2005 nfl pro bowl

Thursday, December 20, 2007AP
NEW YORK -- Sean Taylor was voted to the NFL Pro Bowl posthumously on Tuesday, three weeks after he was shot during a burglary at his Florida home.The Washington Redskins defensive back got a starting position on the NFC team at free safety. He was having an outstanding season and was among the leaders in fan balloting for a team selected by a combination of fans, players and coaches.
Both conferences were dominated by players from the teams at the top of the standings. Seven teams had no Pro Bowlers, including playoff-bound Tampa Bay and 10-4 Jacksonville, for the game to be played on Feb. 10 in Honolulu.
Unbeaten New England had eight players voted to the AFC team, led by quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss. Dallas, tied for first place with Green Bay in the NFC, had 11, including quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Terrell Owens.
Green Bay had four players on the team, including Brett Favre, who will start at quarterback for the NFC. It is the ninth Pro Bowl for the 38-year-old Favre, his first since 2003.
San Diego, like New England, had eight players chosen.
Taylor is the only player known to have made an all-star team posthumously in any sport since goaltender Pelle Lindbergh made the NHL All-Star game in February 1986. He had been killed in an auto accident in November 1985.
Before his death, Taylor was leading the NFL in interceptions with five. One of those left off the team was Fred Taylor of Jacksonville, who has rushed for 1,091 yards and has a 5.1-yard average per carry while splitting time with Maurice Jones-Drew. Taylor is the 18th leading rusher in NFL history, but has never been to the Pro Bowl, making him the only one of the top 43 rushers in history not to make it to the league's all-star game.
Taylor anticipated that last week.
"Whatever happens, happens," he said. "They've got to tally up the votes, and however it comes out, I've got to live with it. I've always felt like I'm Pro Bowl-quality, so everything else doesn't matter."
The three backs chosen ahead of Taylor were LaDainian Tomlinson of San Diego, Willie Parker of Pittsburgh and Joseph Addai of Indianapolis. Parker and Tomlinson have gained more yards than Taylor, but Parker is averaging 4.1 and Tomlinson, last season's league MVP, is averaging 4.7.
Addai, one of five Indianapolis players on the AFC squad, has 1,019 yards rushing, 72 yards fewer than Taylor and an average of 4.1 yards per carry, a full yard less than the 31-year-old Jacksonville star.
Three rookies made the NFC team: Adrian Peterson of Minnesota, third in the NFL with 1,278 yards rushing and first among regular backs with a 5.9 average; linebacker Patrick Willis of San Francisco; and Dallas placekicker Nick Folk.
There are 18 first-timers on the AFC team, 11 in the NFC. Offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden of Baltimore was voted to his 11th straight Pro Bowl in his 12th season.