The Philadelphia Eagles today announced the following five players have earned a spot on the NFC roster for the 2011 Pro Bowl: K David Akers, WR DeSean Jackson, T Jason Peters, CB Asante Samuel and QB Michael Vick.
Now the Eagles all-time leader in games played (186), Akers ranks second in the NFL with 134 points and third with 30 field goals this season. He has also booted a career-high 22 touchbacks, which is third most in the NFL. Akers has converted 24 of his last 25 attempts, including two streaks of 12 in a row. He became the first player in NFL history to exceed 130 points in four different seasons, and the second player ever to have three straight seasons with at least 30 field goals (Chip Lohmiller from 1990-92). With five career Pro Bowl selections, Akers is now third in NFL history among kickers behind Morten Andersen (7) and Jan Stenerud (6).
Jackson has now earned Pro Bowl honors in back-to-back seasons and has established himself as one of the top playmakers in the league. He has scored eight total touchdowns in 2010 (six receiving, one rushing, one punt return), including game winners in each of the last two games. He broke a fourth-quarter tie after rattling off a 91-yard touchdown reception at Dallas (12/19), en route to a 210-yard performance which ranks as the third-highest single-game total in team history. The following week at NYG (12/19), he scored on a 65-yard punt return as time expired, capping a 28-point fourth-quarter comeback. Jackson leads the league with 22.8 yards per reception this season, and with 1,024 receiving yards, he became the fourth Eagles receiver with back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns. A second-round pick of the Eagles in 2008, Jackson has a league-leading 14 touchdowns of 50-plus yards during that span. The last Eagles draft pick to earn Pro Bowl invitations as a receiver in consecutive years was Mike Quick from 1984-88.
Originally a rookie free agent signing in 2004 out of Arkansas, Peters has emerged into one of the elite tackles in the league, earning his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl nomination and his second as an Eagle. In 2010, Peters has helped anchor an offensive line which has contributed to the league's top-ranked offense in terms of total yards (403.9), and yards per carry average (5.5). The seventh-year veteran also has helped pave the way for the league's fourth-highest rushing average (149.7), the highest per game total under Andy Reid. Peters, who was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Bills during the 2009 offseason, has started in 27 games for the Eagles.
One of the top defensive playmakers in the NFL, Samuel has earned four-straight Pro Bowl bids, the longest current streak among NFL cornerbacks. He became the first Eagles cornerback to post three straight Pro Bowl berths since Troy Vincent earned five straight from 2000-04. Samuel leads the NFL in interceptions (7) for the second year in a row. He has a pair of two-interception performances this year (vs. Indianapolis on 11/7 and vs. NY Giants on 11/21) and eight during his career. No player in the NFL has more interceptions than Samuel's 36 since the start of the 2006 season. Since joining the league in 2003, he ranks second in interceptions with 42, first in INT return touchdowns with eight (including playoffs), and according to Stats, Inc., first with 131 passes defensed.
One of the NFL's most exciting players, Vick earned his fourth Pro Bowl invitation and his first since 2005. Vick currently leads the NFC and ranks third in the NFL with a 103.6 passer rating and the Eagles own an 8-1 record in games that he has started and finished this season. He has tied career highs with 20 passing and eight rushing touchdowns this season, while completing 63.2 percent of his passes and throwing just five interceptions. His 613 rushing yards are the most by any quarterback and he is 17 yards shy of posting the second-best single-season total in team history among quarterbacks. Vick also needs just 245 passing yards to become the first player in NFL history with at least 3,000 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 500 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.
-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 7:09 p.m., December 28
