Joseph to make his first appearance in NFL All-Star event; Foster returns for second year in a row
HOUSTON – Two Houston Texans were named to the 2012 AFC/NFC Pro Bowl, the NFL announced today. Houston RB Arian Foster and CB Johnathan Joseph were selected as reserves. Both will be sent to Honolulu, Hawaii, for the League's feature of the best players on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. CT. This marks the eighth consecutive season that the Texans have had at least one player in the Pro Bowl.
Foster (6-1, 229) followed up his breakout performance in 2010 with another impressive campaign despite battling a hamstring injury through the first three weeks of the season. He leads the NFL in scrimmage yards per game with 141.6, ranks third in the NFL with 1,224 yards rushing and is third among NFL running backs with 617 yards receiving. He is the only running back in the NFL to have two 100-yard receiving games in 2011, doing so against Tampa Bay and Tennessee, and had 78-yard touchdown receptions in both games. Foster has seven 100-yard rushing performances this season, including 155 yards against Pittsburgh's top-ranked defense in Week 4 and 111 yards against Atlanta's eighth-ranked run defense in Week 13. He also ranks third in the AFC with 12 touchdowns from scrimmage
Foster was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October when he averaged 161.8 yards from scrimmage in five highlight-filled games. His performance against Tennessee was one for the ages as he became the fourth player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to score three touchdowns and have more than 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in a single game in the 41-7 win in Week 7. He is just the fifth player since the 1970 merger to accumulate more than 1,000 yards rushing and 600 yards receiving in back-to-back seasons.
Joseph (5-11, 191), who signed with Houston as an unrestricted free agent (from Cincinnati) just prior to training camp, is the first Texans defensive back to earn a trip to the Pro Bowl since CB Aaron Glenn in 2002. The sixth-year veteran led Houston's dramatic turnaround in pass defense with four interceptions and 15 passes defensed. He has registered 44 tackles, including 40 solo stops, and one forced fumble this season. The Texans are tied for second in the NFL in pass defense, giving up 184.0 yards per game. Houston ranked 32nd in 2010, yielding 267.5 yards per game.
Texans OLB Connor Barwin, LT Duane Brown, ILB Brian Cushing, TE Owen Daniels, WR Andre Johnson, KR Jacoby Jones, C Chris Myers, DE Antonio Smith and DE J.J. Watt were named as alternates for the AFC squad.
Houston Texans in the Pro Bowl
Player, Position, Season (Career selection)
Arian Foster, RB, 2011 (Second)
Johnathan Joseph, CB, 2011 (First)
Arian Foster, RB, 2010 (First)
Andre Johnson, WR, 2010 (Fifth)
Vonta Leach, FB, 2010 (First)
Matt Schaub#, QB, 2009 (First)
Brian Cushing, LB, 2009 (First)
Andre Johnson, WR, 2009 (Fourth)
DeMeco Ryans, LB, 2009 (Second)
Mario Williams, DE, 2009 (Second)
Owen Daniels, TE, 2008 (First)
Andre Johnson, WR, 2008 (Third)
Mario Williams, DE, 2008 (First)
DeMeco Ryans, LB, 2007 (First)
Andre Johnson, WR, 2006 (Second)
Jerome Mathis, WR, 2005 (First)
Andre Johnson, WR, 2004 (First)
Aaron Glenn, CB, 2002 (Third)
Gary Walker, DE, 2002 (Second)
* denotes Pro Bowl starter
