The NFL Pro Bowl scheduled for this coming Sunday has a new format that eliminated the traditional AFC versus NFC theme. That resulted in the Miami Dolphins having players drafted onto both teams, according to the official roster available at ESPN.
Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders drafted the teams in a two-day event that resembled a fantasy team draft.
On Team Rice will be Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake, while his teammates cornerback Brent Grimes, punter Brandon Fields and center Mike Pouncey will suit up for Team Sanders. According to The Palm Beach Post, this will be the third Pro Bowl appearance for Wake. As for Grimes, this is his second career Pro Bowl. Pouncey and Fields will both head to Hawaii for the first time in their NFL careers.
Here are some quotes from the Dolphins' Pro Bowlers:
Fields: “It hasn’t quite hit me yet."
Grimes: "This selection means a lot, especially coming off last year."
Pouncey, in reference to the rest of the Miami linemen: “Everything that we have been through this year, all the adversity, I wish that all those guys come out to the Pro Bowl and play with me.”
Wake: "Hopefully now we’re getting a little bit more of a reputation, a little bit more of recognition, and people are taking the time to see, you know what? This Dolphin team has great football players."
The players were known as Pro Bowlers as of Friday, Dec. 27 but until Wednesday night's draft, they didn't know which roster they would play on. Voting was done in a joint effort by coaches, players and fans. That all set the stage for Rice and Sanders to make their selections.
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The Dolphins ended the 2013 season on a sour note, losing to the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in consecutive weeks where one win would've sent them to the playoffs. Sunday's game will enable a lot of viewers to see some of the talented players in Miami that they may not have known about it before.
The Pro Bowl will air on NBC Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
