Steve Young, the starting quarterback for the NFC in the Pro Bowl, may not be able to keep from setting records - his starting receivers are record-breakers Jerry Rice and Sterling Sharpe.
Young and Rice were two of seven 49ers, an NFC high, as the Pro Bowl teams were announced Wednesday.The NFC squad for the Feb. 7 game in Honolulu also included all four starting linebackers for New Orleans, believed to be a first. The Buffalo Bills and Houston Oilers each had nine players on the AFC team to tie for the league high.
There was was a selection that could be called "all in the family," - New Orleans' Joel Hilgenberg was voted the starting center for the NFC, succeeding his brother Jay, a long-time NFC starter traded this year from Chicago.
"I was speculating that the ballot just had J. Hilgenberg on it," Joel said, laughing. "I don't know if that's how it was, but it might have been why I'm in."
Young, Joe Montana's backup for years, will be making his first Pro Bowl appearance and so will his backup, Green Bay's Brett Favre, a second-year pro.
They will throw to their own teammate - Rice, who this year set a career record for touchdown catches and the Packers' Sharpe, who needs five catches this week to break the NFL record for catches in a season. Their backups weren't bad, either - Andre Rison of Atlanta and Michael Irvin of Dallas.
Jay Novacek of Dallas will start at tight end backed up by Brent Jones of San Francisco.
The NFC tackles are Gary Zimmerman of Minnesota and Lomas Brown of Detroit, backed up by Steve Wallace of San Francisco. The Vikings Randall McDaniel and Guy McIntyre of the 49ers start at guard backed up by the Cowboys' Nate Newton.
Hilgenberg will be backed up at center by Dallas' Mark Stepnoski.
Young is backed up by Troy Aikman of Dallas and Favre.
Emmitt Smith of Dallas and Barry Sanders of Detroit are the running backs with Ricky Watters of the 49ers and Rodney Hampton of the Giants as reserves.
On defense, Reggie White of Philadelphia and Chris Doleman of Minnesota are the ends backed up by the Eagles' Clyde Simmons.
The defensive tackles are Pierce Holt of San Francisco and Henry Thomas of Minnesota.
The outside linebackers are Pat Swilling and Rickey Jackson of the Saints backed up by Wilber Marshall of the Redskins.
The inside linebackers are the Saints' Sam Mills and Jessie Tuggle of Atlanta, backed up by the Saints' Vaughn Johnson.
The cornerbacks are Deion Sanders of Atlanta and Audray McMillian of Minnesota backed up by Eric Allen of Philadephia and the safeties are Tim McDonald of Phoenix and Chuck Cecil of Green Bay backed up by the Vikings' Todd Scott.
The punter is Phoenix' Rich Camarillo, the placekicker is the Saints' Morten Andersen; the kick returner is Detroit's Mel Gray and the special teams player is the Falcons' Elbert Shelley.
The AFC wide receivers are Anthony Miller of San Diego and Haywood Jeffires of Houston backed up by Andre Reed of Buffalo and the Oilers' Curtis Duncan and Ernest Givins. Keith Jackson of Miami is the starting tight end with Marv Cook of New England.
Richmond Webb of Miami and Howard Ballard of Buffalo are the offensive tackles backed up by the Bills' Will Wolford. The guards are Mike Munchak of Houston and Steve Wisniewski of the Los Angels Raiders backed up by Carlton Haselrig of Pittsburgh and the center is the Oilers' Bruce Matthews with Dermontti Dawson of the Steelers his backup.
Miami's Dan Marino is the starting quarterback, backed up by Houston's Warren Moon and Buffalo's Jim Kelly. Barry Foster of Pittsburgh and Thurman Thomas of the Bills are the starting running back with Lorenzo White of Houston and Harold Green of Cincinnati behind them.
The starting defensive ends are Bruce Smith of Buffalo and Leslie O'Neal of San Diego backed by Neil Smith of Kansas City and the interior linemen are Cortez Kennedy of Seatetle and Ray Childress of Houston.
The outside linebackers are Derrick Thomas of Kansas City and Bryan Cox of Miami backed by Buffalo's Cornelius Bennett and the inside linebackers are Junior Seau of San Diego, Al Smith of Houston and Michael Brooks of Denver.
Rod Woodson of Pittsburgh and Gill Byrd of San Diego start at cornerback backed by Terry McDaniel of the Raiders. Henry Jones of Buffalo and Steve Atwater of Denver are the safeties along with Seattle's Eugene Robinson.
The punter is Rohn Stark of Indianapolis, the placekicker Nick Lowery of Kansas City, the return specialist Clarence Verdin of the Colts and the special teams player Steve Tasker of the Bills.