2006 PRO BOWL

The '2006 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl' was played on February 12, 2006 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. It marked the 27th consecutive time that the National Football League's all-star game was held in Honolulu. The NFC all-stars won by the score of 23 to 17.

Contents

Game summary

Scoring summary

AFC All-Stars

NFC All-Stars

Officials

Fan balloting

Entertainment

Trivia

References

Game summary

The start of the game was interrupted by a surprise rainstorm that lasted through the first quarter, although it ended midway through the second. The game started off ugly, as both teams' first possessions were punted away, and each of their second drives ended in interceptions; the Chicago Bears' Nathan Vasher intercepted Peyton Manning, then John Lynch picked off Matt Hasselbeck. The AFC drew first blood on their next drive, culminating with a 16 yard touchdown pass from Manning to Chris Chambers. After the teams traded punts, Michael Vick took over for the NFC in the second quarter, and led the team to the AFC 14-yard line, where Neil Rackers kicked a 32-yarder to make it 7-3. Manning led the AFC right back down the field, and Shayne Graham's 31-yard field goal increased the AFC's lead. On the NFC's next drive, Champ Bailey intercepted Vick for the AFC's second turnover (both interceptions came off passes intended for Steve Smith). However, the NFC's defense responded with another interception; this time, Darren Sharper returned the interception 35 yards to the AFC's 32 yard line. The NFC was forced to punt it away on their next drive, however there was some controversy on the return. Jerome Mathis was set to receive the punt deep in the AFC's zone, and when the kick from Josh Bidwell came near him, he opted not to touch it. However, it glanced off his leg and rolled into the end zone, where the NFC recovered it, seemingly for a touchdown. However, the officials did not see the ball hit Mathis, and since there is no instant replay in a Pro Bowl game, NFC coach John Fox could not challenge the call. The AFC took over on their own 20, but it wasn't long before the NFC defense came up with another interception. Roy Williams intercepted a Manning pass and returned it 11 yards before handing it off to the Atlanta Falcons' DeAngelo Hall, who took it 57 yards to the AFC's 20. Michael Vick hit his favorite target, Falcons tight end Alge Crumpler with a 14-yard touchdown pass with 8 seconds left in the half to tie the score at 10-10.

Jake Delhomme of the Carolina Panthers took over at quarterback at the start of the third quarter, and he instantly hit ''his'' favorite target, Steve Smith, with three straight passes. The Carolina Panthers, by virtue of losing the NFC Championship Game, provided the NFC's team with their coaching staff, and with the Panthers' quarterback and wide receiver running the offense, the NFC moved quickly down the field. The drive stalled at midfield, and the NFC punted it away. After the AFC's drive, led by Chiefs' quarterback Trent Green, ended in a punt, Delhomme once again moved the NFC downfield before being sacked by Casey Hampton, forcing a fumble that was recovered by the AFC's Marcus Stroud. The NFC's defense once again responded, and on the third play of the drive, Derrick Brooks returned an interception 59 yards for a touchdown that gave the NFC the lead at 17-10. After the AFC punted away their next drive, Santana Moss fumbled the ball away in AFC territory. Green led the AFC down the field again, thanks in large part to a 20-yard run by his Chiefs teammate, Larry Johnson. Green tied the game at 17-17 with a one yard quarterback sneak. Matt Hasselbeck took over for the NFC again, and led the team on a scoring drive, ending with a 22 yard field goal by Rackers that gave the NFC the lead again. Steve McNair came in for a play at AFC quarterback, and promptly fumbled the ball away. After the NFC punted the ball away, McNair came back and lost ''another'' fumble, giving the NFC the ball on their own 18 yard line. His fumbles were likely do to the fact that Alan Faneca, Guard for the Steelers, was playing center. After the second fumble, the AFC switched to a shotgun formation. After another Rackers field goal, the AFC took over on their own 26 with 1:10 left. McNair brought the AFC to midfield, but could not get them the touchdown they needed, and the game ended on a sack by the New York Giants' Michael Strahan. Thanks to his 59-yard interception return for a touchdown, Brooks was given the Most Valuable Player award. DeShawn Chichman [(brown tuys)]

