Denver Broncos
The Broncos have been perhaps the most consistent NFL team for producing Pro Bowlers. Since the AFL-NFL merger, only one Pro Bowl has passed without Broncos participation (1980) and the team has seen 51 players combine for 129 appearances on the AFC All-Star squad.
But something is missing from the Broncos' collective Pro Bowl résumé -- an MVP award. No Broncos player has ever earned that honor for a Pro Bowl, not even quarterback John Elway, who appeared in the game a franchise-record nine times (1986-87, 1989, 1991, 1993-94, 1996-98).
Cornerback Willie Brown remains the only Broncos player to earn any kind of all-star honors, but he was named the most outstanding defensive player of the 1964 AFL All-Star Game. All of his Pro Bowl appearances came as a member of the Oakland Raiders.
Some other Broncos Pro Bowl bits to digest as the annual all-star game nears, putting the final touches on the completed 2004 season:
... Elway's final NFL scoring pass was a 3-yard touchdown to Sam Gash in the 1999 Pro Bowl. It was his third touchdown toss in a Pro Bowl game, joining a 10-yarder to the Los Angeles Raiders' Todd Christensen in 1987 and a 22-yarder to Pittsburgh's Eric Green in 1995 ...
... Last year, running back Clinton Portis became the first Broncos player in 32 years to score a Pro Bowl touchdown when he sprinted 23 yards with a pass from Trent Green during the fourth quarter of what would eventually be a 55-52 AFC loss.
Prior to Portis, the only Bronco to score in the game was running back Floyd Little, who found the end zone on a 6-yard run during the AFC's 26-13 win over the NFC on Jan. 23, 1972 ...
... Other than Portis and Little, the only two Broncos to score points in the Pro Bowl are kickers Jason Elam and David Treadwell. Elam has 20 points in three Pro Bowl appearances, while Treadwell scored three points -- all on points after touchdowns -- during the game of February 1990 ...
... Rick Upchurch -- who played in Pro Bowls following the 1976, 1978, 1979 and 1982 seasons -- has returned more punts than anyone else in the history of the Pro Bowl, amassing 13 punt returns in his quartet of games. His 138 yards on those returns ranks second behind former Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons standout Billy "White Shoes" Johnson ...
... John Lynch and Champ Bailey will become the 52nd and 53rd Broncos to represent the club at the Pro Bowl when they take the Aloha Stadium field on Sunday. They are the first players since Mark Schlereth to make the Pro Bowl with the Broncos after qualifying with another team ...
... The presence of Lynch and Bailey means that the Broncos have had at least one defensive Pro Bowler in every game since January 29, 1989. That year, the team's only representative was punter Mike Horan. But this is the second time in three years that the Broncos' offense has bee
