CHARLOTTE -- The season ends Sunday for the Panthers, but for defensive end Julius Peppers and running back DeAngelo Williams, the Pro Bowl awaits.
The two were chosen to the NFC All-Star squad on Tuesday evening, giving the Panthers multiple Pro Bowlers for the eighth time in the last nine years.
Peppers was selected to start, while Williams is a reserve.
For Peppers, the selection is routine; it's the fifth of his career, and he has only missed one Pro Bowl since first qualifying for the game following the 2004 season. For Williams, the appearance will not only be his first, but just the second by a Panthers running back and the first since Stephen Davis played in the game six years ago.
Williams probably deserved to make the game last year, when he set franchise records in rushing yardage (1,515) and total touchdowns (20), placing him third and first, respectively, in the league in those categories. His average per carry (5.5) also led all league rushers with at least 100 carries.
Only injuries have held down Williams this year, as he's missed two full contests and parts of two others with an ankle injury that he suffered Nov. 30 against the New York Jets and aggravated three weeks later against the Minnesota Vikings. In the 11 games he started and finished this year, Williams ran for 1,064 yards -- an average of 96.7 per game -- and averaged 5.5 yards per carry, adding seven touchdowns. He had four 100-yard games, including two in which he surpassed the 150-yard milestone.
Even when factoring in the games in which his ankle was bothersome, Williams has averaged 5.2 yards per carry this season, the most among NFC running backs with at least 1,000 yards this season and third among NFL 1,000-yarders behind Tennessee's Chris Johnson and Baltimore's Ray Rice.
Williams admitted two weeks ago that the Pro Bowl wasn't on his mind; such an achievement would be overshadowed by the Panthers' failure to make the playoffs this season. But he understands the significance of the selection.
"I am pleased and happy to be selected," he said. "I really did not know what to expect and it would not have been possible without a lot of help, including our offensive line, (fullback)
As for Peppers, he returns to the Pro Bowl, just as he has for each season since 2004 in which he's amassed a double-digit sack total. The eight-year veteran has surged in recent weeks, logging three sacks in the last four games, including one each in the Panthers' two most recent wins.
Peppers's biggest play this year came in Week 8 at Arizona, when he avoided a low block, quickly regained his balance and intercepted Kurt Warner, returning it for a 13-yard touchdown that pushed Carolina's lead to 28-7. Two quarters later, with the Cardinals within 10 points and attempting a rally, Peppers provided the decisive punch, sacking Kurt Warner and jarring loose the football.
An equally impressive performance came in Week 15 against Minnesota, when Peppers logged a sack of Vikings quarterback Brett Favre and repeatedly beat left tackle Bryant McKinnie -- himself a fellow Pro Bowl starter. Peppers's dominance was so thorough that the Vikings opted to lift McKinnie in the third quarter.
The Pro Bowl will take place at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. It will be the first Pro Bowl held on the United States mainland since 1979; Honolulu's Aloha Stadium hosted 30 consecutive Pro Bowls beginning on Jan. 27, 1980. Kickoff of this year's game will be on Jan. 31, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. EDT, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
| | |
| YEAR | PLAYERS |
| 2010 | DE Julius Peppers, RB DeAngelo Williams |
| 2009 | LB |
| 2008 | None |
| 2007 | DT Kris Jenkins, DE Julius Peppers, WR Steve Smith |
| 2006 | QB |
| 2005 | LB Mark Fields, LB Dan Morgan, WR |
| 2004 | RB Stephen Davis, DT Kris Jenkins, DE Mike Rucker, P Todd Sauerbrun |
| 2003 | DT Kris Jenkins, P Todd Sauerbrun |
| 2002 | P Todd Sauerbrun, KR Steve Smith |
| 2001 | ST Michael Bates |
| 2000 | ST Michael Bates, QB Steve Beuerlein, WR Muhsin Muhammad, TE Wesley Walls |
| 1999 | ST Michael Bates, LB Kevin Greene, TE Wesley Walls |
| 1998 | KR Michael Bates, TE Wesley Walls |
| 1997 | KR Michael Bates, QB Kerry Collins, CB Eric Davis, LB Kevin Greene, K |
| 1995 | None |
* Note: Year indicates when the Pro Bowl was played; the corresponding season would be one year earlier.
