Pro Bowl 2015: Team Carter vs. Team Irvin Rosters and Players to Watch
The 2015 Pro Bowl is more than just a vacation.
A draft format led by Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Michael Irvin, as well as new rules, rivalries and pitting teammates against one another, means the latest iteration of the spectacle should be the most competitive in recent memory.
While a celebration of a job well done by some of the league's top talents, all of the changes over the course of the past few years reflect what the NFL wants the event to be—a game fans will not want to miss.
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Changes aside, a handful of the players in attendance give the contest that aura, anyway.
Results and Rosters
| 1 | Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts | 2 | Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys |
| 3 | A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals | 4 | Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants |
| 5 | Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs | 6 | Tyron Smith, OT, Dallas Cowboys |
| 7 | Patrick Peterson, CB, Arizona Cardinals | 8 | Luke Kuechly, LB, Carolina Panthers |
| 9 | Mario Williams, DE, Buffalo Bills | 10 | Cameron Wake, DE, Miami Dolphins |
| 11 | T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts | 12 | Jimmy Graham, TE, New Orleans Saints |
| 13 | Joe Staley, OT, San Francisco 49ers | 14 | Von Miller, OLB, Denver Broncos |
| 15 | Justin Houston, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | Jason Witten, TE, Dallas Cowboys |
| 17 | Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints | 18 | Joe Thomas, OT, Cleveland Browns |
| 19 | C.J. Mosley, ILB, Baltimore Ravens | 20 | Robert Quinn, DE, St. Louis Rams |
| 21 | Aqib Talib, CB, Denver Broncos | 22 | Vontae Davis, CB, Indianapolis Colts |
| 23 | Calais Campbell, DE, Arizona Cardinals | 24 | T.J. Ward, S, Denver Broncos |
| 25 | Donte Whitner, S, Cleveland Browns | 26 | Clay Matthews, LB, Green Bay Packers |
| 27 | Duane Brown, OT, Houston Texans | 28 | Brent Grimes, CB, Miami Dolphins |
| 29 | Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers | 30 | Trent Williams, OT, Washington Redskins |
| 31 | Connor Barwin, OLB, Philadelphia Eagles | 32 | Eric Weddle, S, San Diego Chargers |
| 33 | Antonio Cromartie, CB, Arizona Cardinals | 34 | Elvis Dumervil, OLB, Baltimore Ravens |
| 35 | Sam Shields, CB, Green Bay Packers | 36 | Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions |
| 37 | Justin Forsett, RB, Baltimore Ravens | 38 | Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons |
| 39 | Lawrence Timmons, ILB, Pittsburgh Steelers | 40 | Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints |
| 41 | Glover Quin, S, Detroit Lions | 42 | C.J. Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos |
| 43 | Antoine Bethea, S, San Francisco 49ers | 44 | Jason Garrett, HC, Dallas Cowboys |
| Greg Olsen, TE, Carolina Panthers (16) | DeMarcus Ware, DE, Denver Broncos (23) | ||
| Martellus Bennett, TE, Chicago Bears (16) | Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers (29) | ||
| Ryan Clady, OT, Denver Broncos (30) | Golden Tate, WR, Detroit Lions (29) | ||
| Tamba Hali, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs (34) | Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos (29) | ||
| Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals (38) | Chris Harris, CB, Denver Broncos (35) | ||
| Alfred Morris, RB, Washington Redskins (42) | D'Qwell Jackson, ILB, Indianapolis Colts (39) | ||
| John Harbaugh, HC, Baltimore Ravens (44) | Mike Adams, S, Indianapolis Colts (43) | ||
| DT | Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams and Dontari Poe | Aaron Donald, Sheldon Richardson and Geno Atkins | |
| G | Mike Pouncey, Josh Sitton and Evan Mathis | Zack Martin, Marshal Yanda and Kyle Long | |
| C | Maurkice Pouncey and Jason Kelce | Travis Frederick and Nick Mangold | |
| FB | John Kuhn | Marcel Reece | |
| P | Pat McAfee | Kevin Huber | |
| K | Cody Parkey | Adam Vinatieri | |
| ST | Justin Bethel | Darrell Stuckey |
Top Players to Watch
Patrick Peterson, CB, Arizona Cardinals
One of the most electric players in the NFL in all phases, Team Carter is sure to turn hometown favorite Patrick Peterson loose in Glendale, Arizona.
Peterson, one of the league's better cover corners, is now a four-year veteran and not that far removed from a season in which he took four punts back for touchdowns.
Now, Peterson does have a tall task in front of him when it comes to shutting down weapons such as Odell Beckham Jr., Randall Cobb and others. This experience against the best of the best is an opportunity Peterson hopes will help him build toward next season:
But also understand that Peterson will see plenty of snaps on the offensive side of things as he lines up with A.J. Green and others. He may even take a few handoffs.
The Pro Bowl is an ideal situation for a player such as Peterson, who surely wants to put on a show in front of a friendly crowd.
Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints
Fans know what Jamaal Charles and other top-tier backs bring to the table.
What about Mark Ingram?
It is easy to forget that Ingram enters Glendale off his best season as a pro after finally breaking away from a committee approach in New Orleans and acting as the lead back.
The result? A gaudy 964 yards and nine touchdowns on a 4.3 per-carry average in just 13 games. As Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune points out, Ingram's trip to the Pro Bowl comes at just the right time:
It is only fitting that the bruising Ingram replaces Marshawn Lynch at the event.
While some may expect Ingram to preserve his body as he prepares to seek out a big contract, like Lynch, that may be something he is downright incapable of—especially in a game that features the best of the best.
Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants
Look, the spotlight on New York Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. will not cease, so better to be at home with it than to detest it.
Beckham exploded onto the scene this year, playing in only 12 games but catching 91 passes for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns.
This, of course, includes his jaw-dropping catch, which the league's Twitter account captures while adding impressive numbers to the narrative:
Beckham is a walking human-highlight reel. Also, keep in mind that he is a rookie, a status that comes with a proverbial chip on the shoulder in such a contest as the new kid on the block looks to make a name for himself.
Lining up against Peterson, Aqib Talib and Antonio Cromartie, among others, will prove no easy task. Then again, being on the receiving end of dimes thrown by Tony Romo, Matthew Stafford and Matt Ryan figures to even things out.
Regardless, the spotlight will be on a budding superstar for most of the event.
J.J. Watt, DL, Houston Texans
With all due respect to Peterson, how J.J. Watt lines up on every down takes the cake as far as defenders who can also play offense go.
A serious contender for the MVP award, helping Watt's case is the fact he reeled in all three offensive targets this season for touchdowns. His resume raises the question—if Watt does not win MVP, what defender ever will moving forward?
At the Pro Bowl, Watt will see plenty of opportunities to score, if highlights provided by the league and the Texans are any indication:
Watt does it all—and well. Glendale is set to become his stomping grounds on both sides of the football, so be sure to never take an eye off the game as it is difficult to know when he might take the field.
After all, he might be gunning for another MVP award.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus. Roster and game info courtesy of NFL.com as of Jan. 23 at 10:30 p.m. ET.
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