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NASHVILLE, TN, Dec. 16, 2008 –** The Tennessee Titans were rewarded for owning the league's best record at 12-2 with six players named to the
2009 Pro Bowl, the NFL announced today.
Three starters, including DT Albert Haynesworth, C Kevin Mawae and CB Cortland Finnegan will be joined by three reserves — RB Chris Johnson, OT Michael Roos and S Chris Hope — at the NFL's annual all-star game.
The 2009 Pro Bowl will be played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday, Feb. 8 and televised by NBC.
Tennessee's six players represent the team's most Pro Bowlers since 2000 when the franchise sent a record nine players to Honolulu. The six Titans rank second only to the New York Jets, who had seven players named to the Pro Bowl.
Haynesworth, Johnson and Mawae captured the fan voting, which counted one third towards the overall ballot. Voting from coaches and players made up the remainder of the ballot.
Haynesworth, Rob Bironas and Kyle Vanden Bosch represented Tennessee at last year's Pro Bowl. This year's group marks the eighth time since 1970 that the franchise has had six or more Pro Bowl players. Since moving the franchise to Tennessee in 1997, the Titans organization has been represented by 40 Pro Bowl selections.
Five Titans were voted as Pro Bowl alternates, including LB Keith Bulluck, K Rob Bironas, FB Ahmard Hall, S Michael Griffin and QB Kerry Collins. They could end up going to the Pro Bowl if a player in front of them at their respective position is injured or decides not to play.
• AFC/NFC Pro Bowl Rosters
A closer look at the Titans' 2008 Pro Bowlers:
DT Albert Haynesworth: 2nd Pro Bowl
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A key player on the NFL's fourth-ranked defense, Haynesworth will be making his second straight trip to Honolulu. The 6-foot-6, 320-pounder currently leads all defensive tackles with a career-high 8.5 sacks, ranking seventh overall in the AFC and 13 th in the league. Haynesworth also has registered 75 tackles and ranks second on the team with 22 QB pressures. He has led or tied for the team lead in sacks six times in 2008. He registered a pair of sacks in the season opener vs. Jacksonville and three weeks later against Minnesota.
CB Cortland Finnegan: 1st Pro Bowl
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One of the NFL's top shutdown corners, Finnegan will be making his first Pro Bowl appearance. Finnegan is tied for second in the NFL with five interceptions and leads the Titans with 19 passes defensed, playing on the league's fifth-ranked passing defense. He was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week after collecting a career-high two interceptions, seven tackles and three passes defensed in Tennessee's 17-10 season opening victory against Jacksonville. A seventh-round pick out of Samford in 2006, the feisty playmaker has led or tied for the team lead in passes defensed seven times in 2008. He set a franchise-record with a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 31-12 victory over Houston in Week 3.
C Kevin Mawae: 7th Pro Bowl
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Mawae will be making his seventh Pro Bowl appearance and his first since the 2004 season. He made six consecutive Pro Bowls from 1999-04. The 15-year veteran is part of an offensive line that has allowed an NFL-low eight sacks in 2008. Mawae has played a key role in opening holes for the league's fifth-ranked rushing attack that features Pro Bowler Chris Johnson (1,159 yards, 8 TDs) and LenDale White (700 yards), who is tied for second in the league with 14 rushing touchdowns. Mawae, a key contributor in Tennessee's franchise-record 332 rushing yards at Kansas City in Week 7, leads all active offensive linemen with 224 career games played.
S Chris Hope: 1st Pro Bowl
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Hope will be making his first Pro Bowl appearance, representing the league's fifth-ranked pass defense. He is tied for sixth in the AFC with four interceptions, while ranking third on the team with 84 tackles. Hope has led the team in tackles twice in 2008 and tied for the team lead in passes defensed three times. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after notching four solo tackles and a career-high two interceptions in Tennessee's 31-21 victory over Indianapolis on Monday Night Football. He recorded his first career sack in Week 9 vs. Green Bay.
RB Chris Johnson: 1st Pro Bowl
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Johnson becomes the second rookie in franchise history to make the NFL's Pro Bowl. Earl Campbell earned Pro Bowl honors as a rookie in 1978. The dynamic Johnson, Tennessee's first-round pick (24 th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft, ranks second in the AFC and sixth in the NFL with 1,159 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He ranks second in the AFC with 1,418 yards from scrimmage and fifth in the AFC with 62 first downs. Johnson is tied for sixth in the AFC with nine total touchdowns. He has registered 20 plays of 15 or more yards and gained 10 or more yards on 37 plays in 2008. Johnson has led the team in rushing yards 13 times and registered 100 or more yards in four career games. He has led or tied for the team lead in receptions four times and led the team in receiving yards twice in 2008. He rushed for a career-high two touchdowns vs. Minnesota and at Detroit. His career-high 168 rushing yards at Kansas City represented the second most rushing yards by a rookie running back in franchise history, second only to Earl Campbell's 199-yard game in 1978. Johnson ripped off a career-long 66-yard touchdown run at Kansas City. He is the 11 th player in franchise history to hit the 1,000-yard rushing mark in a season. His 1,159 rushing yards are currently the third most by a rookie running back in franchise history behind Earl Campbell (1,450 yards in 1978) and Eddie George (1,368 yards in 1996).
OT Michael Roos: 1st Pro Bowl
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Roos will be making his first Pro Bowl appearance after giving up only one sack all season. He is part of an offensive line that has allowed an NFL-low eight sacks in 2008. The 6-foot-7, 315 pound Roos has played a key role in opening holes for the league's fifth-ranked rushing attack that features Pro Bowler Chris Johnson (1,159 yards, 8 TDs) and LenDale White (700 yards), who is tied for second in the league with 14 rushing touchdowns. Roos, a second-round pick from Eastern Washington in 2005, has started 62 consecutive games at tackle for the Titans. He played a key role in Tennessee's franchise-record 332 rushing yards in Week 7 at Kansas City.
