DeCoud congratulates Moore

Falcons safeties Thomas DeCoud and William Moore were added to the NFC Pro Bowl roster in the wake of the San Francisco 49ers going to the Super Bowl. They will be replacing 49er safeties Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner in this Sunday’s all-star game.

Also, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan will sit out the game due to a shoulder injury he suffered late in the Falcons loss to the 49ers last Sunday in the NFC Championship Game. Ryan suffered a sprained AC joint in his left non-throwing shoulder. The injury will require up to a month for recovery, but will not require surgery.

Tight end Tony Gonzalez will also not be appearing in this weekend’s Pro Bowl due to personal reasons. He has been replaced by Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph. Gonzalez is expected to be mulling over his NFL future as he is finishing his 16th season in the league. Prior to last Sunday’s loss to the 49ers, reports indicated that Gonzalez was leaning closer to retirement after indicating at the outset of the year that he was 95 percent certain that 2012 would be his final year. Gonzalez’s contract expired once the Falcons season ended.

Wide receiver Julio Jones is the other Falcon player voted to the Pro Bowl team.

The NFL announced the Pro Bowl rosters today, among them included three Falcons players: quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receiver Julio Jones, and tight end Tony Gonzalez. The trio ties the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and Washington Redskins as the fifth most among NFC teams. The San Francisco 49ers paced the conference with nine players voted to the squad. Alongside the 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, the Falcons sent three offensive players.

Ryan broke his career-highs for passing yards (4,481), touchdowns (31), completions (394), and passer rating (100.2) this season. Both his yardage total and passer rating rank fifth in the league through 15 games. It marks Ryan’s second Pro Bowl appearance, after being voted to the team in 2010. Jones in his second season is making his first Pro Bowl. Through fifteen games, he has career highs in receptions (76), yards (1,142), and touchdowns (10). His yardage total ranks 11th in the NFL and his touchdowns are 6th highest in the league. Gonzalez is earning his 13th Pro Bowl nod, his 3rd as a Falcon since joining the team in 2009. His receptions (88), yards (889), and touchdowns (8) are the highest since joining the Falcons. His receptions and yards are both second-most among NFL tight ends this season, and his touchdown total is tied for third in the league among his position group.

The team announced that wide receiver Roddy White will be added to the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster as an injury replacement for Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Tight end Tony Gonzalez was the lone Falcon to actually be voted to the team. White ranked first among NFC receivers with 100 catches, fifth in yards (1,296), and tied for six with touchdowns (8). It marks White’s fourth consecutive Pro Bowl.

Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez was the lone member of the team to be named to the 2012 NFC Pro Bowl team. Although it’s certainly possible that more could wind up being named to the team at a later date as injury fill-ins or alternates.

Gonzalez currently ranks third among all tight ends in the league in terms of receptions (79) and fourth in yards (867). His 7 touchdowns also are good enough to tie him for third-most among his position group. It is the 12th time he’s been named a Pro Bowler in his 15-year career, and the second time since joining the Falcons three years ago. He was a Pro Bowler last year. Earlier this season, Gonzalez moved into second place all-time among all receivers in terms of career catches.

Falcons corner Brent Grimes will join eight other teammates and his coaching staff in Honolulu this week, as he’s been added to the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster due to the absence of Charles Woodson. Woodson bowed out because his team, the Green Bay Packers, will be in the Super Bowl, to be played on February 6.

This marks the first Pro Bowl for Grimes, who was tied for the team lead with 5 interceptions this year and among the league leaders with 23 passes defended. Offensive tackle Tyson Clabo was also added to the NFC squad last week as a replacement. They will be joined by the Falcons coaching staff and seven other teammates for the all-star game that will played this Sunday in Honolulu.

Falcons offensive tackle Tyson Clabo has been added to the NFC’s Pro Bowl team since Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters pulled out of the game. Clabo was the first alternate for offensive tackles.

He will be the eighth Falcons player to play on the squad, as well as joining the team’s coaching staff in the all-star game that will be played later this month.

Pro Football Weekly.com in conjunction with the Pro Football Writers of America announced their All-NFL team, not to be confused with the All-Pro teams announced by the Associated Press. Two Falcon players made it: wide receiver Roddy White and specialist Eric Weems. No Falcons made the PFWA team a year ago, although Michael Turner and John Abraham did earn honors in 2008.

