Green, Atkins selected for Pro Bowl; four others are alternates
12/26/12 at 7:00pm by jreedy

Following the Bengals 13-10 victory over Pittsburgh, A.J. Green said he would boycott the Pro Bowl if Geno Atkins wasn’t selected. No need to worry, both have their plane tickets for Hawaii.

Green and Atkins have been voted to the AFC team as starters for this season’s game as the league announced the rosters Wednesday night for the Jan. 27 game. Both will be making their second trip.

As head coach Marvin Lewis noted though, he is hoping that they don’t make the trip due to another reason.

“We’re happy for both guys; it’s a great honor from fellow players and coaches and the voting fans,” Lewis said. “They’ll represent us well if they’re in the game, but I have to add that it’s our goal to make them both unavailable (by the team advancing to the Super Bowl).”

This is the second straight year that Green has been selected in the initial vote but this is his first year as a starter. Atkins was originally a first alternate in the initial voting but ended up going when Vince Wilfork could not participate due to New England reaching the Super Bowl.

There is the possibility that Green and Atkins could have more teammates added to the lineup. Tight end Jermaine Gresham and offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth are first alternates while quarterback Andy Dalton and cornerback Leon Hall are third alternates.

Last year Dalton went as a first alternate and Gresham a third alternate.

Pro Bowl spots are determined based on voting by players, coaches and fans, with each group’s vote counting as one-third.

Green, who is the first Bengal since Cris Collinsworth to make the Pro Bowl his first two years in the league, is tied for the AFC lead in touchdown catches with 11, including a nine-game streak where he had at least one TD. He is second in receiving yards (1,324) and fourth in receptions (95).

With five receptions, he would become the first Bengal since T.J. Houshmandzadeh to have 100 catches or more. Houshmandzadeh set the team record with 112 in 2007. Green is also 116 yards away from Chad Johnson’s single-season record of (1,440 yards).

“It feels good. Two years, two Pro Bowls. That’s got a good buzz to it. But I’ve got a long way to go to be where I want to be,” Green said. “I want to be great. Like I told everybody when I came into this game, I don’t want to be one ordinary receiver. I want to be mentioned with some of the best that ever played.”

Green is the third Bengals receiver with multiple Pro Borwl trips, joining Chad Johnson (six) and Carl Pickens (two). Houshmandzadeh, Eddie Brown and Chip Myers each made one appearance.

Atkins, who is in his third season, leads all defensive linemen in sacks with 12.5, which is 5.5 more than Ndamukong Suh of Detroit. Atkins had half a sack taken away by the Elias Sports Bureau from last week’s Steelers game. Instead of getting credit for a full sack of Ben Roethlisberger during the fourth quarter, he shares the sack with Wallace Gilberry.

The 12.5 sacks are the third most in term history. Eddie Edwards had 13.0 in 1983 and Coy Bacon holds the team mark with 22.0 in 1976. The NFL only started compiling sacks in 1982 but the Bengals have verified their own sack totals as far back as 1976 using the current league standards.

Atkins finished with 2.0 sacks against the Steelers and has three games this year where he has had multiple sacks.

Said Atkins of being selected: “It feels good. I think finally getting respect around the league that I show out there on the field. I just think that overall if you turn on the film and see the tenacity and relentlessness that the D-line has.”

Atkins is one of four Bengals defensive linemen who have made two trips to the Pro Bowl, joining Tim Krumrie, Bacon and Mike Reid.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2012...eakingnews

Well deserved.