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Ratliff Among Five Cowboys Headed to Pro Bowl
By Rob Phillips, Dallascowboys.comDecember 16, 2008
IRVING, Texas - Jay Ratliff never fished publicly for a Pro Bowl selection. So maybe it's ironic that the Cowboys' nose tackle reeled in a 50-pound blue catfish with his younger brother Willie and guide Steve Schiele when he got word of his first trip to Hawaii.
"That was the biggest one I ever caught in my life," Ratliff said Tuesday. "Fishing is something I just love to do."
So is chasing quarterbacks. In that sense, Ratliff got the best of both worlds - league-wide recognition as one of the NFL's best nose tackles, and a catch on Lake Lewisville that eclipsed the 43-pound fish he once caught with his father.
Ratliff joins four other Cowboys named to the initial NFC Pro Bowl squad - linebacker DeMarcus Ware, tight end Jason Witten, guard Leonard Davis and center Andre Gurode. Davis has been selected as a reserve and the other four will start the Feb. 8 all-star game in Honolulu.
The Cowboys' five selections tied for the third-most among the 32 NFL teams. The New York Jets are sending a league-high seven players, followed by six each from the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings. Pro Bowl voting is split equally in thirds among NFL fans, coaches and players.
The Cowboys sent an NFL-record 13 players to last year's Pro Bowl, but they'll gladly trade Tuesday's smaller selection size for a deep playoff run. At 9-5, they're currently in position for the NFC's top wild-card spot entering Saturday's nationally-televised game against the Baltimore Ravens.
"There're lots of guys that go to the Pro Bowl but then they never win a Super Bowl," Ratliff said. "My main thing is still my main thing. I want to win a Super Bowl."
No matter how this topsy-turvy season ends, at least five Cowboys starters - pending potential alternates - will represent the NFC. Four players - Witten, Gurode, Ware and Davis - were part of the record-breaking group in 2007 that helped the Cowboys capture their first NFC East title since 1998.
Ware, a three-time selection, headlines this year's class as a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year and perhaps the NFL MVP award. He needs four sacks in the Cowboys' final two games to break Michael Strahan's single-season league record.
"I take it a game at the time, to tell you the truth," Ware said. "It's all about wins at the end of the day and I try to do what I need to do to contribute to the team."
Witten earned his fifth straight selection despite a myriad of injuries, most notably a slightly separated right shoulder (suffered in Week 2 against the Eagles) and a fractured rib (suffered in Week 8 against the Buccaneers). He has a team-high 69 catches for 815 yards and three touchdowns, and now ties Jay Novacek for the most Pro Bowl appearances by a Cowboys tight end.
Ratliff, a first-time selection, has developed into a star since arriving in 2005 as a seventh-round pick out of Auburn. He leads the defense in quarterback pressures (28) and is tied for second in sacks (7) in his first full season as a starter.
"I never really sat back and really looked at that," Ratliff said of his draft position. "All I can say it's a blessing. It's definitely a blessing."
Davis and Gurode are making their second and third appearances, respectively. Gurode reached his first Pro Bowl in 2006, and Davis' free-agent arrival in 2007 further strengthened the offensive line.
Notable omissions include quarterback Tony Romo, who leads the NFC with a 98.3 passer rating (3,013 yards, 24 touchdowns, 11 interceptions) despite missing three games with a fractured right little finger; linebackers Bradie James and Zach Thomas, who have 329 team-credited tackles between them; and cornerback Terence Newman, who has helped spark the defense's resurgence in the five games since his return from sports hernia surgery.
The league does not disclose alternates, but two of the NFC's three offensive tackles (Seattle's Walter Jones and Washington's Chris Samuels) are out for the season. Cowboys tackles Marc Colombo and Flozell Adams, a four-time selection, have played well this year.
Tuesday's announcement snapped Cowboys safety Roy Williams' streak of five straight Pro Bowls. Williams is on injured reserve with a fractured forearm.
"That was the biggest one I ever caught in my life," Ratliff said Tuesday. "Fishing is something I just love to do."
So is chasing quarterbacks. In that sense, Ratliff got the best of both worlds - league-wide recognition as one of the NFL's best nose tackles, and a catch on Lake Lewisville that eclipsed the 43-pound fish he once caught with his father.
Ratliff joins four other Cowboys named to the initial NFC Pro Bowl squad - linebacker DeMarcus Ware, tight end Jason Witten, guard Leonard Davis and center Andre Gurode. Davis has been selected as a reserve and the other four will start the Feb. 8 all-star game in Honolulu.
The Cowboys' five selections tied for the third-most among the 32 NFL teams. The New York Jets are sending a league-high seven players, followed by six each from the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings. Pro Bowl voting is split equally in thirds among NFL fans, coaches and players.
The Cowboys sent an NFL-record 13 players to last year's Pro Bowl, but they'll gladly trade Tuesday's smaller selection size for a deep playoff run. At 9-5, they're currently in position for the NFC's top wild-card spot entering Saturday's nationally-televised game against the Baltimore Ravens.
"There're lots of guys that go to the Pro Bowl but then they never win a Super Bowl," Ratliff said. "My main thing is still my main thing. I want to win a Super Bowl."
No matter how this topsy-turvy season ends, at least five Cowboys starters - pending potential alternates - will represent the NFC. Four players - Witten, Gurode, Ware and Davis - were part of the record-breaking group in 2007 that helped the Cowboys capture their first NFC East title since 1998.
Ware, a three-time selection, headlines this year's class as a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year and perhaps the NFL MVP award. He needs four sacks in the Cowboys' final two games to break Michael Strahan's single-season league record.
"I take it a game at the time, to tell you the truth," Ware said. "It's all about wins at the end of the day and I try to do what I need to do to contribute to the team."
Witten earned his fifth straight selection despite a myriad of injuries, most notably a slightly separated right shoulder (suffered in Week 2 against the Eagles) and a fractured rib (suffered in Week 8 against the Buccaneers). He has a team-high 69 catches for 815 yards and three touchdowns, and now ties Jay Novacek for the most Pro Bowl appearances by a Cowboys tight end.
Ratliff, a first-time selection, has developed into a star since arriving in 2005 as a seventh-round pick out of Auburn. He leads the defense in quarterback pressures (28) and is tied for second in sacks (7) in his first full season as a starter.
"I never really sat back and really looked at that," Ratliff said of his draft position. "All I can say it's a blessing. It's definitely a blessing."
Davis and Gurode are making their second and third appearances, respectively. Gurode reached his first Pro Bowl in 2006, and Davis' free-agent arrival in 2007 further strengthened the offensive line.
Notable omissions include quarterback Tony Romo, who leads the NFC with a 98.3 passer rating (3,013 yards, 24 touchdowns, 11 interceptions) despite missing three games with a fractured right little finger; linebackers Bradie James and Zach Thomas, who have 329 team-credited tackles between them; and cornerback Terence Newman, who has helped spark the defense's resurgence in the five games since his return from sports hernia surgery.
The league does not disclose alternates, but two of the NFC's three offensive tackles (Seattle's Walter Jones and Washington's Chris Samuels) are out for the season. Cowboys tackles Marc Colombo and Flozell Adams, a four-time selection, have played well this year.
Tuesday's announcement snapped Cowboys safety Roy Williams' streak of five straight Pro Bowls. Williams is on injured reserve with a fractured forearm.