Scoring summary

★ AFC - TD Chris Chambers 16 yd. pass from Peyton Manning (Shayne Graham kick) - 5:09 1st

★ NFC - FG Neil Rackers 32 yd. - 7:45 2nd

★ AFC - FG Shayne Graham 31 yd. - 3:22 2nd

★ NFC - TD Alge Crumpler 14 yd. pass from Michael Vick (Rackers kick) - 0:08 2nd

★ NFC - TD Derrick Brooks 59 yd. interception return (Rackers kick) - 5:01 3rd

★ AFC - TD Trent Green 1 yd. run (Graham kick) - 12:47 4th

★ NFC - FG Neil Rackers 22 yd. - 6:29 4th

★ NFC - FG Neil Rackers 20 yd. - 1:10 4th

AFC All-Stars

Players selected from the AFC (starters denoted in 'bold', injury replacements denoted with #):

Offense
Player (# Pro Bowls)	Team	Position	Game statistics
'Peyton Manning' (6)	Indianapolis Colts	Quarterback	13 for 26, 139 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 3 INTs
Trent Green (2)#	Kansas City Chiefs	Quarterback	5 for 11, 39 passing yards, 1 INT, 3 rushing attempts, 3 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
Steve McNair (3)#	Tennessee Titans	Quarterback	2 for 8, 25 passing yards, 2 rushing attempts, 0 rushing yards, 2 fumbles
'Edgerrin James' (4)	Indianapolis Colts	Running back	6 carries for 22 yards
Larry Johnson (1)	Kansas City Chiefs	Running back	8 carries for 33 yards
LaDainian Tomlinson (3)	San Diego Chargers	Running back	5 carries for 13 yards, 2 receptions for 18 yards
'Lorenzo Neal' (2)	San Diego Chargers	Fullback	1 reception for 6 yards, 1 kickoff return for 10 yards
'Marvin Harrison' (7)	Indianapolis Colts	Wide receiver	4 receptions for 74 yards
'Chad Johnson' (4)	Cincinnati Bengals	Wide receiver	2 receptions for 15 yards
Chris Chambers (1)	Miami Dolphins	Wide receiver	2 receptions for 34 yards, 1 receiving TD
Rod Smith (3)	Denver Broncos	Wide receiver	2 receptions for 13 yards
'Antonio Gates' (2)	San Diego Chargers	Tight end	2 receptions for 7 yards
Tony Gonzalez (7)	Kansas City Chiefs	Tight end	5 receptions for 36 yards
'Jeff Saturday' (1)	Indianapolis Colts	Center
Jeff Hartings (2)	Pittsburgh Steelers	Center
'Alan Faneca' (5)	Pittsburgh Steelers	Guard
'Will Shields' (11)	Kansas City Chiefs	Guard
Brian Waters (2)	Kansas City Chiefs	Guard
'Willie Anderson' (5)	Cincinnati Bengals	Tackle
Jonathan Ogden (9)	Baltimore Ravens	Tackle
Tarik Glenn (2)#	Indianapolis Colts	Tackle
Defense
Player (# Pro Bowls)	Team	Position	Game statistics
'Dwight Freeney' (3)	Indianapolis Colts	Defensive end	1 tackle
'Derrick Burgess' (1)	Oakland Raiders	Defensive end	3.5 tackles
Kyle Vanden Bosch (1)#	Tennessee Titans	Defensive end	2 tackles, 2 sacks
'Marcus Stroud' (3)	Jacksonville Jaguars	Defensive tackle	2.5 tackles, 1.5 sacks
'Jamal Williams' (1)	San Diego Chargers	Defensive tackle
Casey Hampton (2)#	Pittsburgh Steelers	Defensive tackle	3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
'Al Wilson' (4)	Denver Broncos	Middle linebacker	4 tackles
Jonathan Vilma (1)#	New York Jets	Middle linebacker	6 tackles
'Cato June' (1)	Indianapolis Colts	Outside linebacker
'Shawne Merriman' (1)	San Diego Chargers	Outside linebacker	3 tackles, 1 forced fumble
Joey Porter (3)	Pittsburgh Steelers	Outside linebacker	1 tackle
'Champ Bailey' (6)	Denver Broncos	Cornerback	5.5 tackles, 1 interception
'Deltha O'Neal' (2)	Cincinnati Bengals	Cornerback	5 tackles
Ty Law (5)	New York Jets	Cornerback	3 tackles
'Bob Sanders' (1)	Indianapolis Colts	Free safety	7 tackles
John Lynch (7)	Denver Broncos	Free safety	2 tackles, 1 interception
'Troy Polamalu' (2)	Pittsburgh Steelers	Strong safety	1 tackle, 1 forced fumble
Special teams
Player (# Pro Bowls)	Team	Position	Game statistics
'Shayne Graham' (1)	Cincinnati Bengals	Placekicker	1/1 field goals (31 yd), 2/2 PAT
'Brian Moorman' (1)	Buffalo Bills	Punter	4 punts, avg. 48.5 yd
'Jerome Mathis' (1)	Houston Texans	Kick returner	4 kickoff returns, avg. 27.2 yd, 1 punt return for 12 yd, 1 fumble
'Hanik Milligan' (1)	San Diego Chargers	Special teams
Mike Schneck (1)#	Buffalo Bills	Long snapper

