Watt, Brown, Murray, Haden named Pro Bowl captains
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden, Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt will be the active player captains for the 2015 Pro Bowl, the NFL announced Thursday.
Haden and Murray will be paired together, as will Brown and Watt.
The Pro Bowl will played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona on Jan. 25, one week before Super Bowl XLIX.
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The four captains will help determine the rosters for each team, which are named for this year's two alumni team captains, Cris Carter and Michael Irvin. Carter and Irvin will have final say over roster decisions at the Pro Bowl draft on Jan. 21. Each will be assisted by two of the player captains, as well as defensive co-captains John Randle (Team Carter) and Darren Woodson (Team Irvin).
The draft order and active player/alumni captain pairings will be decided during a coin toss at the Pro Bowl Kickoff press conference on Jan. 20.
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The Pro Bowl teams will be coached by the staffs of the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. Coaches from the highest-seeded team to lose in the divisional round of the playoffs are tasked with coaching in the Pro Bowl; that is why Jason Garrett's Cowboys staff is coaching, but John Harbaugh's Ravens staff was selected in place of the Denver Broncos' because head coach John Fox parted ways with the team last week.
- Mike Fiammetta