The NFL is mixing it up with the Pro Bowl this year. It's being played the week before the Super Bowl, not the week after. And it won't be in Honolulu, it's being played in the Super Bowl host city of Miami.
So no Hawaiian vacation, but still a terrific honor for a handful of Raiders and 49ers named to the Pro Bowl Tuesday. The 49ers scored three invites, with linebacker Patrick Willis, tight end Vernon Davis, and punter Andy Lee being named to the NFC squad.
On the Raiders' side, Nnamdi Asomugha -- the top-ranked cornerback in Madden '10 -- was named to the AFC squad, as was Oakland punter Shane Lechler.
Dudes the Bay Area is like a punter's mecca these days.
More good news for you, Raiders fans. Defensive end Richard Seymour and tight end Zach Miller were named as alternates to the AFC roster, according to a press release at Raiders.com.
So there could be as many as seven combined Raiders and 49ers playing Jan. 31 in Miami at the Pro Bowl. For the once again playoff-less 49ers and Raiders franchises, the Pro Bowl is our Super Bowl.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who's still going to submit expense reports from Honolulu for the weekend of the Pro Bowl anyway, just to see if it maybe works.
