NFL Pro Bowl in Review: How Did the Patriots Fare in Hawaii?

For first time in a New England Patriots fan's life, they actually, relatively, looked forward to the NFL Pro Bowl. 

In the new scheduling format done by the NFL, this is the second year in which the Pro Bowl was played before Super Bowl Sunday. 

After New England was handed their second straight home playoff loss by the New York Jets earlier this month, Patriots fans were forced to look towards the Pro Bowl rather than the Super Bowl in Dallas.

Fans were handed the opportunity of watching their beloved hoodie head coach, Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady in a high scoring match-up in Hawaii.

However, Brady has been suffering a stress fracture and was forced to have surgery, sitting out the game in Honolulu.

So, who made the trip to Honolulu representing the Patriots? Wes Welker, Devin McCourty, Jerod Mayo, Vince Wilfork, Brandon Meriweather and Logan Mankins, along with all of the New England Patriots coaching staff. 

New England's biggest star, Welker, had the best game, catching five passes for 34 yards. Welker looked like himself playing along side quarterback Peyton Manning.

Manning and Welker proved to have a chemistry together in New England's offense, with Manning playing the role of Brady. 

Rookie cornerback Devin McCourty will most certainly remember the trip, despite the loss. McCourty finished with four tackles, an interception and one pass deflection.

The lone pass deflection was McCourty's biggest play. The NFC's first play with quarterback Michael Vick under-center tested McCourty right away. Vick dropped back to pass and threw a deep bomb to receiver Larry Fitzgerald, but McCourty came in at the last second and made a perfect play, tipping the pass away. 

In Mayo's Pro Bowl debut he finished with seven tackles and safety Meriweather finished with three. Wilfork and Mankins both had one lone tackle. 

Mankins' tackle was a rare play, since Mankins doesn't play defense. On one of the many interceptions of the day, Mankins was forced to make a play on cornerback DeAngelo Hall, and he did. 

“I just hoped he’d run into me," Mankins said after the game. 

As the NFC stole the show in the shoot-out victory, 55-41, the players will return back to their homes. 

For some teams, this might be the last time you'll see these players' faces in their team's helmets. Patriots guard Makins is set to become a free agent and the relationship with both parties is interesting to say the last. 

With a possible lock-out looming, this might of been the last time the other 30 times not in the Super Bowl will see their favorite stars play. 

NOTE: This article was first seen at PatriotsPlus.net.

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