianapolis; Tom Brady, New England (injured); Matt Schaub, Houston; Philip Rivers, San Diego (injured); Vince Young, Tennessee; David Garrard, Jacksonville
Running Backs -- Chris Johnson, Tennessee; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville; Ray Rice, Baltimore
Fullback -- Le'Ron McClain, Baltimore
Wide Receivers -- Andre Johnson, Houston; Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis; Brandon Marshall, Denver; Wes Welker, New England (injured); Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati; Vincent Jackson, San Diego
Tight Ends -- Dallas Clark, Indianapolis; Antonio Gates, San Diego; Heath Miller, Pittsburgh
Centers -- Nick Mangold, N.Y. Jets; Jeff Saturday, Indianapolis; Kevin Mawae, Tennessee
Guards -- Alan Faneca, N.Y. Jets; Logan Mankins, New England; Kris Dielman, San Diego
Tackles -- Ryan Clady, Denver; Jake Long, Miami (injured); D'Brickashaw Ferguson, N.Y. Jets; Joe Thomas, Cleveland
AFC Defense:
Ends -- Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis; Robert Mathis, Indianapolis; Mario Williams, Houston; Kyle Vanden Bosch, Tennessee; Shaun Ellis, N.Y. Jets
Interior Linemen -- Haloti Ngata, Baltimore; Vince Wilfork, New England; Casey Hampton, Pittsburgh
Inside-Middle Linebackers -- Ray Lewis, Baltimore; DeMeco Ryans, Houston
Outside Linebackers -- Elvis Dumervil, Denver; James Harrison, Pittsburgh; Brian Cushing, Houston (injured), LaMarr Woodley, Pittsburgh
Cornerbacks -- Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland; Darrelle Revis, N.Y. Jets; Champ Bailey, Denver
Strong Safety -- Brian Dawkins, Denver; Yeremiah Bell, Miami
Free Safeties -- Ed Reed, Baltimore; Jairus Byrd, Buffalo (injured); Brandon Meriweather; Antoine Bethea, Indianapolis
AFC Specialists:
Punter -- Shane Lechler, Oakland
Kick Return Specialist -- Joshua Cribbs, Cleveland
Place-kicker -- Nate Kaeding, San Diego
Special Teamer -- Kassim Osgood, San Diego
Long Snapper -- Jon Condo, Oakland
NFC Offense:
Quarterbacks -- Drew Brees, New Orleans; Brett Favre, Minnesota (injured); Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay; Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia; Tony Romo, Dallas
Running Backs -- Adrian Peterson, Minnesota; Steven Jackson, St. Louis (injured); Frank Gore, San Francisco; DeAngelo Williams, Carolina
Fullback -- Leonard Weaver, Philadelphia
Wide Receivers -- Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona (injured); Steve Smith, N.Y. Giants; DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia; Miles Austin, Dallas; Sidney Rice, Minnesota, (injured); Roddy White, Atlanta
Tight Ends -- Vernon Davis, San Francisco; Jason Witten, Dallas
Centers -- Andre Gurode, Dallas (injured); Jonathan Goodwin, New Orleans; Shaun O'Hara, New York Giants; Ryan Kalil, Carolina
Guards -- Jahri Evans, New Orleans; Steve Hutchinson, Minnesota; Leonard Davis, Dallas; Chris Snee, N.Y. Giants
Tackles -- Bryant McKinnie, Minnesota; Jason Peters, Philadelphia; Jonathan Stinchcomb, New Orleans; David Diehl, N.Y.Giants
NFC Defense:
Ends -- Jared Allen, Minnesota; Julius Peppers, Carolina; Trent Cole, Philadelphia
Interior Linemen -- Darnell Dockett, Arizona; Kevin Williams, Minnesota, (injured); Jay Ratliff, Dallas; Justin Smith, San Francisco
Inside-Middle Linebackers -- Patrick Willis, San Francisco; Jonathan Vilma, New Orleans; London Fletcher, Washington
Outside Linebackers -- Lance Briggs, Chicago (injured); Clay Matthews; DeMarcus Ware, Dallas; Brian Orakpo, Washington
Cornerbacks -- Asante Samuel, Philadelphia; Charles Woodson, Green Bay, (injured); Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Arizona (injured); Terence Newman, Dallas; Mike Jenkins, Dallas
Strong Safety -- Adrian Wilson, Arizona; Roman Harper, New Orleans; Quintin Mikell, Philadelphia
Free Safeties -- Darren Sharper, New Orleans; Nick Collins, Green Bay; Antrel Rolle, Arizona
NFC Specialists:
Punter -- Andy Lee, San Francisco
Kick Return Specialist -- DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia; Percy Harvin, Minnesota, (injured); Johnny Knox, Chicago
Placekicker -- David Akers, Philadelphia
Special Teamer -- Heath Farwell, Minnesota
Long Snapper -- Jon Dorenbos, Philadelphia
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