LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Defensive end Julius Peppers, linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs and kick returner Devin Hester were selected to the Pro Bowl after helping the Chicago Bears win the NFC North.
All four have played big roles for a team that's
11-4 and headed to the playoffs for the first time since the Super Bowl run
four years ago.
The Bears made some big changes after going 7-9
last season, most notably luring Peppers away from Carolina with a six-year
deal that included $42 million guaranteed and could be worth $91.5 million. He
has paid off in a big way with eight sacks, 23 quarterback pressures and seven
pass break-ups.
It's the sixth Pro Bowl nod for Peppers and the
first for a Chicago defensive end since Richard Dent in 1993.
Urlacher got selected for the seventh time, a
remarkable comeback after missing almost all of last season with a wrist
injury, with a team-leading 141 tackles.
Hester is once again making opponents pay when they
kick to him after struggling on returns in recent seasons while trying to adapt
to a bigger role on offense. The three-time Pro Bowl selection recently set the
NFL record with his 14th career kick return for a touchdown. He leads the
league with three punt return touchdowns and has taken five of his 12 kickoff
returns for 40-plus yards.
Briggs is now the fourth Bears linebacker to make
six straight Pro Bowls, joining Hall of Famers Dick Butkus (eight straight),
Bill George (eight) and Mike Singletary (10). He is second on the team with 113
tackles.
Copyright
2010 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
