PEERMAN AND JONES NAMED TO PRO BOWL,
RAISING BENGALS TOTAL TO EIGHT ON ROSTER
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Bengals HB Cedric Peerman and CB Adam Jones have been named to roster spots for the Pro Bowl, the NFL announced today. Their additions raise the Cincinnati total for the game to eight players, second-most in franchise history behind the nine-player total of the 1988 season.
It's the first Pro Bowl nod for both Peerman, a sixth-year player in 2015, and for Jones, a ninth-year pro this past season.
Peerman, named to the game as a special teams coverage player and blocker, was a first alternate in December's voting for the Pro Bowl. He replaces Matthew Slater of New England (injured). Peerman led the Bengals by six in special teams tackles in 2015, posting 17. It was his second straight season to lead the team, and he raised his career total to 69.
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Peerman's 2015 coverage, which included 13 solo tackles, led the Bengals to a No. 3 NFL ranking in opponents' average drive start on kickoffs. Cincinnati's opponent average of the 20.2-yard line was just three-tenths of a point off the league lead of 19.9 posted by Buffalo.
Peerman began his NFL career as a sixth-round draft choice by Baltimore in 2009. He has played all six of his officially accrued seasons with Cincinnati.
Jones has played six of his nine NFL seasons with Cincinnati. He missed two games due to injury in 2015 but ranked second on the team in interceptions (three) and third in passes defensed (12). He had 62 tackles, including a sack, and he had one forced fumble. He also averaged 23.5 yards on 10 kickoff returns and 11.2 yards on 16 punt returns. He led the NFL in kickoff returns (Bengals-record 31.3-yard average) in 2014.
Jones had key plays this season in Bengals wins at Oakland (forced fumble), at Baltimore (INT) and vs. Seattle (punt returns). He was voted a seventh alternate and replaces Patrick Peterson of Arizona (injured).
The six Bengals named previously to the Pro Bowl are DT Geno Atkins, WR A.J. Green, TE Tyler Eifert, S Reggie Nelson, OT Andrew Whitworth and DE Carlos Dunlap. Dunlap was added as a first alternate, and the other five were voted directly into the game.
The Bengals would have had a ninth player, QB Andy Dalton, in the game, had Dalton been medically cleared to play. Dalton was a first alternate and would have been added, as not all the voted QBs will play. But unlike players originally voted in, alternates are not credited with an official Pro Bowl selection if they are unable to participate.
The Pro Bowl will be played this Sunday (Jan. 31) at 7 p.m. (ET) at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. It will be televised live on ESPN.
For the third consecutive year, the Pro Bowl will be "unconferenced." Instead of the AFC vs. NFC matchup that was previously the format, players and alternates were selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players. Players will be assigned to opposing teams during the 2016 Pro Bowl Draft, to be televised tomorrow night on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET.
The teams will be known as Team Irvin and Team Rice, after Hall of Fame wide receivers Michael Irvin and Jerry Rice, who will serve as alumni team captains and head the draft selection process for each of their squads.
