Pro Bowl

The NFL announced its Pro Bowl rosters yesterday and 4 Carolina Panthers were named to the NFC squad. Jordan Gross and Julius Peppers will start while Steve Smith and Jon Beason will have to watch for a half. NC State will also be well represented in Hawaii as Adrian Wilson and Mario Williams were selected.

After being highly criticized for being drafted number 1 overall over Reggie Bush and Vince Young, Super Mario now has 29.5 sacks in only his third year. This season, Bush is averaging 3.8 yards per carry and has 440 receiving yards, accounting for just 6 touchdowns; hardly first pick numbers. And after suffering a minor knee injury in the first game of the season, Vince Young was ousted from his job by 36 year old Kerry Collins. Super Mario doesn't seem like such a terrible pick anymore, does it ESPN?

Former NC State QB Philip Rivers was not selected for this years Pro Bowl. This season, Rivers has thrown for 3,515 yards (3rd in AFC) and 28 touchdowns (tied for the league lead with Drew Brees although Rivers has attempted 119 less passes). He also leads the league with a passer rating of 101.4 and his 11 INTs are less than the three AFC Pro Bowl QBs. Sorry Rivers, no free trip to Hawaii this year. Let's just blame it on the BCS.