NFC all stars have 13 first-time selections

BEARS LEAD NFC WITH SEVEN PLAYERS ON ALL-STAR SQUAD;
THIRTEEN FIRST-TIME SELECTIONS ON NFC ROSTER

The Chicago Bears placed a conference-high seven players on the National Football Conference All-Star team that will face the American Football Conference All-Stars in the 2007 Pro Bowl.

Thirteen NFC players will participate in their first Pro Bowl, including Dallas Cowboys quarterback TONY ROMO, who has won six of his first eight career starts and guided the Cowboys to a playoff birth.

Three of the Bears’ Pro Bowl players – special teamer BRENDON AYANBADEJO, kicker ROBBIE GOULD and rookie kick return specialist DEVIN HESTER – are also first-time All-Stars. They join six-time All-Stars OLIN KREUTZ and BRIAN URLACHER and two-time All-Stars LANCE BRIGGS and TOMMIE HARRIS to form the largest Chicago contingent in Hawaii since seven Bears were chosen to participate in the 1987 Pro Bowl.

Joining Romo at quarterback are two-time All-Stars DREW BREES of New Orleans, who will start, and St. Louis’ MARC BULGER. Brees, who leads the NFL with 4,240 passing yards, is the second quarterback in Saints history to be named to the Pro Bowl (ARCHIE MANNING, 1979-80). Brees was an All-Star with the San Diego Chargers in 2005 and is the fourth quarterback to be selected to the Pro Bowl for both the AFC and NFC (JOHN HADL, JOE MONTANA and WARREN MOON). Bulger passed for a Pro Bowl record four touchdowns and was named the player of the game in the 2004 All-Star contest.

Starting at running back for the NFC will be first-time All-Star FRANK GORE of the San Francisco 49ers, who leads the NFC in rushing with 1,491 yards. St. Louis running back STEVEN JACKSON, who tops the conference with 1,916 scrimmage yards, also will make his Pro Bowl debut.

New York Giants three-time All-Star running back TIKI BARBER will team with his brother RONDE, a cornerback and four-time Pro Bowl choice from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on the NFC squad for the third year in a row. The Barbers are the second set of NFL brothers to be named to the Pro Bowl in three consecutive seasons (SHANNON and STERLING SHARPE, 1993-95). They are the only set of twins to be chosen for the Pro Bowl.

Filling out the backfield is Seattle fullback MACK STRONG, who makes his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance.

The NFC’s starting wide receivers are six-time All-Star TORRY HOLT of the St. Louis Rams and Carolina’s STEVE SMITH, who will make his third trip to Honolulu and second as a wide receiver. Two-time All-Stars ANQUAN BOLDIN of Arizona (2004) and DONALD DRIVER of Green Bay (2003) fill out the position.

A pair of four-time All-Stars represent the NFC at tight end in Atlanta’s ALGE CRUMPLER and the New York Giants’ JEREMY SHOCKEY. Crumpler, who leads NFC tight ends with 677 yards, will be the starter.

First-time All-Star SHAWN ANDREWS of Philadelphia (brother of Bengals lineman Stacy Andrews) and Minnesota’s STEVE HUTCHINSON, who will make his fourth consecutive trip to Hawaii, will start at guard. Joining them is the most tenured member of the NFC All-Stars in San Francisco guard LARRY ALLEN, who has been chosen to the Pro Bowl 11 times.

Another member of the Vikings’ offensive line will be MATT BIRK, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, who joins starter Kreutz of the Bears at the center position.

The starting tackles are Seattle’s WALTER JONES, a seven-time All-Star, and New Orleans’ JAMMAL BROWN, who will make his Pro Bowl debut. Washington’s CHRIS SAMUELS, making his fourth appearance on the NFC squad, is the NFC’s third tackle.

Earning his third consecutive Pro Bowl berth is Carolina defensive end JULIUS PEPPERS, who was named a starter. A pair of Pro Bowl newcomers joins Peppers at defensive end in Green Bay’s AARON KAMPMAN and New Orleans’ WILL SMITH, who was selected as the other NFC starter at the position.

The starters on the interior defensive line are Chicago’s Harris and Minnesota’s KEVIN WILLIAMS, who played in the 2005 Pro Bowl. The other member of the group is Carolina’s KRIS JENKINS, a three-time All-Star choice.

Seattle’s LOFA TATUPU, a two-time selection, will join Chicago’s Urlacher as the NFC’s inside linebackers. Urlacher, who will start, is the first Bears linebacker to be named to six Pro Bowls since Pro Football Hall of Famer MIKE SINGLETARY was chosen for 10.

The outside linebackers are Chicago’s Briggs, Seattle’s JULIAN PETERSON and Dallas’ DE MARCUS WARE. Peterson was selected to two Pro Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers (2003-04) while Ware will play in his first All-Star game. Briggs and Ware were named the starters for the NFC team.

Atlanta’s DE ANGELO HALL will man one of the NFC’s cornerback positions for the second consecutive season, joining Tampa Bay’s Barber as the conference’s starters. Hall and DEION SANDERS (1992-94) are the only Falcons cornerbacks to be named to back-to-back Pro Bowls. Philadelphia’s LITO SHEPPARD, an NFC All-Star in 2005, is the third NFC cornerback.

Sheppard’s Eagles teammate BRIAN DAWKINS, making his sixth Pro Bowl appearance, will start at free safety. ADRIAN WILSON of the Arizona Cardinals, in his Pro Bowl debut, received the starting nod at strong safety. The NFC’s other strong safety is Dallas’ ROY WILLIAMS, a four-time honoree.

A quartet of Pro Bowl rookies will handle special teams duties for the NFC. In addition to Chicago’s Ayanbadejo, Gould and Hester, the unit features Dallas punter MAT MC BRIAR, who played three seasons at the University at Hawaii.

The 42-man NFC squad is comprised of 21 offensive and 17 defensive players plus four specialists. A 43rd “need” player will be chosen by the NFC head coach and must be a cornerback, defensive end, linebacker, or long snapper.