The Green Bay Packers, once the powerhouse of the NFL, won their first division title in 23 years this season. Two players, Brett Favre and Reggie White, led the way.
So it's no surprise to find Favre and White on the 1995 Associated Press All-Pro Team that was announced Monday.Favre nearly was a unanimous pick at quarterback, collecting 86 of 88 votes from a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters. White got 72 votes to join Bruce Smith of Buffalo at defensive end.
Favre supposedly was going to struggle this season after the retirement of star receiver Sterling Sharpe. And White was going to have a tougher time with linebacker Bryce Paup gone to the Bills as a free agent.
Instead, Favre threw for 38 touchdowns and a league-best 4,413 yards.
"With Sterling gone, I took it upon me as a challenge," Favre said, "even though to most people it did look kind of gloomy. The players took it up as a challenge - `Hey, no one's giving us a chance.'
"We lost Sterling, we lost Bryce Paup. This offense, according to everyone, is not going to be near as good. We've proven people wrong. It's not a surprise to me. I never looked at it as anything negative, just something to prove, nothing to lose, everything to gain."
White said his miraculous comeback from a torn hamstring made this season special. He said it's impossible to separate himself as a minister and player:
"This is what drives me, because people's lives have been affected by what's happened to me, what God has done to me. That doesn't make me no more special than anybody else."
Paup, who led the league in sacks with 171/2, also wound up with a winner. He inspired the Bills defense as the team won the AFC East.
"My philosophy is that it's easier to get there than to stay there," Paup says. "Once you get there, everybody recognizes it and is out to get you. It's going to make next year that much tougher."
San Francisco had the most All-Pros with four: receiver Jerry Rice for the ninth time; linebacker Ken Norton; cornerback Eric Davis; and safety Merton Hanks.
Joining Favre and Rice on offense were Detroit receiver Herman Moore, tackle Lomas Brown and running back Barry Sanders; Dallas running back Emmitt Smith and guard Nate Newton; Pittsburgh center Dermontti Dawson; guard Randall McDaniel of Minnesota; and tackle William Roaf of New Orleans.
Along with White, Paup, Smith, Norton, Hanks and Davis on defense were tackles Chester McGlockton of Oakland and John Randle of Minnesota; linebacker Greg Lloyd of Pittsburgh; safety Darren Woodson of Dallas; and cornerback Aeneas Williams of Arizona
The placekicker is Morten Andersen of Atlanta, who set an NFL record with eight field goals from 50 yards or more. San Diego's Darren Bennett, a former Australian Rules Football player in his first NFL season, was the punter. Brian Mitchell of Washington was the kick returner.
The NFC placed 18 players on the team to seven for the AFC. Repeaters from last year are Rice, Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Newton, Dawson, Coates, Roaf and McDaniel on offense; Bruce Smith, Randle, Lloyd and Woodson on defense. Joining Moore and Favre as first-time All-Pros are Davis, Brown, Norton, Williams, Mitchell, McGlockton, Paup and Bennett.
The second team features two quarterbacks, Dan Marino of Miami and Steve Young of San Francisco, each with one vote, which shows just how dominant Favre was. Also on the second team offense are receivers Cris Carter of Minnesota and Carl Pickens of Cincinnati; tight end Shannon Sharpe of Denver; tackles Richmond Webb of Miami and Gary Zimmerman of Denver; guards Larry Allen of Dallas and Steve Wisniewski of Oakland; center Kevin Glover of Detroit; and running backs Chris Warren of Seattle and Marshall Faulk of Indianapolis.
Defensively, the second team has a tie as well, with ends William Fuller of Philadelphia and Pat Swilling of Oakland joining Neil Smith of Kansas City on the squad. The tackles are Dana Stubblefield, San Francisco, and Andy Harmon, Philadelphia. At linebacker are Ken Harvey, Washington, and William Thomas, Philadelphia, on the outside, with Junior Seau, San Diego, in the middle. In the secondary, it's Dale Carter of Kansas City and Terry McDaniel, Oakland, at cornerback; and Carnell Lake, Pittsburgh, and Tim McDonald, San Francisco, at safety.
The second-team specialists are placekicker Jason Elam and kick returner Glyn Milburn, both of Denver, and Kansas City punter Louie Aguiar.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
All-Pro team
NEW YORK (AP) - The 1995 Associated Press All-Pro Team, as selected by a panel of media members:
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Wide Receivers - Jerry Rice, San Francisco; Herman Moore, Detroit.
