Quarterback Tom Brady, wide receiver Wes Welker, tight end Rob Gronkowski, guard Logan Mankins, defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, linebacker Jerod Mayo and special teams standout Matthew Slater were all selected by their peers, NFL coaches and fans. New England hopes that history repeats itself since the Patriots didn't have to send anybody to Hawaii in 2012 since they were in the Super Bowl the next Sunday against the Giants.
Gronkowski, Mankins, Wilfork and Mayo are the starters of that group and the Patriots had the third most selections of any team in the NFL. The 49ers (9) and Texans (8)-two teams they saw up close in recent weeks at Gillette Stadium-were the other squads most heavily represented.
This is the eighth time Brady has made it, one shy of John Hannah's team record, and fourth year in a row. Mankins, Welker and Wilfork are going for the fifth time while Gronkowski, Mayo and Slater each were named to the AFC roster for the second time in their careers.
One of the things that makes football so great is that it is the epitome of a team sport. It takes many solid players to get anywhere so while these particular guys all deserved to be singled out for their excellent seasons, I take this more of an indication that it's been a great year for the Patriots.
New England (11-4) hosts Miami (7-8) on Sunday afternoon (4:25 p.m., CBS) in the final game of the 2012 regular season. The playoff scenarios are pretty simple for the Pats: if they win and either Houston or Denver loses, they get the No. 2 seed in the AFC. If they win and both the Texans and Broncos lose, they get the No. 1 seed. However if both of those teams win, it doesn't matter what the Patriots do because they won't get a bye in the first round.
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