From the Green Bay Packers Tuesday:
Represented by seven members of the team, the Green Bay Packers learned Tuesday that wide receiver Greg Jennings, fullback John Kuhn, linebacker Clay Matthews, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, nose tackle B.J. Raji, center Scott Wells and cornerback Charles Woodson were named Pro Bowl selections by the National Football League. Additionally, Kuhn, Matthews, Rodgers and Woodson were named starters for the NFC squad.
The seven players are the most the Packers have had voted into the Pro Bowl since 1967.
Kicker Mason Crosby was named first alternate.
Jennings earns his second consecutive Pro Bowl selection, the first Green Bay wide receiver to be honored in back-to-back seasons since Donald Driver in 2006-07. Jennings leads the team in receptions (67) and ranks No. 2 on the squad in both receiving yards (949) and receiving TDs (nine) despite missing the last two contests with a knee injury.
For Kuhn, it marks the first Pro Bowl selection of his career as he becomes the first Packer fullback to be honored since William Henderson in 2004. Kuhn has accounted for six touchdowns this season (four rushing, two receiving), his second straight season with six total TDs. He has rushed for 73 yards on 28 carries (2.6 avg.) along with 13 receptions for 67 yards (5.2 avg.) this season.
Matthews earns his third career selection as he becomes the first Packer since RB John Brockington (1971-73) to earn Pro Bowl recognition in each of his first three seasons in the league. Matthews leads the team with six sacks, along with 69 tackles (49 solo), and has posted career highs in interceptions (three), forced fumbles (three) and passes defensed (nine).
Raji, a first-round draft choice by the Packers along with Matthews in 2009, earns his first career selection. He is the first Green Bay defensive tackle to be selected to the Pro Bowl since Bob Brown in 1972. Raji is tied for the team lead among defensive linemen with three sacks this season, while adding 40 tackles (18 solo), three passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
For Rodgers, it marks the second Pro Bowl selection of his career (2009) and the first time he has been named the starter for the NFC squad. The seventh-year pro leads the league this season in passer rating (122.5), touchdowns (45) and yards per attempt (9.25), while ranking No. 2 in completion percentage (68.3) and No. 3 in passing yards (4,643). His 45 passing TDs are a single-season franchise record and rank No. 4 in NFL history, while his yardage total ranks No. 1 in team annals.
Wells, a seventh-round draft pick by the Packers in 2004, has earned his first career selection. He is the first Green Bay center to be named to the Pro Bowl since Mike Flanagan in 2003. Wells has started every game for an offense that ranks No. 1 in the league in points scored (34.3), No. 3 in passing yards (297.0) and No. 5 in total yards (395.5).
Woodson has earned his eighth career Pro Bowl bid and fourth straight as a member of the Packers (also four straight years as a starter). He is the first Green Bay cornerback since Herb Adderley (1963-67) to be selected to the Pro Bowl in four consecutive seasons. Woodson is tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions this season and ranks second on the team with 20 passes defensed. The 14th-year pro also has 83 tackles (68 solo), two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Other alternates include linebacker Desmond Bishop, returner Randall Cobb, tight end Jermichael Finley, wide receiver Jordy Nelson, guard Josh Sitton and cornerback Tramon Williams.
Doug Russell has been covering Milwaukee and Wisconsin sports for over 20 years on radio, television, magazines, and now at OnMilwaukee.com.
Over the course of his career, the Edward R. Murrow Award winner and Emmy nominee has covered the Packers in Super Bowls XXXI, XXXII and XLV, traveled to Pasadena with the Badgers for Rose Bowls, been to the Final Four with Marquette, and saw first-hand the entire Brewers playoff runs in 2008 and 2011. Doug has also covered The Masters, several PGA Championships, MLB All-Star Games, and Kentucky Derbys; the Davis Cup, the U.S. Open, and the Sugar Bowl, along with NCAA football and basketball conference championships, and for that matter just about anything else that involves a field (or court, or rink) of play.
Doug was a sports reporter and host at WTMJ-AM radio from 1996-2000, before taking his radio skills to national syndication at Sporting News Radio from 2000-2007. From 2007-2011, he hosted his own morning radio sports show back here in Milwaukee, before returning to the national scene at Yahoo! Sports Radio last July. Doug's written work has also been featured in The Sporting News, Milwaukee Magazine, Inside Wisconsin Sports, and Brewers GameDay.
Doug and his wife, Erika, split their time between their residences in Pewaukee and Houston, TX.