Tight End - Ben Coates, New England.
Tackles - William Roaf, New Orleans; Lomas Brown, Detroit.
Guards - Nate Newton, Dallas; Randall McDaniel, Minnesota.
Center - Dermontti Dawson, Pittsburgh.
Quarterback - Brett Favre, Green Bay.
Running Backs - Emmitt Smith, Dallas; Barry Sanders, Detroit.
Placekicker - Morten Andersen, Atlanta.
Kick Returner - Brian Mitchell, Washington.
Defense
Ends - Reggie White, Green Bay; Bruce Smith, Buffalo.
Tackles - John Randle, Minnesota; Chester McGlockton, Oakland.
Outside Linebackers - Bryce Paup, Buffalo; Greg Lloyd, Pittsburgh.
Middle Linebacker - Ken Norton, San Francisco.
Cornerbacks - Eric Davis, San Francisco; Aeneas Williams, Arizona.
Safeties - Merton Hanks, San Francisco; Darren Woodson, Dallas.
Punter - Darren Bennett, San Diego.
SECOND TEAM
Offense
Wide Receivers - Cris Carter, Minnesota; Carl Pickens, Cincinnati.
Tight End - Shannon Sharpe, Denver.
Tackles - Richmond Webb, Miami; Gary Zimmerman, Denver.
Guards - Larry Allen, Dallas; Steve Wisniewski, Oakland.
Center - Kevin Glover, Detroit.
Quarterback - Dan Marino, Miami and Steve Young, San Francisco.
Running Backs - Chris Warren, Seattle; Marshall Faulk, Indianapolis.
Placekicker - Jason Elam, Denver.
Kick Returner - Glyn Milburn, Denver.
Defense
Ends - Neil Smith, Kansas City; William Fuller, Philadelphia.
Tackles - Dana Stubblefield, San Francisco; Andy Harmon, Philadelphia.
Outside Linebackers - Ken Harvey, Washington; William Thomas, Philadelphia.
Middle Linebacker - Junior Seau, San Diego.
Cornerbacks - Dale Carter, Kansas City; Terry McDaniel, Oakland.
Safeties - Carnell Lake, Pittsburgh; Tim McDonald, San Francisco.
Punter - Louie Aguiar, Kansas City.
AP ALL-PRO VOTING
NEW YORK (AP) - Results of 1995 All-Pro balloting by a panel of media members:
OFFENSE
Quarterback
Brett Favre, Green Bay 86; Dan Marino, Miami 1; Steve Young, San Francisco 1.
Running Backs
Emmitt Smith, Dallas 85; Barry Sanders, Detroit 80; Chris Warren, Seattle 9; Marshall Faulk, Indianapolis 1.
Tight End
Ben Coates, New England 42; Shannon Sharpe, Denver 17; Jay Novacek, Dallas 13; Mark Chmura, Green Bay 11; Brent Jones, San Francisco 5.
Wide Receivers
Jerry Rice, San Francisco 72; Herman Moore, Detroit 72; Cris Carter, Minnesota 9; Carl Pickens, Cincinnati 8; Michael Irvin, Dallas 7; Isaac Bruce, St. Louis 6; Yancey Thigpen, Pittsburgh 1; Joey Galloway, Seattle 1.
Tackles
William Roaf, New Orleans 47; Lomas Brown, Detroit 35; Richmond Webb, Miami 23; Gary Zimmerman, Denver 17; Bruce Armstrong, New England 13; Erik Williams, Dallas 11; Andy Heck, Chicago 7; Mark Tuinei, Dallas 5; Ken Ruettgers, Green Bay 4; John Alt, Kansas City 3; Leon Searcy, Pittsburgh 3; Harris Barton, San Francisco 3; Paul Gruber, Tampa Bay 2; Howard Ballard, Seattle 2; John Elliott, New York Giants 1.
Guards
Nate Newton, Dallas 52; Randall McDaniel, Minnesota 41; Larry Allen, Dallas 34; Steve Wisniewski, Oakland 17; Bruce Matthews, Houston 12; Keith Sims, Miami, 6; David Szott, Kansas City 4; Jesse Sapolu, San Francisco 3; Guy McIntyre, Philadelphia 2; Will Shields, Kansas City 2; Jim Dombrowski, New Orleans 2; Kirk Scrafford, San Francisco 1.
