This season's Pro Bowl voting demonstrates why football is a team game.
The Patriots and Eagles, leaders in the AFC and NFC, each had only two players voted into the league's all-star game, which will be played Feb. 8 in Honolulu.
"You are a little deflated for a few minutes, but then you move on," John Harbaugh, Eagles special-teams coach, said Thursday. "We have bigger and more important things to be concerned with."
The Eagles and Patriots aren't the first winning teams to be snubbed in the voting by fans, players and coaches.
Last season, Tennessee had no Pro Bowl players and used the snub as motivation and made it to the AFC title game. This season, the Titans got four, led by quarterback Steve McNair.
"It is kind of bittersweet, because even though we have one of the best records in the league, we only had two guys get selected," said cornerback Ty Law of the Patriots, whose only other selection was defensive lineman Richard Seymour.
"It's sort of a shame, and it just goes to show you how we still have so little respect across the league."
Quarterback Donovan McNabb and cornerback Troy Vincent were the Eagles on the NFC squad.
One player clearly overlooked was LaDainian Tomlinson of 3-11 San Diego, who leads the NFL in combined yardage. But he finished behind Jamal Lewis of Baltimore, Clinton Portis of Denver and Priest Holmes of Kansas City for running back spots on the AFC team.
"I'm not surprised at all. I expected it," Tomlinson said, adding when he was asked why: "3-11."
Baltimore and Kansas City had the most picks, eight each. The Chiefs' large contingent made coach Dick Vermeil nervous.
"Now we've got to win, because we have good football players," said Vermeil, whose team is 12-2, a tiebreaker behind the Patriots in the AFC.
"I have no place to hide. If we don't win, it's poor coaching."
McNair is joined at quarterback on the AFC squad by Peyton Manning of Indianapolis and Trent Green of Kansas City. Brett Favre of Green Bay and Daunte Culpepper of Minnesota are the other QBs for the NFC.
For the second straight year, starters were not designated. They will be announced later.
Celebration penalties? Maybe
NASHVILLE - Stopping touchdown celebrations like Joe Horn's choreographed cell-phone call probably will be one of the league's top goals in the offseason, the co-chairman of the competition committee said.
"I think there'll be a very aggressive push to try to end this stuff," Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher said. "And it'll be a point of emphasis. There very well may be that we open up the category of unsportsmanlike conduct to include that."
Officials penalized the Saints 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct and the league fined Horn $30,000.
BENGALS: Quarterback Jon Kitna said the league fined him $5,000 for wearing a baseball-style cap marked with a cross. In wearing the cap at his postgame news conferences, Kitna violated a league rule prohibiting the wearing of non-NFL apparel immediately after a game.
BRONCOS: Running back Clinton Portis missed his second straight day of practice because of injuries to his right leg. Hobbled by a sprained knee and high ankle, Portis was listed as questionable on the injury report. Guard Dan Neil was held out of workouts and listed as questionable with a sprained ankle.
BROWNS: The team will honor Hall of Famer Otto Graham on Sunday by wearing No. 14 decals on their helmets in tribute to the late quarterback. Graham, who led the Browns to 10 championship games in 10 seasons, died Wednesday in Sarasota of an aneurysm in his heart.
CHARGERS: Linebacker Ben Leber was fined $7,500 by the league for using his helmet on a hit against Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre.
RAIDERS: Safety Rod Woodson, who was placed on injured reserve Nov.26, had surgery on his injured left knee. No details were given, and Woodson has said he'd like to return next season. Also, quarterback Rich Gannon plans to resume throwing in about six weeks, ahead of schedule after having shoulder surgery last month.
TITANS: The police officer who arrested QB Steve McNair on a drunken-driving charge last spring violated department policy and was suspended for 15 days. Officer Shawn Taylor was suspended after a disciplinary hearing, spokesman Don Aaron said. Taylor, a six-year police veteran, violated the department's prearrest screening policy by improperly telling McNair he would allow him to leave if his breath-alcohol level registered below a certain number. That was after Taylor witnessed physical evidence indicating McNair was impaired. Taylor also violated policy by having copies made of videotapes, most of which documented DUI cases - including McNair's - and storing those tapes at home and showing at least one of them to his wife.
In other news, veteran quarterback Neil O'Donnell rejoined the team after the league approved a deal that the team squeezed under the salary cap.
