Saints QB Brees Leads All Votes for 2009 Pro Bowl

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees received 951,246 votes to lead all NFL All-Stars in fan balloting for the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl presented by State Farm®, NFL.com announced today. Fan voting ended on Tuesday, December 9.

The AFC and NFC All-Star squads are based on the consensus votes of fans, players, and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third towards determining the 43-man rosters that represent the two conferences in the Pro Bowl. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on December 11-12.

New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre (880,833 votes) ranks second overall, while New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (821,852 votes), Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis (767,817 votes), and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner (673,710 votes) round out the top five on NFL.com.

The teams will be announced at 4 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, December 16, on a special NFL Total Access 2009 NFL Pro Bowl Selection Show on NFL Network. The 2009 NFL Pro Bowl presented by State Farm will be played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Sunday, February 8, and televised by NBC.

Fans who voted for Pro Bowl players were able to enter for a chance to win a trip to Hawaii to attend the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl in the Official Pro Bowl Sweepstakes presented by State Farm.

The grand prize includes an all-expense paid five-day, four-night trip for the winner and one guest to the 2009 NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu. As part of this, the winner and guest will receive an exclusive State Farm “I’m There” opportunity and will meet eight-time NFL Pro Bowl selection and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Howie Long.