Six Eagles named to Pro Bowl; Brown not one of them
Six Eagles were named to the NFC Pro Bowl roster tonight, but cornerback Sheldon Brown was not one of them.
"It will kind of mess with you, but it's something you can't control," Brown said after being passed over despite having a career-high five interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown. Brown also returned a fumble for a touchdown earlier this month against the New York Giants.
The six players selected to represent the Eagles in the Jan. 31 game in Miami were cornerback Asante Samuel, offensive tackle Jason Peters, wide receiver DeSean Jackson, defensive end Trent Cole, kicker David Akers and fullback Leonard Weaver.
Brown said he was named a second alternate to the NFC roster. The Eagles also had five other alternates: tight end Brent Celek (second alternate), quarterback Donovan McNabb (first alternate), safety Quintin Mikell (third alternate), guard Todd Herremans (fourth alternate) and defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley (fourth alternate). Brown said this wasn't the first time he felt he deserved to be on the Pro Bowl roster.
"I've had a lot of good seasons," he said. "The year we had three defensive backs go (Brian Dawkins, Lito Sheppard and Michael Lewis) and I arguably had the best season, according to (Bill) Belichick. I always felt like the all-pro honor carries more weight because there is no fan voting there."
Samuel, who is tied for the NFL lead with nine interceptions, will be making his third straight Pro Bowl appearance and second with the Eagles. Peters, in his first season with the Eagles, will also be making his third straight Pro Bowl appearance.
Jackson, in just his second season, was voted to the Pro Bowl for the first time and made the NFC roster as both a wide receiver and a punt returner. He leads the NFL with a 16-yard average on punt returns.
Cole, whose 12 1/2 sacks rank fifth in the NFL, will be making his second Pro Bowl appearance, but the last time he went in 2008 he was added as an alternate.
Akers, who leads all NFL kicks with 32 field goals and 139 points, will be making his fourth Pro Bowl appearance, but his first since 2005, the year the Eagles went to the Super Bowl.
Weaver, meanwhile, is making his first Pro Bowl appearance in his fifth NFL season.