New England Patriots QB Tom Brady declines to play in Pro Bowl | NFL

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has pulled out of the Pro Bowl after a season in which he played with rib and finger injuries.

Brady was replaced on the AFC squad by Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans after the first alternate, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, also declined to play.

There were three lineup changes in the NFC: New York Giants receiver Steve Smith will replace Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald, San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore has been added in place of St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson and Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman will replace Arizona's Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Brady played in all 16 regular-season games and passed for 4,398 yards, 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. His passer rating of 96.2 was ninth in the NFL.

In the playoff loss against the Baltimore Ravens, he completed 23 of 42 passes for 154 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Schaub, named to his first Pro Bowl, completed 396 of 583 passes for 4,770 yards, all the most in the NFL. He ranked seventh with a 98.6 passer rating.

Brady was chosen for his fifth Pro Bowl but withdrew for the second straight time.

Fitzgerald, Jackson and Rodgers-Cromartie withdrew citing injuries.

Smith is the Giants' first wideout to be selected for the Pro Bowl since Homer Jones in 1968.

Gore is headed to his second Pro Bowl.

Notes

• Wide receiver Braylon Edwards hopes to finish his career with the New York Jets amid a published report the team will tender an offer to the restricted free agent after the season.

Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis sat out practice because of a broken left hand but is expected to play in the AFC Championship Game against Indianapolis.

• Colts cornerback Jerraud Powers sat out practice with a foot injury, the only Colts player to miss the entire workout.

• Minnesota Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards is working hard to get his right knee healthy enough to play in the NFC Championship Game at New Orleans. Edwards was held out of practice because of the injury. All-Pro defensive tackle Kevin Williams was also held out of practice because of a knee injury.

• Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart is undergoing surgery on his troublesome left foot. Stewart, from Timberline High School in Lacey, had chronic pain in his toe and left Achilles tendon throughout the season.

• Brett Favre shouldn't be playing for the Minnesota Vikings even though he has the team one win away from a Super Bowl berth, former Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton said.

Tarkenton, a Hall of Fame member who led Minnesota to three Super Bowls, said he stood by statements he made before the season that it was wrong for Favre to sign with the Vikings after playing 16 seasons for the division-rival Green Bay Packers.

"I didn't like it then — he's a Green Bay Packer — and I don't like it now," Tarkenton said. "I could never imagine me retiring from the Vikings and playing for the Packers. So, it didn't sit well with me and it still doesn't."