The National Football League announced today that quarterback Robert Griffin III, left tackle Trent Williams and linebacker/special teams ace Lorenzo Alexander have been selected to the 2013 NFC Pro Bowl roster.
The annual contest of the AFC and NFC's best will take place on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
In addition, linebacker London Fletcher and running back Alfred Morris were selected as alternates. They will fill the role of any selected players that are not able to attend the game.
The Redskins selected Griffin III, 22, with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft last April. Despite being inactive in Week 15, Griffin III has completed 249-of-375 passes (66.4 percent) for 3,100 yards with 20 touchdowns and only five interceptions for a passer rating of 104.1.
Griffin III already holds at least a share of team rookie records for passing attempts, pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns, and is on pace to set team rookie records for completion percentage and passer rating.
In addition, he has rushed 114 times for 752 yards with six rushing touchdowns this season, all three of which are team records for a quarterback. His 6.6 yards per carry averages leads the NFL among players with at least 100 rushing attempts.
Griffin III is the first rookie quarterback selected to the Pro Bowl in Redskins history. Prior to 2012, only six rookie quarterbacks in NFL history had been named to the Pro Bowl, an honor that he accepted, but did not hold over the accomplishments of the team.
"It's an honor. You can't play down those kind of things," Griffin III said Wednesday afternoon. "I've always said my whole football career that you don't play for awards—those just come. You don't say that you're going to win the Heisman. You don't say that you're going to be MVP.
"You go out and prove it on the field, and if everyone feels that way, then they give you that award. It certainly is an honor, especially as a rookie. But team success comes first, so I don't play for awards."
Griffin III is the first offensive rookie for the Redskins to be selected to the Pro Bowl since running back Larry Brown in 1969. Griffin III is the first Redskins quarterback of any experience level to earn a Pro Bowl selection since Brad Johnson following the 1999 season.
His Pro Bowl selection is the 21st by a Redskins quarterback, joining Johnson, Gus Frerotte (1996), Mark Rypien (1989, 91), Jay Schroader (1986), Joe Theismann (1982-83), Billy Kilmer (1972), Sonny Jurgensen (1964, 66-67, 69), Norm Snead (1963), Eddie LeBaron (1955, 57-58), Al Dorrow (1956), Harry Gilmer (1950, 52) and Sammy Baugh (1951).
Williams, 24 is in his second season as an offensive captain for the Redskins. The first player drafted during head coach Mike Shanahan's tenure in Washington, Williams has blossomed into one of the league's elite left tackles in his first three seasons after being selected No. 4 overall in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Williams anchors an offensive line that has helped the Redskins average a league-leading 162.3 yards per game this season. He has helped rookie running back Alfred Morris shatter team rookie rushing records, as well as bring Morris within 104 yards of breaking the Redskins' single-season rushing record.
Despite fighting several significant injuries throughout the season, Williams is one start away from having started all 16 games in a season for the first time in his career.
"It's pretty special for me to be able to make it into the Pro Bowl. Obviously, it's a very, very special accomplishment," Williams told the media this afternoon. "Before the season, no one would have put me here, and it's just hard work. It's pretty special."
Williams becomes the first Redskins' offensive lineman selected to the Pro Bowl since Chris Samuels in 2008. With Williams's first Pro Bowl selection and Samuels's six career selections, the Redskins' last seven Pro Bowl offensive linemen have all been left tackles.
Williams's selection is the 14th by a Redskins offensive tackle since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, joining Samuels (2001-02, 05-08), Jim Lachey (1990-91), Mark May (1988) and Joe Jacoby (1983-86).
Alexander, 29, is in his third season as Washington's special teams captain. The two-time team recipient for Walter Payton Man of the Year has played eight different positions in six NFL seasons, but has earned acclaim as one of the top special teams players in the NFL.
This season, Alexander has been credited by coaches with a team-high 29 special teams tackles. His 19 special teams tackles, as credited by STATS, LLC are the most in the NFL.
Alexander is the first Redskin since long snapper Ethan Albright (2007) selected to the Pro Bowl on the basis of special teams play. As far as his head coach is concerned, Alexander is a logical pick that has been snubbed for several years running.
"For the last two years, I'm surprised he has been in the Pro Bowl," Shanahan said of Alexander. "But if you can play as consistent as he has in the last couple years, I think he would make it. I'll be honest with you: I'll be surprised if he doesn't because he's been such a dominating force on special teams.
"Coaches eventually see guys that make plays and he's been doing that this year, when he's been double-teamed and sometimes triple-teamed. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him."
With the Redskins' selections this year, the team has had at least one Pro Bowl player for 19-straight seasons. The only year Washington has not had a Pro Bowler in team history was 1993.
Shanahan has not coached players responsible for 73 Pro Bowl selections during his tenure as an NFL head coach. Shanahan has had at least one player selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his 19 seasons at the helm.
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