Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning received 1,183,468 votes to lead NFL All-Stars in fan balloting for the 2007 Pro Bowl, the NFL announced. Presented by Sprint, 2007 Pro Bowl voting on NFL.com, in stadiums and via Sprint and Nextel wireless service ended on Dec. 15.
There were 69.8 million votes cast on NFL.com and via the Sprint and Nextel wireless service. Included in the tally was a record 2.35 million mobile votes via Sprint and Nextel wireless -- 400,000 more mobile votes cast than last year.
The AFC and NFC All-Star squads are made up of the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group's vote counts one-third towards determining the 43-man rosters that represent the American Football Conference and National Football Conference in the Pro Bowl. The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its all-star teams. It was the first professional sports league to offer online all-star voting in 1995.
San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (1,111,684 votes) ranked second overall while New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (907,656), New York Giants running back Tiki Barber (882,594) and Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson (772,732) rounded out the top five.
In addition to casting ballots on NFL.com and in stadiums, fans cast their Pro Bowl ballot by sending the text message "PRO" to 7777 from a phone with Sprint or Nextel wireless service and voting for their favorite players at select positions.
Fans who voted for their Pro Bowl players were able to enter for a chance to win a Pro Bowl trip in the 2007 NFL Pro Bowl Sweepstakes presented by Sprint. The grand prize includes an all-expense paid five-day, four-night trip for the winner and three friends to the Pro Bowl in Honolulu. In addition to air transportation, ground transportation, hotel accommodations and four game tickets, the winner and guests will experience an insider tour of the sidelines and locker room at Aloha Stadium.
