Four Baltimore Ravens were voted to the Pro Bowl, the NFL announced Friday night. OLB Terrell Suggs, DT Haloti Ngata, G Marshal Yanda and K Justin Tucker were selected to play in the NFL's All-Star game, which will be held on Jan. 26, 2014, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii (7 p.m. ET, NBC telecast).
Under this season's new selection format, participants were chosen without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players. Selected players will be assigned to teams through the Pro Bowl Draft, which will air on Jan. 22, 2014 (8 p.m. ET, NFL Network).
Each roster this year consists of 43 players per squad. The kick return specialist has been eliminated and replaced by an additional defensive back.
Below are the Ravens' 2013 Pro Bowlers:
OLB Terrell Suggs (6th Pro Bowl Invite)
Entering Week 17 this season, Suggs ties for 14th in the NFL with a team-high 10 sacks (-48 yards), marking his fifth-career 10-sack campaign. In Week 5 at Miami, the 11-year veteran tied a Ravens' franchise record by notching a sack in his fifth-consecutive contest. (Paul Kruger – 2012 and Adalius Thomas – 2005 & 2006 also each had five-game-sack stretches.) Owning a franchise-record 94.5 sacks, Suggs has also posted 79 tackles and one fumble recovery this season.
"This is awesome, and I have to thank God for blessing me again," Suggs stated. "I also have to thank the most amazing fans in the world for voting. I can't thank them enough. I also want thank coach Harbaugh and my teammates for the constant push, and I must give a special credit to coach [Ted] Monachino for the outstanding coaching. But most of all, I have to thank my brother, Haloti Ngata, for being a great teammate and an even better friend."
DT Haloti Ngata (5th Pro Bowl Invite)
Earning the fifth Pro Bowl honor of his career, Ngata has produced 46 tackles, 1.5 sacks (-12 yards) and three passes defensed in 14 games. The eight-year veteran has helped anchor a Ravens' defense that ranks ninth in the NFL in both rushing yards (105.1) and total net yards (331.7) allowed per game this season. Dating back to 2006 when Ngata entered the NFL, the Ravens have permitted the NFL's third-fewest rushing yards per game (92.9).
"I've been blessed with so much, and I'm very thankful to be recognized as one of the NFL's top players," Ngata said. "I'm also thankful for my teammates and coaches who have helped me get there. But more than anything, I want to thank my wife and kids, who make my life easier off the football field by being so supportive."
G Marshal Yanda (3rd Pro Bowl Invite)
The seven-year veteran earned his third-consecutive Pro Bowl, continuing to serve as a stabilizing force on the Ravens' offensive line. With Yanda's blocking efforts, QB Joe Flacco has set single-season franchise records in passing attempts (564) and completions (332), and he is 98 yards shy of setting a career high in passing yards (currently has 3,720). Yanda has also helped WR Torrey Smith produce a career-high 62 catches for 1,101 receiving yards, with Smith now 101 yards short of setting a new single-season team record.
K Justin Tucker (1st Pro Bowl Invite)
In his second NFL season, Tucker's 35 field goals made tie (Matt Stover, 2000) for the most in Ravens single-season history. His 35 makes and 38 attempts this year are also league highs entering Week 17. Impressively, Tucker (131 points) needs just five points to set a Ravens' single-season record, which would break Stover's mark of 135 from 2000. Tucker's 131 points in 2013 are the NFL's sixth most entering the season's final week, while his 92.1 field goal percentage ranks seventh best.
In the Ravens' 18-16 win at Detroit (Dec. 16), Tucker was 6-for-6 on field goal attempts, posting a franchise-record 61-yard game-winner. It marked the sixth-overall game-winner of his career (five regular season and one playoff). The six successful boots at Detroit set a single-game team record and are the most in an NFL game this season. In that contest against the Lions, Tucker became the first NFL kicker ever to connect from the 20-, 30-, 40-, 50- and 60-yard range in a game.
"What an incredible honor it is to be recognized like this by the players, coaches and fans of the NFL," Tucker stated. "I am truly blessed to represent such a world-class organization, the Baltimore Ravens, and all of our fans who make up Ravens Nation. I will forever be thankful to the Ravens for giving me a chance to come in and compete for a job after going undrafted last year.
"My gratitude extends to so many who have aided me on this journey, especially John Harbaugh, Jerry Rosburg, Randy Brown, Morgan Cox, Sam Koch and all my teammates. I am truly blessed and very thankful for this."
Leach First Alternate
One Raven who did not make the Pro Bowl but was selected as a first alternate is FB Vonta Leach. Leach would receive an invitation if a player in front of him cannot attend due to injury or Super Bowl participation.
