Five Ravens Are Pro Bowl Bound

Ray Lewis and Ed Reed named starters and lead a list of five Ravens on AFC team

The Ravens will send five players to the 2009 Pro Bowl, including three starters for the AFC All-Star squad.

Linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed will start on defense, marking Lewis’ 10th trip to Hawaii and Reed’s fifth. Fullback Le'Ron McClain will also start his first ever Pro Bowl appearance. Baltimore will also be represented by linebacker Terrell Suggs and special teamer Brendon Ayanbadejo as backups.

While Ayanbadejo, who earned his third consecutive honor as a specialist, was a key offseason acquisition from the Chicago Bears, all four other players are originally Ravens draft picks.

Lewis, 33, has led the Ravens in tackles in 11 of 14 games this season. The franchise’s second-ever draft pick behind offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden in 1996, Lewis is currently pacing Baltimore with 139 stops, adding three sacks, three interceptions and 11 passes defensed.

Reed is continuing to stake his claim as the top free safety in the NFL, pulling in his 38th and 39th career interceptions in a Week 14 victory over the Washington Redskins. Reed’s 5 picks leads the team, while he’s also returned two thefts for touchdowns, including a league-record 107-yard runback in Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The seven-year veteran has pitched in two fumble recoveries, one of which he took to the end zone.

But while Lewis and Reed are near perennial attendees, and Suggs and Ayanbadejo have appeared in the game, McClain may be the biggest surprise.

A fourth-round draft pick in 2007, the 260-pound McClain took on more featured back duties this year under new offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. Now, he is the Ravens' top rusher with 693 yards on 158 carries, while leading the team with eight touchdowns, seven coming on the ground.

Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who plays a major role in the Ravens' third-ranked rushing defense, was voted a first alternate, while wideout Derrick Mason earned a position as a third alternate.