Players unable to play due to injury:

★ Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback

★ Tom Brady, New England Patriots Quarterback

★ Drew Brees#, San Diego Chargers Quarterback (first alternate)

★ Jake Plummer#, Denver Broncos Quarterback (second alternate)

★ Zach Thomas, Miami Dolphins Middle linebacker

★ Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins Defensive end

★ Willie Roaf, Kansas City Chiefs Tackle

★ Richard Seymour, New England Patriots Defensive end
Schneck was added to the roster as a "need" player by the AFC coaching staff, filling an open roster spot but replacing no specific injured player.

NFC All-Stars

Players selected from the NFC (starters denoted in 'bold', injury replacements denoted with #):

Offense
Player (# Pro Bowls)	Team	Position	Game statistics
'Matt Hasselbeck' (2)	Seattle Seahawks	Quarterback	10 for 17, 85 passing yards, 1 rushing attempt, 0 rushing yards, 1 INT
Jake Delhomme (1)	Carolina Panthers	Quarterback	7 for 10, 53 passing yards, 1 lost fumble
Michael Vick (3)	Atlanta Falcons	Quarterback	4 for 12, 69 passing yards, 1 passing TD, 1 INT, 2 rushing attempts, 17 rushing yards, 1 fumble
'Shaun Alexander' (3)	Seattle Seahawks	Running back
Tiki Barber (2)	New York Giants	Running back	11 carries for 33 yards, 1 reception for 6 yards, 1 fumble
Warrick Dunn (4)	Atlanta Falcons	Running back	7 carries for 12 yards, 1 reception for 14 yards
'Mack Strong' (1)	Seattle Seahawks	Fullback	1 carry for 0 yards
'Steve Smith' (2)	Carolina Panthers	Wide receiver	8 receptions for 46 yards, 1 carry for 6 yards, 1 punt return for -6 yards, 1 fumble recovery
'Santana Moss' (1)	Washington Redskins	Wide receiver	3 receptions for 39 yards, 1 carry for 18 yards, 1 punt return for 12 yards, 1 lost fumble
Larry Fitzgerald (1)	Arizona Cardinals	Wide receiver	1 reception for 32 yards, 1 carry for 12 yards
Torry Holt (6)	St. Louis Rams	Wide receiver	2 receptions for 18 yards
'Alge Crumpler' (3)	Atlanta Falcons	Tight end	3 receptions for 35 yards, 1 fumble
Jason Witten (2)	Dallas Cowboys	Tight end
Desmond Clark (1)#	Chicago Bears	Tight end
'LeCharles Bentley' (2)	New Orleans Saints	Center
Robbie Tobeck (1)#	Seattle Seahawks	Center
'Larry Allen' (11)	Dallas Cowboys	Guard
'Steve Hutchinson' (4)	Seattle Seahawks	Guard
