Rudolph reels in MVP

Kyle Rudolph glanced over his shoulder at the black GMC Yukon Denali he’d just won as the 2013 Pro Bowl’s Most Valuable Player, and pondered the sports utility vehicle’s future.

"You know, I have no idea," the Minnesota Vikings’ second-year tight end said. "I know I can’t drive it back."

That’s just fine with Rudolph, who grabbed five catches for a game-high 122 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half as the NFC built a 17-point lead at the break and eventually won going away, 62-35 over the AFC on Sunday.

After his dark horse performance — he was a late replacement for Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez, and arrived in the islands on Wednesday — the 6-foot-6, 258-pound Rudolph expressed gratitude for being able to fill in for the perennial participant, whom he called "an idol of mine."

Then he made a case for the Pro Bowl to remain at Aloha Stadium in years to come.

"It’s been a special week," said Rudolph, a Cincinnati native and one of six Vikings named to the NFL’s penultimate game of the season. "Being able to spend time with the other players and their families off the field, I strongly support the game, and I hope we keep it here and we keep it here for a long time."

Rudolph’s parents met the 23-year-old on the field to embrace him after the game.

He became the first tight end to win Pro Bowl MVP since Kellen Winslow in 1982, and was the first Vikings player at his position to make the event since Byron Chamberlain in 2001.

In Minnesota’s 10-6 regular season, Rudolph had 53 receptions and 493 yards (a 9.3 ypc average) with nine touchdowns — tied for the most among NFC tight ends — in starting all 16 games.

But he’d never had more than 67 yards in one, making his outburst a pleasant surprise for head coach Mike McCarthy.

Yet it shouldn’t have been a total shock; though it was Rudolph’s first Pro Bowl, it was not the first time he shined at Aloha Stadium. As a Notre Dame freshman, he caught four passes for a then-career high 78 yards against Hawaii in the 2008 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

"It was an extremely satisfying experience to be back here in Hawaii, (these) four short years later, after being over here playing in the Hawaii Bowl, it’s a dream come true," Rudolph said.

He edged out quarterback Russell Wilson and receiver Victor Cruz for the MVP award.

Rudolph made an impact immediately with the NFC’s first completion, a 23-yard pass from Drew Brees that helped set up his squad’s first score of the game to tie it at 7.

Rudolph played the role of effective set-up man again late in the second quarter, hauling in a game-long 52-yard bomb from Eli Manning to the AFC 20-yard line.

Marshawn Lynch soon punched through a 1-yard score for a 24-14 NFC lead.

The NFC went to Rudolph as the exclamation point to punctuate a dominant first half. Manning found him for a 20-yard strike to start a 71-yard drive with just 1:08 on the clock. The Giants quarterback lofted the ball to the back right corner of the end zone, where Rudolph was waiting to haul in the pass over his body as the clock showed all zeroes.

The relatively high level of play, in contrast to last season’s derided, lackluster Pro Bowl, was no accident.

"Guys were competing, guys wanted to win," Rudolph said. "Guys wanted to keep the game here. That was the point of emphasis, we want to keep this rolling for future Pro Bowls."