Brady, Newton top fan balloting for NFL Pro Bowl

New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady topped fan voting announced Thursday for the NFL's Pro Bowl exhibition, narrowly edging Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

Brady received 701,554 votes by fans while Newton received 701,086.

The other top vote-getters among quarterbacks were the Cincinnati Bengals' Andy Dalton, the Arizona Cardinals' Carson Palmer and the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers.

Final selections for the Pro Bowl are determined by a combination of votes from fans, coaches and players, with the results to be announced on Tuesday.

The Pro Bowl will be played in Honolulu on January 31.

Plenty of those fans who voted for Brady and Newton will no doubt be hoping they won't actually be in it, but will instead be preparing for a Super Bowl 50 showdown on February 7 in San Francisco.

Eight Panthers players finished top the voting at their positions: fullback Mike Tolbert, guard Trai Turner, center Ryan Kalil, outside linebacker Thomas Davis, inside linebacker Luke Kuechly, cornerback Josh Norman, free safety Kurt Coleman and special teams player Joe Webb.

New England had three players voted number one at their positions: Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski and kicker Stephen Gostkowski.

Devonta Freeman of the Atlanta Falcons edged the Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson for the top spot among running backs. The New York Giants' Odell Beckham Jr. and the Pittsburgh Steelers' Antonio Brown finished one and two among wide receivers.
Source: AFP