Mike Wahle (1)	Carolina Panthers	Guard
'Walter Jones' (7)	Seattle Seahawks	Tackle
'Orlando Pace' (7)	St. Louis Rams	Tackle
Chris Samuels (3)	Washington Redskins	Tackle
Defense
Player (# Pro Bowls)	Team	Position	Game statistics
'Michael Strahan' (7)	New York Giants	Defensive end	1 tackle, 1 sack
'Julius Peppers' (2)	Carolina Panthers	Defensive end	1 tackle
Osi Umenyiora (1)	New York Giants	Defensive end
'Shaun Rogers' (2)	Detroit Lions	Defensive tackle	4 tackles, 1 sack
'Tommie Harris' (1)	Chicago Bears	Defensive tackle	1 tackle
La'Roi Glover (6)	Dallas Cowboys	Defensive tackle
'Jeremiah Trotter' (4)	Philadelphia Eagles	Middle linebacker	3 tackles
Lofa Tatupu (1)#	Seattle Seahawks	Linebacker	6 tackles
'Keith Brooking' (5)	Atlanta Falcons	Outside linebacker	4 tackles
'Derrick Brooks' (9)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Outside linebacker	2 tackles, 1 interception return for TD
Lance Briggs (1)	Chicago Bears	Outside linebacker	3 tackles
'Ronde Barber' (3)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Cornerback	2 tackles
'DeAngelo Hall' (1)	Atlanta Falcons	Cornerback	5 tackles
Nathan Vasher (1)	Chicago Bears	Cornerback	1 tackle, 1 interception
'Roy Williams' (4)	Dallas Cowboys	Free safety	2 tackles, 1 interception
Brian Dawkins (5)#	Philadelphia Eagles	Free safety	1 tackle
'Darren Sharper' (3)	Minnesota Vikings	Strong safety	3 tackles, 1 interception
Special teams
Player (# Pro Bowls)	Team	Position	Game statistics
'Neil Rackers' (1)	Arizona Cardinals	Placekicker	3/3 field goals (32, 22, 20), 22 PAT
'Josh Bidwell' (1)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Punter	5 punts, avg. 48.4 yd
'Koren Robinson' (1)	Minnesota Vikings	Kick returner	4 kickoff returns, avg. 23.5 yd
'David Tyree' (1)	New York Giants	Special teams
Mike Bartrum (1)#	Philadelphia Eagles	Long snapper

Players unable to play due to injury:

★ Mike Brown, Chicago Bears Free safety

★ Rod Coleman, Atlanta Falcons Defensive tackle

★ Olin Kreutz, Chicago Bears Center

★ Jeremy Shockey, New York Giants Tight end

★ Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears Middle linebacker.
Clark and Bartrum were added to the roster as a "need" player by the NFC coaching staff, filling open roster spots but replacing no specific injured player.

