With Pro Bowl balloting opening Monday it's time to look at what Falcons players may make the annual trek to Hawaii.
Fan balloting will conclude Dec. 20 and NFL players and coaches will place their votes Dec. 22-23. Fans, players and coaches votes each count one-third toward making up the 43-man rosters for the NFC and the AFC.
The NFL was the first professional sports league to offer online voting in 1995. To vote for Falcons players, visit NFL.com's Pro Bowl ballot page.
Through seven weeks of the 2010 season, there's no doubting that wide receiver Roddy White is a Pro Bowl-worthy player. He leads NFC wide receivers in five significant receiving categories. Atlanta head coach Mike Smith recently said his wide receiver is playing as well as any receiver in the league right now, describing his play as a total package of disciplined route running, constant effort, sure hands and run blocking. White stands alone among NFC receivers with 54 receptions, leading the second-place pass catcher by 12. His 747 total yards receiving is an astounding 199 yards ahead of the pack. He leads the NFC in yards/game (106.7), 20-plus-yard receptions (10) and first down receptions (36). The two-time Pro Bowl receiver is tied for second in the NFC with five touchdowns and is tied for second in 40-plus-yard receptions (3). White is distancing placing himself among the elite in the NFC and the NFL and should be a shoo-in for a Pro Bowl nod. A look at every Falcons' starters Pro Bowl nominations: Matt Ryan Quarterback Tied for second in NFC with 12 touchdowns * Tied for third in NFC with 89.6 QB Rating * Tied for third in NFC with fewest interceptions, five. Ryan has 53 more pass attempts than the quarterback tied with him and the three ahead of him * Fourth in NFC with 1,714 passing yards * Sixth in NFC with 61.9 percent completion percentage * Seventh in NFC with 244.9 yards passing/game Michael Turner Running Back Second in NFC with six 20-plus-yard runs * Tied for third in NFC with three rushing touchdowns * Third in NFC with 587 total rushing yards * Tied for third in NFC with 30 first downs * Fourth in NFC with 83.9 yards/game Ovie Mughelli Fullback Blocked for four 100 rushing yard games, including 2 200 rushing games * Blocker in the top-ranked NFC rushing offense, averaging 137.4 yards/game * Tied for fourth in NFC among fullbacks with five receptions Michael Jenkins Wide Receiver Eight receptions for 124 yards * 15.5 yards/catch average is currently 15th among NFC receivers * On pace for 682 yard receiving season Harry Douglas Wide Receiver 15 receptions for 178 yards, one touchdown * On pace for 409 yard receiving season, a career high Tony Gonzalez Tight End Tied for first in NFC with 18 first down catches * Second in NFC with three touchdowns * Tied for fourth in NFC with 29 receptions * Fifth in NFC with 292 total receiving yards Sam Baker Offensive Tackle Started seven games at left tackle * Member of NFC's fifth-ranked offensive line in sacks allowed with 15 * Part of offensive line ranked eight in NFC with 233.4 yards/game * Blocker in No. 1 NFC rushing attack Justin Blalock Offensive Guard Started in 39 consecutive games at left guard, including all seven in 2010 * Member of offensive line that recorded 417 total yards of offense against New Orleans * Member of NFC's fifth-ranked offensive line in sacks allowed with 15 * Part of offensive line ranked eight in NFC with 233.4 yards/game * Blocker in No. 1 NFC rushing attack Todd McClure Center Holds franchise record for 135 consecutive starts * Part of offensive line that gained 221 rushing yards against Arizona * Member of NFC's fifth-ranked offensive line in sacks allowed with 15 * Part of offensive line ranked eight in NFC with 233.4 yards/game * Blocker in No. 1 NFC rushing attack Harvey Dahl Offensive Guard Started all seven games at right guard in 2010 * Recorded fumble recovery against San Francisco, setting up game-winning drive * Member of NFC's fifth-ranked offensive line in sacks allowed with 15 * Part of offensive line ranked eight in NFC with 233.4 yards/game * Blocker in No. 1 NFC rushing attack Tyson Clabo Offensive Tackle Started 50 consecutive games on the offensive line, including all seven at right tackle in 2010 * Blocked for offense that produced 357 total yards against San Francisco * Member of NFC's fifth-ranked offensive line in sacks allowed with 15 * Part of offensive line ranked eight in NFC with 233.4 yards/game * Blocker in No. 1 NFC rushing attack John Abraham Defensive End Tied for third in NFC with six sacks * Member of defensive line allowing a fifth-best 95.9 yards on the ground in the NFC Kroy Biermann Defensive End One sack and 17 tackles on the season * One of two defensive ends in the NFC with an interception returned for a touchdown * Member of defensive line allowing a fifth-best 95.9 yards on the ground in the NFC Peria Jerry Defensive Tackle One sack and three tackles on the season * Member of defensive line allowing a fifth-best 95.9 yards on the ground in the NFC Jonathan Babineaux Defensive Tackle First in NFC among defensive tackles with two forced fumbles * Tied for third in NFC among defensive tackles with two sacks * Member of defensive line allowing a fifth-best 95.9 yards on the ground in the NFC Mike Peterson Outside Linebacker Started in five games for the Falcons at outside linebacker in 2010 * 34 total tackles, one pass defensed, one interception and one forced fumble on the season * One of five outside linebackers in the NFC with at least one interception and one forced fumble Sean Weatherspoon Outside Linebacker Started in four games for the Falcons at outside linebacker in 2010 * 32 total tackles, one sack and one pass defensed in 2010 * Second among NFC rookie linebackers in total tackles, despite missing three games Curtis Lofton Middle Linebacker Tied for fourth in NFC among all linebackers with 58 tackles * Tied for first in NFC among middle linebackers with two sacks * Tied for first in NFC among middle linebackers with two forced fumbles * Fifth in NFC among middle linebackers with two passes defensed Brent Grimes Cornerback Started in 11 consecutive games for the Falcons at corner, including all seven in 2010 * 37 tackles, one interception and seven passes defensed this season * Seventh among NFC cornerbacks in total tackles * Tied for fifth among NFC corners in passes defensed Dunta Robinson Cornerback Started in six games for Atlanta in 2010 * 24 tackles and three passes defensed on the season * Regarded as one of the better corners in the NFC, rarely tested through the air by opposing defenses Thomas DeCoud Free Safety Started in 23 consecutive games for the Falcons, including all seven in 2010 * 49 tackles, one interception and one pass defensed on the season William Moore Strong Safety Second in NFC among strong safeties with three interceptions * Fifth in NFC among strong safeties with three passes defensed * One of four strong safeties with a forced fumble and fumble recovery Matt Bryant Kicker First in NFC with 14 field goals made * Fourth in NFC with 82 percent of field goals made (among kickers with at least 10 attempts) * Among top-five kickers in point afters made, only one has a better field goal percentage and Bryant has two more attempts than that kicker. Michael Koenen Punter Fourth in NFC among punters with 12 punts inside the 20. * First in NFC with 13 fair catches off of punts * Third in NFC with nine returned punts Coy Wire Special Teams Falcons representative on Special Teamer ballot * four special teams tackles in 2010 is tied for team lead * Special teams captain in 2009