White led the league in receptions (115) and was second in receiving yards (1,389). Weems led the Falcons with 16 tackles on special teams, as well as being one of only two players in the league that returned both a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns during the regular season.

Both White and Weems also earned Pro Bowl bids, along with five other Falcon players. They will be familiar with the coaches of the NFC squad, as it will be helmed by Mike Smith and the rest of the Falcons staff. The Pro Bowl will be played in two weeks in Hawaii.

The Falcons had a league-leading seven players named to the Pro Bowl squad, announced tonight. That total eclipsed New England (6), Baltimore (5), Dallas (5), Green Bay (5), and Philadelphia (5). The bulk of the Falcons players came on offense with 5 of their Pro Bowlers being named to the NFC squad on that side of the ball. This is the most Pro Bowlers for the Falcons in a single season, eclipsing their 6 players that made it in 1998.

The NFC squad will feature 3 starters from the Falcons, including running back Michael Turner, fullback Ovie Mughelli, and wide receiver Roddy White. Turner leads the NFC in rushing with 1,304 yards and ranks 5th overall in the league. His 11 rushing touchdowns also tie for the conference lead with Adrian Peterson and a tied for third overall in the NFL. It marks Turner’s second stint as a Pro Bowler, as he earned his first bid in 2008, his first year with the Falcons. Much of Turner’s success can be attributed to Mughelli’s fierce lead blocking, which is likely why he was named to the team as the conference’s top fullback. It is Mughelli’s first career Pro Bowl. For the season, Mughelli has 28 rushing yards, 11 receptions, and 1 receiving touchdown. Roddy White leads the league in receptions (109) and is in second place with 1,327 receiving yards behind Denver’s Brandon Lloyd (1,375). White is so far ahead of the curve in the NFC, that the conference’s second leading receiver only has 84 receptions. White also has 9 receiving touchdowns, which is tied for 6th in the conference. White needs only 3 more receptions to eclipse Terance Mathis’s franchise-record 111 receptions in a single season. He only needs 56 more yards to break his own record he set in 2008 for single season receiving yards. It marks White’s third consecutive Pro Bowl bid.

Also making the NFC’s offensive roster is quarterback Matt Ryan and tight end Tony Gonzalez, neither of whom were named starters. Ryan has completed 62.2% of his 539 pass attempts for 3,469 yards, 26 touchdowns, and only 9 interceptions. That gives Ryan a passer rating of 89.8, which only ranks 7th in the conference, but due to the success of the Falcons who sport the conference’s best overall record at 12-3, and because of several come from behind wins and drives led by Ryan gave him the not over some more highly rated passers.

Gonzalez currently has 64 receptions for 603 yards and 5 touchdowns. He ranks 4th in receptions, 6th in yardage, and is tied for 3rd in touchdowns among NFC tight ends. It happens to be the lowest reception and yardage totals for Gonzalez since the 1998 season. This marks the 11th time Gonzalez has been named to the Pro Bowl, but the first time since joining the team a year ago.

On the defensive side of the ball, defensive end John Abraham has been named a starter. Abraham’s 13 sacks ranks him tied for second in the entire league, but first alongside Clay Matthews and DeMarcus Ware in the conference. But it also makes him tied with Jason Babin for the top marks among defensive ends. It’s been a resurgent year for Abraham, after many raised concerns about his ability to produce after a 5.5 sack season a year ago.

Rounding out the Falcons Pro Bowlers is special teams maven Eric Weems. Weems sits atop the NFC with a 27.7 kickoff return average and also ranks highly with his 10.3 punt return average. He also has been one of the Falcons top performers on special teams coverage.

The Pro Bowl will be played on January 30, 2011 in Honolulu.

Roddy White

The league announced today that Falcons receiver Roddy White has been added to the NFC’s Pro Bowl squad, as a replacement for Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice, who withdrew on Monday.

White led the Falcons with 85 receptions for 1,153 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. It will be White’s second appearance in the Pro Bowl after making it for the first time last season.

No Falcons were selected to be part of this year’s Pro Bowl initially.

The NFL announced its Pro Bowl rosters today, which included two Falcon players: running back Michael Turner and wide receiver Roddy White.

Turner currently ranks second in both the NFL and NFC in rushing yards with 1,421 yards. Turner also has a league-high 332 carries and 15 touchdowns.

White ranks fifth in the league and second in the NFC in receptions (82) and first in the NFL in receiving yards (1,320). White has 6 receiving touchdowns as well.