Officials

★ 'Referee:' Gerald Austin

★ 'Umpire:' Steve Wilson

★ 'Head Linesman:' John Schleyer

★ 'Line Judge:' Carl Johnson

★ 'Field Judge:' Scott Steenson

★ 'Side Judge:' Laird Hayes

★ 'Back Judge:' Phil Luckett

Fan balloting

On December 19, 2005, the NFL announced that fans had cast more than 70.5 million votes via the Internet and the Sprint wireless telephone service, bettering by more than 16% the 61 million votes cast for the 2005 Pro Bowl. Of the top ten vote-getters, all were offensive players and seven, including four of the top five, hailed from the AFC. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning led all players, garnering 1,184,142 votes, a new single-player record, and narrowly edging out Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander (1,110,575 votes) and Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (1,044,360 votes).
On the defensive side, AFC players filled six of the top ten spots, though Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher led all defenders, earning 420,983 votes; Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey (379,477 votes), Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney (374,289 votes), and Bengals cornerback Deltha O'Neal (373,918 votes) paced the AFC.
Among NFL rookies, Buccaneers running back Carnell Williams was the leading vote-getter, receiving 219,736 votes to surpass Steelers tight end Heath Miller (217,928 votes). Cowboys outside linebacker Demarcus Ware (104,592 votes), Vikings punter Chris Kluwe (100,555 votes), and Bengals inside linebacker Odell Thurman (88,715 votes) rounded out the top five.
The top vote-getter at each position (as on the official NFL ballot), irrespective of conference:
'Offense'

'Player'	'Team'	'Position'	'Fan votes'
'Peyton Manning'	Indianapolis Colts	Quarterback	1,184,142
'Shaun Alexander'	Seattle Seahawks	Running Back	1,110,575
'Chris Cooley'	Washington Redskins	Fullback	422,314
'Chad Johnson'	Cincinnati Bengals	Wide receiver	987,650
'Antonio Gates'	San Diego Chargers	Tight end	941,846
'Jeff Saturday'	Indianapolis Colts	Center	234,847
'Larry Allen'	Dallas Cowboys	Guard	248,561
'Orlando Pace'	Saint Louis Rams	Tackle	185,095

'Defense'

'Player'	'Team'	'Position'	'Fan votes'
'Dwight Freeney'	Indianapolis Colts	Defensive end	374,289
'Rod Coleman'	Atlanta Falcons	Interior lineman (Defensive tackle)	307,839
'Demorrio Williams'	Atlanta Falcons	Outside linebacker	244,419
'Brian Urlacher'	Chicago Bears	Inside linebacker (Middle linebacker)	420,983
'Champ Bailey'	Denver Broncos	Cornerback	379,477
'Brian Dawkins'	Philadelphia Eagles	Free safety	193,166
'Troy Polamalu'	Pittsburgh Steelers	Strong safety	270,348

'Special Teams'

'Player'	'Team'	'Position'	'Fan votes'
'Neil Rackers'	Arizona Cardinals	Placekicker	533,004
'Josh Bidwell'	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Punter	236,305
'Dante Hall'	Kansas City Chiefs	Kick returner	269,541
'Robert Mathis'	Indianapolis Colts	Special teams	130,890

Notably, four players—Cooley, Williams, Hall, and Robert Mathis—finished first in the balloting for their respective positions among fans but failed to secure a starting or reserve spot for the game.

Entertainment

JoJo performed the national anthem. Musical group Backstreet Boys performed during halftime alongside "200 hula dancers, drummers and fire knife dancers and 400 youth performers" [1].

Trivia

★ Most players selected from one team was seven, tied between the AFC's Indianapolis Colts and NFC's Seattle Seahawks (a Super Bowl XL contender).

★ Most starters selected from one team:

★
★ AFC: Indianapolis Colts, 7 (all of the players selected)

★
★ NFC: Seattle Seahawks (Super Bowl XL contender), 5

★ First-time selections was big: a total of 36 were in the Pro Bowl; 20 were starters. Here's the count for first-time selections:

★
★ AFC: 16 (11 starters)

★
★ NFC: 20 (9 starters)

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★
★ Of interesting note, all four special team players (punter, kicker, kick returner, and special-team player) for both conferences were first-time selections.

References

★ http://www.nfl.com/probowl