LINEBACKERS LONDON FLETCHER, RYAN KERRIGAN NAMED TO PRO BOWL

The National Football League announced tonight that linebackers London Fletcher and Ryan Kerrigan have been selected to the 2013 Pro Bowl. The annual contest of the AFC and NFC's best will take place Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. Fletcher and Kerrigan will take the places of San Francisco 49ers linebackers Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith, respectively.

Fletcher and Kerrigan join special teamer/linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, quarterback Robert Griffin III and tackle Trent Williams as the team’s Pro Bowl selections for the 2012 season. The 2012 season marks the first time the Redskins have had five Pro Bowl selections since 1996.

Fletcher, 37, will appear in his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl, making him the first Redskin since tackle Chris Samuels to earn four consecutive Pro Bowl berths (2005-08). He is the first defensive player for the Redskins to make four straight Pro Bowl appearances since linebacker Ken Harvey (1994-97).

Fletcher, a defensive captain and the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Month for December, finished the season with a team-high 188 tackles (112 solo) as credited by the coaching staff. He also posted a career-high five interceptions and pushed his consecutive games played streak to 240, tied for the longest active streak in the NFL.

Kerrigan’s selection is the first of his career. Kerrigan, 24, led Washington in sacks in 2012, posting a career-high 8.5 sacks in his second NFL season. In addition, Kerrigan posted his second career interception return for touchdown in Week 5 vs. Atlanta, making him the only player in the NFL to have posted at least 10 sacks (16) and two interception returns for touchdown (two) across the last two seasons.

With the selections of Fletcher and Kerrigan, the Redskins have had at least two linebackers selected to the Pro Bowl in three of the last four seasons (2012 – Alexander (special teams), Fletcher, Kerrigan; 2010 – Fletcher and Brian Orakpo; 2009 – Fletcher and Orakpo).

With the Redskins’ selections this year, the team has had at least one Pro Bowl player for 19 straight seasons. The only year Washington has not had a Pro Bowler in team history was 1993.

Executive Vice President/Head Coach Mike Shanahan has now coached players responsible for 75 Pro Bowl selections during his tenure as an NFL head coach.

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