With Super Bowl out of sight, San Francisco 49ers eyeing the Pro Bowl game – NFL News
Now that the San Francisco 49ers are not going to play in the Super Bowl XVLI, the players are supposed to be gearing up for the Pro Bowl game, which is scheduled to be played at the Aloha Stadium in Hawaii on Sunday, January 29, 2012.
The 49ers lost against the New York Giants in the National Football Conference (NFC) championship game, but they have proved their mettle in this National Football League (NFL) season.
The 49ers reached the playoffs first time since 2002, thanks to the first-year coach, Jim Harbaugh, who led the side impressively and finished the regular season with 13 victories and three defeats to top the NFC West division.
Their spectacular performance was bona fide by the league when it announced the Pro Bowl squad.
The Pro Bowl is an all-star game, which features the best players from each conference, selected through a voting process involving opinions of coaches, players and fans.
San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots were the only two franchises that had as many as eight of their players selected for the Pro Bowl squad.
The 49ers’ players that were included in the NFC squad were safety Dashon Goldson, tackle Joe Staley, running back Frank Gore, inside linebacker Patrick Willis, kicker David Akers, punter Andy Lee, defensive tackle Justin Smith and cornerback Carlos Rogers.
If a team qualifies for the Super Bowl, its players cannot take part in the Pro Bowl and since the 49ers are out, all the eight players have got an opportunity to represent the NFC against the AFC Pro Bowl team.
A day before the game against the Giants, Rogers had expressed a desire to play in the Super Bowl rather than the Pro Bowl.
“I’ve never been this far. Only been to a second-round game and lost. I didn’t take it for granted but always thought I’d have the opportunity to come back and play in another playoff game. Guys don’t hardly ever go to the playoffs (much less) the championship
game, whatever side you’re on. Guys who’ve been here five and six years haven’t been to the playoffs. So it’s a blessing and an unbelievable feeling and we’re trying to take full advantage of it.”
However, now the case is different. Unfortunately, the 49ers lost against the Giants in overtime, but they should not be remorseful as reaching this far in the competition is itself a commendable achievement.
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