2008 Pro Bowl
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.
- 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.
- 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
- NFC – Terrell Owens 6-yard pass from Jeff Garcia (Nick Folk kick), 12:29. NFC 35–30. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 5:46.
- NFC – Adrian Peterson 6-yard run (Nick Folk kick), 2:43. NFC 42–30. Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 5:21.
| 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] |
| 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 |
| 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] |
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
| 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 |
The halftime show featured a performance by the band Lifehouse, who played their songs "Hanging by a Moment" and "First Time".
- Denmark – TV3+
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- United Kingdom – Sky Sports
- Middle East – Showsports 4
- ^ 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.