5 Chiefs in the pro bowl

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The National Football League announced on Wednesday that the Kansas City Chiefs will be represented by five players on the 2006 AFC Pro Bowl squad.

G Will Shields and T Willie Roaf will be attending their 11th Pro Bowls, TE Tony Gonzalez will be making his seventh consecutive appearance, G Brian Waters will be making his second trip to Hawaii and RB Larry Johnson was named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad for the first time

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Posted on Thu, Dec. 22, 2005
Five Chiefs off to Hawaii

Johnson will join veterans in Pro Bowl
By ELIZABETH MERRILL

The Kansas City StarBrian Waters treated himself to a hunk of chocolate cake — OK, two hunks. Will Shields acted as if he’d just scratched off another $1 winner in the Missouri Lottery.

Across the room, Larry Johnson slouched in his chair and fiddled with his cell phone while veterans, defensive guys, nearly every guy congratulated him. And if you looked closely, you saw it. Johnson cracked a smile.

The Chiefs’ angst-ridden running back made the Pro Bowl on Wednesday, seven weeks after replacing Priest Holmes and mere months after publicly yearning for more playing time. Johnson quietly soaked it in as four of his teammates — all offensive players — were also selected for a trip to Honolulu.
This is Johnson’s first Pro Bowl, and he earned it in the cold days after Nov. 1, when Holmes was out with a neck injury.
“I think I’m happier for him than for me,” said Waters, who along with Shields, Willie Roaf and Tony Gonzalez will be making a repeat trip to the Pro Bowl. “All of the things he’s had to go through. … He’s knocked down a lot of walls that have been placed around him.”

Johnson declined interview requests Wednesday, saying the local media have hammered him in the bad times and haven’t recognized much of the good. In seven starts, Johnson has put up seven straight 100-yard rushing games, a franchise record. His 1,019 rushing yards are the most in the NFL since Nov. 1, and his 12 rushing touchdowns are tied for first in the league during that period.

In an interview after he ran for a franchise-record 211 yards at Houston last month, Johnson said he cared most about how his teammates perceived him.

“I’d do anything for them dudes,” he said at the time.
On Wednesday, the Chiefs spread the love. Defensive end Jared Allen — who didn’t make the Pro Bowl despite having 10 sacks — was one of the first to congratulate Johnson in the locker room. Coach thingy Vermeil said the selection was a tribute to Johnson and the people who blocked for him.
“But really,” Vermeil said, “to him. To jump in as he’s done after playing part-time and then go full-time and earn the respect of the people, that vote is a tremendous tribute to him and his efforts.”

The guys who block for Johnson weren’t forgotten, either. Roaf and Shields were picked for the 11th time in their careers. Neither looked as if he’d make it by October, when Roaf was trying to come back from a hamstring injury and Shields got off to a slow start trying to help the young guys around him.
Roaf missed six games but was dominant enough in the other eight to get noticed. Shields pondered retirement in the offseason and sat for much of training camp because of back and knee problems.

Waters was the healthiest of the bunch and has started 69 straight games at left guard.

“I think,” Waters said, “we’ve been doing something right.”
Evidently, so has Gonzalez, whose numbers are down but his value is up. Gonzalez, Vermeil said, has established himself as the total package — playmaker and blocker. He had to when Roaf went out in the season opener against the Jets.

“It was probably my best year blocking-wise that I’ve had up to this point,” Gonzalez said. “So I’m proud for that part of it. The other stuff, I’ll pick it up again next year.”

Next year appears to be the biggest question for the NFL’s No. 2 offense and the Chiefs’ Hawaii five. Johnson will be back, but Roaf and Shields have had long thoughts about retirement.
Shields is 34 and has packed 205 straight starts into his career. He said Wednesday that he feels OK — better because he rested during training camp. Roaf appears to have a few miles left in his 320-pound body.

Waters said his linemate is refreshed after the injury. Vermeil said Roaf is still dominating after all these years.

“He’s a one-of-a-kind guy,” Vermeil said. “He’s the biggest, most explosive left tackle in football. There is not another one like him. They’ll be making a bronze thing of his head one day.
“If he wants to, he can probably do it again next year. He’s so gifted. I think he has to make up his mind what he wants to do with his future. But he’s truly a great football player.”