Five Steelers named to AFC Pro Bowl Team

Five Pittsburgh Steelers have been named to the AFC Pro Bowl Team and three have been named starters:

QB Ben Roethlisberger, WR *Mike Wallace, Center *Maurkice Pouncey, Safety *Troy Polamalu have been selected to the team and WR Antonio Brown has also made the AFC Pro Bowl Team as a kick returner.

Meanwhile, James Harrison is a 1st alternate, while LaMarr Woodley and Ryan Clark are second alternates.

Wallace, Pouncey and Polamalu have been named starters at their respective positions. Wallace and New England’s Wes Welker are the two starters at wide receiver.

Roethlisberger has been selected as the No. 2 quarterback behind starter Tom Brady. San Diego’s Philip Rivers made the team as the No. 3 quarterback.

It’s hard to find any snubs for the Steelers. There was speculation that LaMarr Woodley would make the team but it’s hard to say he deserved a spot by any means after just one dominant month (October) of football. Some will argue that Ike Taylor should have made the team but his game has tailed off in the second half of the season. Taylor wasn’t even named an alternate.

The Steelers are sending multiple players to the Pro Bowl for the 11th straight season and the 20th time in the last 23 seasons. At least three Steelers have made the Pro Bowl every season dating back to 2001.

Polamalu will make his seventh Pro Bowl appearance and his sixth as a starter. This season, Polamalu ranks second on the team in tackles (88) on the NFL’s top-ranked defense in yards per game (273.9 avg.). He returned a fumble 16 yards for a touchdown in Week 3 at Indianapolis and also has one interception and one sack on the year.

Pouncey is making his second consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl, his first as a starter. Pouncey is the anchor of the Steelers offensive line but has missed the last two games with an ankle injury. Last year, he was the first Steelers rookie offensive lineman to make the Pro Bowl since offensive tackle Frank Varrichione in 1956 and the first Steelers rookie since linebacker Kendrell Bell in 2002.

Wallace is making his first trip to the Pro Bowl in just his third season in the NFL. Wallace leads the team with 71 receptions for 1,182 yards (16.6 avg.) with a team-high eight receiving touchdowns. He hauled in a 95-yard touchdown reception from Roethlisberger in a Week 7 victory at Arizona, which was the longest pass play in team history. Entering Week 17 this year, he is 18 yards away from becoming the first Steelers’ player since 1960 to record back-to-back seasons with at least 1,200 yards receiving. Wallace is the first Steelers wide receiver to start in the Pro Bowl since 1985 when John Stallworth was named a starter.

Roethlisberger is making his second trip to the Pro Bowl after previously being named to the squad following the 2008 season. His 3,856 yards entering the final week of the season rank second in team history for single-season passing yards and his 301 completions also rank second on the team’s single-season list. Roethlisberger was twice named AFC Offensive Player of the Week in 2011 and broke the team’s all-time record for completions in Week 14 versus Cincinnati.

Brown was selected to his first Pro Bowl as a kick returner after breaking the team’s single-season record for all-purpose yards (2,048). He ranks second in the AFC in kickoff returns (27.7 avg.) and fourth in punt returns (10.8 avg.). In Week 13 versus Cincinnati, Brown returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown. Since 1941, Brown is one of only three Steelers with at least one punt return and one kick return for a touchdown.

* Tom Brady, New England

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh

Philip Rivers, San Diego

Running back

* Ray Rice, Baltimore

Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville

Arian Foster, Houston

Fullback

* Vonta Leach, Baltimore

Wide receiver

* Wes Welker, New England

* Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh

A.J. Green, Cincinnati

Brandon Marshall, Miami

Tight end

* Rob Gronkowski, New England

Antonio Gates, San Diego

Tackle

* Joe Thomas, Cleveland

* Jake Long, Miami

D’Brickashaw Ferguson, N.Y. Jets

Guard

* Logan Mankins, New England

* Brian Waters, New England

Marshal Yanda, Baltimore

Center

* Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh

Nick Mangold, N.Y. Jets

Defensive end

* Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis

* Andre Carter, New England

Elvis Dumervil, Denver

Defensive Tackle

* Haloti Ngata, Baltimore

* Vince Wilfork, New England

Richard Seymour, Oakland

Outside linebacker

* Terrell Suggs, Baltimore

* Von Miller, Denver

Tamba Hali, Kansas City

Inside/midde linebacker

* Ray Lewis, Baltimore

Derrick Johnson, Kansas City

Cornerback

* Darrelle Revis, N.Y. Jets

* Champ Bailey, Denver

Johnathan Joseph, Houston

Free safety

* Ed Reed, Baltimore

Eric Weddle, San Diego

Strong safety

* Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh

Punter

Shane Lechler, Oakland

Placekicker

Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland

Kick returner

Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh

Special teamer

Matthew Slater, New England