The Jets' representation at this year's Pro Bowl in a week and a half has risen to five players with the announcement today that running back Chris Ivory will be playing in his first NFL all-star game.
Ivory, a first alternate at RB when the original Pro Bowl roster was released Dec. 22, has been named to replace the Buffalo Bills' LeSean McCoy, who is unable to participate in the Jan. 31 game at Aloha Stadium in Hawai'i due to an injury.
Ivory joins the three Jets named to the original roster — DE Muhammad Wilkerson, CB Darrelle Revis and WR Brandon Marshall — plus Nick Mangold, the first alternate at center who was named to replace the Dolphins' Mike Pouncey due to injury on Jan. 7.
The last time the Jets had five players in the Pro Bowl was after the 2009 NFL season, and the last time they had more named to the game was the seven players voted to play in the game after the '08 season.
Ivory has been inching ever closer to gaining the Pro Bowl berth that he finally has achieved. He set a career high with 1,070 rushing yards — which also made him the American Conference's leading rusher — on 247 carries for a 4.3-yard average and seven touchdowns for the 2015 Jets. He also added 217 yards and a TD on 30 receptions, giving him a career-high 1,287 yards from scrimmage.
The game, set for Sunday, Jan. 31, and televised live on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET, will remain "unconferenced," with several key playing rules changed. Players were selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players and will be assigned to teams via the Pro Bowl Draft, which will be televised nationally on Wednesday, Jan. 27, on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
