Five Steelers Selected to the 2008 Pro Bowl Squad
PITTSBURGH—The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed five players including two starters on the 2008 AFC Pro Bowl team announced today by the NFL.
Steelers earning Pro Bowl recognition include: offensive guard Alan Faneca and linebacker James Harrison, who will both start for the AFC squad, and running back Willie Parker, safety Troy Polamalu and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Harrison and Roethlisberger are first-time members of the AFC Pro Bowl team.
It is the seventh straight season that three or more Steelers players have been selected to the NFL’s annual All-Star game. The Pro Bowl will be played Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The Pro Bowl squads were selected by a combined voting of fans, players and coaches.
Faneca earned his seventh consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl and has established himself as a perennial All-Pro and arguably the best guard in the NFL. A six-time All-Pro, Faneca’s outstanding blocking has helped Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and running back Willie Parker both earn Pro Bowl honors this season. Faneca’s seven Pro Bowl appearances tie him with Dermontti Dawson for the second-most appearances by a Steelers offensive lineman (Mike Webster, 9). A leader on and off the field, Faneca was the 2007 recipient of the “Chief Award”, given annually to the member of the Steelers organization who best exemplifies the spirit of cooperation with the media.
Harrison earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl in his first season as a starter. The team leader with 8.5 sacks, Harrison was voted AFC Player of the Week (Week 9) and AFC Player of the Month of November for his outstanding play on the field. Harrison’s best performance came in Week 9 on Monday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens when he finished with nine tackles (eight solo), 3.5 sacks, one interception, three forced fumbles and one recovered fumble. Harrison became the first player since 1982 (when the NFL recognized sacks as an official statistic) to record 3.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception in one game.
Parker earned his second trip to the Pro Bowl after rushing for an NFL-best 1,317 yards in 14 games. Parker, who is averaging 4.1-yards-per-carry this season, joins Hall of Famer Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis as the only Steelers to rush for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. Parker leads the NFL with a career-high eight games with at least 100 yards rushing, a total that ranks fourth on the Steelers’ single-season list. Parker’s durability has also been on display this season as he leads the NFL with 320 rushing attempts. Parker has a chance to become the first Steeler to lead the NFL in rushing since “Bullet” Bill Dudley won the title with 604 yards in 1946. He needs 178 yards to surpass his career high 1,494 yards rushing in 2006.
Polamalu, who is widely considered the NFL’s premiere strong safety, earned his fourth straight trip to the Pro Bowl in as many seasons as a starter. Despite battling injuries this season, Polamalu continues to be a catalyst for the Steelers defense where he ranks second on the team with 11 passes defensed. A tremendous student of the game, Polamalu’s natural instincts continue to make him difficult for opposing offenses to account for from one play to the next. Polamalu’s four Pro Bowl appearances are one shy of Donnie Shell’s team record five appearances by a strong safety.
Roethlisberger will make his first trip to the Pro Bowl, becoming only the third Steelers quarterback since 1980 to earn that distinction. Through 14 games, he has already set a new Steelers record with 29 touchdown passes in a season and could become the first quarterback in Steelers history to finish the season with a passer-rating of 100.0 or better. Roethlisberger has completed 249-of-385 passes for 2,897 yards, 29 TDs, 11 interceptions and a 100.5 passer-rating. In Week 9 against Baltimore, Roethlisberger tossed a career-high five touchdown passes to tie a team record previously shared by Terry Bradshaw and Mark Malone. In Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins, Roethlisberger completed 15 consecutive passes to tie a team record for consecutive completions set by Bubby Brister. Roethlisberger needs 103 yards to tie Terry Bradshaw and Kordell Stewart for the most 3,000-yard passing seasons in team history with two.
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Pro Bowl Notes: The Steelers will send a linebacker to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time in the past eight seasons and for the 14th time in the past 18 years….This season marks the seventh time in the last eight seasons that at least one Steelers player has made his first appearance in the Pro Bowl...The Steelers are sending multiple players to the Pro Bowl for the seventh straight season and the 16th time in the last 19 seasons.
From the Official Steeler Site
