Pro Bowl 2015: Date, Start Time, Format, Players and Preview

Dear Michael Irvin and Chris Carter, 

Good luck. 

The two Hall of Fame wide receivers will captain this year's Pro Bowl teams, meaning with last year's implemented draft system, they will somehow have to decide (unless any of the following players are in their respective conference championships, of course) between Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning.

Between Richard Sherman and Darrelle Revis. Between DeMarco Murray and Le'Veon Bell. Between Demaryius Thomas, Antonio Brown and a ridiculous group of talented receivers. Between J.J. Watt and—well, nevermind on that one. 

Of course, at the same time, it's pretty much impossible for Irvin or Carter to get any of their selections wrong, but it's not going to be easy picking and choosing from a stacked pool of Pro Bowlers, which was announced Tuesday night.

Here's a look at the entire list of players, along everything you need to know about this year's showcase. 

Date: Sunday, Jan. 25, 2014

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Format: Irvin and Carter will draft teams on Jan. 20 and 21. Defensive tackles, guards, centers, fullbacks and special teamers are drafted on the first day, and the rest are drafted on the second. Possession changes after each quarter. Check here for the entire format and rules.

Players

QB	Tom Brady, NE	Andrew Luck, IND	Peyton Manning, DEN
	Tony Romo, DAL	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	Aaron Rodgers, GB
RB	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	Jamaal Charles, KC	Arian Foster, HOU
	Marshawn Lynch, SEA	LeSean McCoy, PHI	DeMarco Murray, DAL
FB	John Kuhn, GB	Marcel Reece, OAK
WR	Antonio Brown, PIT	Dez Bryant, DAL	A.J. Green, CIN
	T.Y. Hilton, IND	Calvin Johnson, DET	Julio Jones, ATL
	Jordy Nelson, GB	Demaryius Thomas, Den
TE	Jimmy Graham, NO	Rob Gronkowski, NE	Julius Thomas, DEN
	Greg Olsen, CAR
OT	Ryan Clady, DEN	Tyron Smith, DAL	Trent Williams, WAS
	Joe Thomas, CLE	Joe Staley, SF	Jason Peters, PHI
C	Travis Frederick, DAL	Jason Kelce, PHI	Nick Mangold, NYJ
	Maurkice Pouncey, PIT
OG	Jahri Evans, NO	Mike Iupati, SF	Kyle Long, CHI
	Zack Martin, DAL	Marshal Yanda, BAL	Josh Sitton, GB
DE	Calais Campbell, ARI	Mario Williams, BUF	J.J. Watt, HOU
	DeMarcus Ware, DEN	Cameron Wake, MIA	Robert Quinn, STL
DT	Marcell Dareus, BUF	Aaron Donald, STL	Gerald McCoy, TB
	Kyle Williams, BUF	Ndamukong Suh, DET	Dontari Poe, KC
OLB	Connor Barwin, PHI	Elvis Dumervil, BAL	Tamba Hali, KC
	Justin Houston, KC	Clay Matthews, GB	Von Miller, DEN
ILB	Luke Kuechly, CAR	C.J. Mosley, BAL	Bobby Wagner, SEA
	Lawrence Timmons, PIT
CB	Vontae Davis, IND	Brent Grimes, MIA	Joe Haden, CLE
	Chris Harris, DEN	Aqib Talib, DEN	Richard Sherman, SEA
	Darrelle Revis, NE	Patrick Peterson, ARI
S	Kam Chancellor, SEA	Tashaun Gipson, CLE	Eric Weddle, SD
	T.J. Ward, DEN	Earl Thomas, SEA	Glover Quin, DET
K	Stephen Gostkoswki, NE	Adam Vinatieri, IND
P	Kevin Huber, CIN	Pat McAfee, IND
PR	Devin Hester, ATL	Darren Sproles, PHI
ST	Justin Bethel, ARI	Matthew Slater, NE

MVP Watch

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Under the current format, there is now both an Offensive and Defensive MVP. Last year, Nick Foles and Derrick Johnson won, pointing to the unpredictability of the award, but there are still certain players to watch above others. 

On defense, it begins and ends with Watt. 

Although he may not win MVP of the league due simply to the nature of the award and his position, there's little question he has been the most dominant player in the league. Through 15 games, he has tallied 17.5 sacks, 10 pass deflections, three forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, one interception, two defensive touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns. 

And those numbers still may not do his season justice, as his presence changes the entire game. Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson gave an example of that:

Not only is Watt ridiculously talented, but he is a notoriously hard worker. He was in the weight room at 4 a.m. after finalizing a nine-figure contract, and he probably doesn't know the meaning of an exhibition game. 

He caused havoc at last year's Pro Bowl, and he'll probably do it again—on both sides of the ball. 

Justin Houston, the league leader in sacks, and Luke Kuechly, the league leader in tackles, are both players to watch as well. 

On offense, the obvious inclination is to look at the quarterbacks. And this season, there is arguably no one playing better at the position than Rodgers, who leads the NFL in adjusted yards per pass attempt (9.3) and interception percentage (1.0), per Pro-Football-Reference.com. 

ESPN.com's Mike Sando offered an interesting comparison to last year's league MVP:

That said, Rodgers has been a little banged up lately. If his season is over, it's doubtful he even plays enough to warrant MVP consideration. That could leave the door open for someone like Andrew Luck. 

The incredible depth of talent at wide receiver means the ball will probably be spread around, making it tough for anyone from the position to win MVP. 

But at running back, with Murray's heavy workload and broken hand likely to keep him sidelined, keep an eye on Bell. The second-year dual-threat stud has been nearly unstoppable this season, and he's on the brink of NFL history, per Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith:

No running back outside of Murray has been more productive, and the Michigan State product is young enough to treat the Pro Bowl seriously. 

And really, all of these names are just the very tip of the iceberg. Even when Super Bowl aspirations and injuries completely alter the look of the player pool, there will still be dozens of players with the talent to take over a game of this nature.

We can only hope that translates into a competitive exhibition.