GAME PREVIEW

PRO BOWL 2009:
AFC vs. NFC

The NFL announced the 2009 Pro Bowl rosters on Dec. 16, and the Redskins have sent four players--running back Clinton Portis, tight end Chris Cooley, left tackle Chris Samuels and fullback Mike Sellers--to the annual all-star game in Hawaii.

The 2009 Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 4:30 p.m. ET at Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on NBC.

It is Samuels’ sixth Pro Bowl nod. Portis and Cooley are Pro Bowl-bound for the second time, while Sellers goes for the first time.

Here are capsules of each of the Redskins’ Pro Bowlers:

-- CHRIS SAMUELS

Samuels has emerged as one of the elite left tackles in Redskins history. It is his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl nod and sixth overall.

His six Pro Bowls is the fourth-most in franchise history behind Darrell Green and Ken Houston, who were chosen seven times, and Chris Hanburger, who was chosen nine times.

Samuels ties Redskins center Len Hauss for the most Pro Bowls by an offensive lineman in franchise history. Former Redskins center Len Hauss was a six-time Pro Bowler from 1967-72.

Samuels started the Redskins’ first 13 games and helped lead a ground game that is ranked eighth in the NFL with 132.0 rushing yards.

He routinely faces off against some of the NFL’s top pass rushers, including DeMarcus Ware, Mathias Kiawunuka and Trent Cole.

Samuels is not expected to play in the Pro Bowl. He suffered a season-ending triceps injury on Dec. 7 at Baltimore.

-- CLINTON PORTIS

Portis finished the season ranked fourth in the NFL with 1,487 rushing yards on 342 carries. He had nine rushing touchdowns on the season.

Portis got off to a fast start in 2008 and was leading the league in rushing through Week 10. The Redskins were 5-1 when he surpasses the 100-yard rushing mark in a game.

Portis was second in the NFL with 1,705 yards from scrimmage. He was second in rushing first downs with 74.

It is Portis’s second Pro Bowl nod, but first as a Redskin. He made the Pro Bowl in 2003 as a member of the Denver Broncos.

He is the first Redskins running back to make the Pro Bowl since Stephen Davis in 2000.

-- CHRIS COOLEY

Cooley earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl trip following another stellar season.

Cooley led the Redskins with a career-high 83 receptions for 849 yards.

He surpassed his own franchise record for receptions by a tight end. (He posted 71 catches in 2005.)

With his 83 receptions, Cooley was tied for 11th in the NFL and fourth in the NFC.

Among tight ends, Cooley’s catch total was ranked second in the NFL, behind only Kansas City’s Tony Gonzalez. His receiving yards total was ranked fourth behind Gonzalez, Dallas’s Jason Witten and Houston’s Owen Daniels.

Cooley had one touchdown catch in 2008, but he posted 27 TD grabs from 2004-07.

Cooley becomes the first tight end in Redskins history to make two consecutive Pro Bowls.

-- MIKE SELLERS

It has been a long wait for Sellers.

The 8-year NFL veteran earned his first Pro Bowl berth after another strong season as the Redskins’ fullback.

Sellers is expected to start for the NFC in the Pro Bowl.

With his 6-3, 284-pound frame, Sellers helps bulldoze into tacklers to open up holes for Portis, the NFL’s fourth-leading rusher. He is often described as another offensive lineman.

In addition, Sellers logged six carries for 24 yards and caught 12 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.

He is the second Redskins fullback to earn a Pro Bowl nod. Rob Goode was the last Redskins fullback to make the NFL’s annual all-star game, in 1954.