Allen Park, Mich. – The National Football League announced
today that Lions WR Golden Tate has been added to the 2015 Pro
Bowl and will replace Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin due to personal reasons. Tate’s
nomination marks the first time in Lions history that two wide receivers (WR
Calvin Johnson) have been named to the game, and the first time since 1966 (DT
Roger Brown, DT Alex Karras) that two players at the same position were
named.
This year’s game also marks the first season that four Lions were
named to the Pro Bowl since 2000 when LB Stephen Boyd, DT Luther Elliss, K Jason
Hanson, DE Robert Porcher and TE David Sloan all played in the game. Earlier
this season, WR Calvin Johnson, S Glover Quin
and DT Ndamukong Suh were selected to the Pro
Bowl.
Perhaps the most impactful free-agent signing of the 2014 season,
Tate finished seventh in the NFL in receiving yards this season with 1,331 and
sixth in receptions with 99, both of which are career-highs. This season marks
the first time in Tate’s career he eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards. With 1,331
receiving yards, he became the sixth Lions receiver (9th time) in team history
to surpass 1,300 yards in a single season, and his 99 receptions rank sixth on
the Lions’ all-time list for single-season receptions. Tate and Johnson (1,077)
were one of only five NFL duos with at least 1,000 yards this season.
In
the team’s Wild Card game at Dallas (1/4), the eighth postseason game of his
career, Tate caught six passes for 89 yards, which included a career
postseason-long 51-yard touchdown reception. Tate’s six receptions tied a career
postseason high, matching the six receptions he registered at Atlanta (1/13/13)
while with Seattle. His 89 yards receiving was the second-highest postseason
single-game total of his career, behind only his career high of 103 yards at
Atlanta (1/13/2013).
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