5 Bears Selected For Pro Bowl
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Despite a five-game losing streak that has seen the Bears knocked out of the playoffs, five players have been selected to the 2012 Pro Bowl.
Linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, running back Matt Forte, cornerback Charles Tillman and special teams ace Corey Graham were all selected for the Pro Bowl on Tuesday. It's the most Pro Bowl selections for the Bears since their 2006 Super Bowl run, when the team had eight Pro Bowlers.
It's the first Pro Bowl selection for Forte, who has been out of action the past three weeks with a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday. He's the first Bears running back to be named to a Pro Bowl since Neal Anderson in 1991.
It's the 7th consecutive Pro Bowl for Briggs, making him only the fourth Bears player to make seven straight Pro Bowls, joining Dick Butkus and Bill George, who each had eight straight, and Mike Singletary, who went to 10 straight Pro Bowls.
Briggs leads the team with 140 tackles and is tied for the team lead with eight tackles for loss, along with one interception and two forced fumbles.
It's the 8th Pro Bowl for Urlacher, the sixth player in Bears history to be named to eight Pro Bowl teams. He is second on the team with 125 tackles and third with seven tackles for loss. He is tied for the team lead with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries and has added a fumble return touchdown.
Graham and Tillman also received their first Pro Bowl nods. Graham leads the Bears with 20 special teams tackles this season. Since entering the NFL in 2007, Graham ranks tied for second in the NFL with 74 special teams tackles.
Tillman leads the team in pass break ups (11) and is tied for the team lead in forced fumbles (three) and fumble recoveries (two) while adding two interceptions and an interception return touchdown. Since entering the NFL in 2003, Tillman leads all defensive backs with 27 forced fumbles and his 29 interceptions is tied for ninth in the NFL overall during that time.