Center
Dermontti Dawson, Pittsburgh 61; Kevin Glover, Detroit 9; Tim Grunhard, Kansas City 5; Bart Oates, San Francisco 4; Jesse Sapolu, San Francisco 2; Steve Everitt, Cleveland 2; Kent Hull, Buffalo 2; Jim Sweeney, Seattle 1; Courtney Hall, San Diego 1; Mark Stepnoski, Houston 1.
Placekicker
Morten Andersen, Atlanta 57; Jason Elam, Denver 12; Norm Johnson, Pittsburgh 11; Matt Stover, Cleveland 5; Jason Hanson, Detroit 3.
Kick Returner
Brian Mitchell, Washington 39; Glyn Milburn, Denver 32; Andre Coleman, San Diego 10; Tamarick Vanover, Kansas City 4; Dave Meggett, New England 2; Eric Metcalf, Atlanta 1.
DEFENSE
Ends
Reggie White, Green Bay 72; Bruce Smith, Buffalo 66; Neil Smith, Kansas City 17; William Fuller, Philadelphia 6; Pat Swilling, Oakland 6; Charles Haley, Dallas 5; Leslie O'Neal, San Diego 2; Ray Seals, Pittsburgh 2.
Tackles
John Randle, Minnesota 33; Chester McGlockton, Oakland 30; Dana Stubblefield, San Francisco 29; Andy Harmon, Philadelphia 21; Eric Swann, Arizona 15; Dan Saleaumua, Kansas City 12; Wayne Martin, New Orleans 11; Cortez Kennedy, Seattle 9; Bryant Young, San Francisco 5; Michael Dean Perry, Denver 2; Tim Bowens, Miami 2; Henry Thomas, Detroit 2; Reggie White, Green Bay 1; Jim Flanigan, Chicago 1; Dan Wilkinson, Cincinnati 1; William Fuller, Philadelphia 1; D'Marco Farr, St. Louis 1.
Outside Linebackers
Bryce Paup, Buffalo 86; Greg Lloyd, Pittsburgh 64; Ken Harvey, Washington 7; William Thomas, Philadelphia 7; Lee Woodall, San Francisco 3; Pat Swilling, Oakland 3; Chris Spielman, Detroit 2; Junior Seau, San Diego 1; Ed McDaniel, Minnesota 1; Ken Norton, San Francisco 1; Willie McGinest, New England 1.
Middle Linebacker
Ken Norton, San Francisco 33; Junior Seau, San Diego 22; Sam Mills, Carolina 11; Jessie Tuggle, Atlanta 10; Bryan Cox, Miami 5; Gary Plummer, San Francisco 3; Terry Wooden, Seattle 1; Levon Kirkland, Pittsburgh 1; Chris Spielman, Detroit 1; Derrick Thomas, Kansas City 1.
Cornerbacks
Eric Davis, San Francisco 38; Aeneas Williams, Arizona 30; Dale Carter, Kansas City 29; Terry McDaniel, Oakland 19; Darryll Lewis, Houston 17; Deion Sanders, Dallas 8; Willie Williams, Pittsburgh 6; Phillippi Sparks, New York Giants 6; Eric Allen, New Orleans 5; James Hasty, Kansas City 5; Dwayne Harper, San Diego 5; Troy Vincent, Miami 3; Mark McMillan, Philadelphia 3; Larry Brown, Dallas 1; Carnell Lake, Pittsburgh 1.
Safeties
Merton Hanks, San Francisco 66; Darren Woodson, Dallas 49; Carnell Lake, Pittsburgh 17; Tim McDonald, San Francisco 13; Orlando Thomas, Minnesota 8; Robert Blackmon, Seattle 6; LeRoy Butler, Green Bay 4; Blaine Bishop, Houston 3; Willie Williams, Pittsburgh 2; Steve Atwater, Denver 2; Toby Wright, St. Louis 2; Willie Clay, Detroit 2; Kurt Schulz, Buffalo 1; Stevon Moore, Cleveland 1.
Punter
Darren Bennett, San Diego 37; Louie Aguiar, Kansas City 16; Jeff Feagles, Arizona 15; Sean Landeta, St. Louis 9; Lee Johnson, Cincinnati 5; Rick Tuten, Seattle 3; John Jett, Dallas 1; Matt Turk, Washington 1; Bryan Barker, Jacksonville 1.