A trio of Ravens defenders will head down to Orlando this week to participate in the Pro Bowl.
Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley and Eric Weddle are all playing in the league's annual all-star game, which will include a week full of festivities that begins Wednesday morning.
This year's game will take place Sunday at 3 p.m. and will be the traditional AFC vs. NFC format. The teams will also hold light practices each day leading up to the game – they are basically walk-throughs without pads or* *full contact – and those sessions are a relaxing atmosphere where players can have some fun with their peers around the league.
We will have a crew at practice each day to catch up with Suggs, Weddle and Mosley, as well as provide some behind-the-scenes wired content.
Here's the rundown of events throughout the week:
Wednesday
10:45-11:45 a.m.: AFC practice
10:30-11:30 a.m.: NFC practice
Thursday
11:45-12:45 a.m.: AFC practice
11:30-12:30 a.m.: NFC practice
8 p.m.: NFL Skills Challenge airs at 8 p.m. on ESPN
Friday11:45-12:45 a.m.: AFC practice
11:30-12:30 a.m.: NFC practice
Sunday
3 p.m.: Pro Bowl kickoff
3 Storylines to Watch
Suggs Returns to the Game
This will be the seventh Pro Bowl for the great Ravens linebacker, but it's his first trip since 2013. The veteran defender is well respected by fellow players, and this week will be a chance for him to re-connect with some of the other top players in the league. Suggs is also nearing the end of his career and understands that Pro Bowls are hard to come by, so he'll likely look to soak up each moment as much as possible.Â
Steelers Coaching Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his staff will coach the AFC team this year, and it will be interesting to see the interactions he has with Ravens. Suggs will undoubtedly find opportunities to chide Pittsburgh's coach throughout the week. In addition to Tomlin, the Steelers have a large contingency making the trip. They had 10 players selected as participants or alternates, and that list includes quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le'Veon Bell. It will be strange to see Roethlisberger lined up as teammates alongside the Ravens defenders who are usually tasked with taking him down.
Mosley Participates in Skills Challenge
The league debuted a new element to the Pro Bowl week last year by holding a skills challenge and a dodgeball game. The Ravens didn't have any participants in either event last year, but that will change this week as Mosley participates in the skills challenge. It's unclear exactly what the challenge will entail, but the versatile fourth-year linebacker will have a chance to show off his talents in the competition.
