Tennessee Players Active In Pro Bowl

The state of Tennessee was well represented at the Pro Bowl on Sunday in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Former Tennessee Vols Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts), Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys), Albert Haynesworth (Tennessee Titans) and Chad Clifton (Green Bay Packers) all played Sunday.

Manning started for the AFC and completed 11-of-16 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown pass to Cincinnati's T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the first quarter.

Witten had three receptions for 38 yards, with a long of 24.

Haynesworth made one tackle and Clifton saw most of his action at left guard in the second half for the NFC squad, which won 42-30.

The other two Titans in the game were productive. Rob Bironas (Tennessee Titans) kicked field goals of 33, 28, and 48 yards for the AFC. Kyle Vanden Bosch (Tennessee Titans) had two tackles including one sack of Tony Romo.

NFC Rookie of the Year Patrick Willis (San Francisco 49ers) is from Bruceton, TN. The former Ole Miss star linebacker made one tackle, but enjoyed his first trip to the Pro Bowl.

He said the players never let him forget in practice all week that he was a first-timer.

“Yeah, they let me know I'm a rookie every day,” he said. “They remind me I need to take every rep, no matter what. It's all fun and games. That's what you have to do when you go through it as a rookie.”

Former Chattanooga Mocs star Terrell Owens was one of the factors in the NFC coming back to win the game.

Owens led the NFC with eight catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

One of the catches was a 34-yard pass from fellow Cowboy Tony Romo that helped spark the NFC comeback.

However, before that play T.O. heard the boos after a two ugly drops.

“It's not how you start, it's how you finish,” Owens said.

NFC players won $40,000, which Owens said made the trip to the islands even better.

"Hopefully they'll continue to play it over here and we will continue to make some highlight plays," he said.