Brady, AFC players dominate selections on AP All-Pro Team

Safeties: Nick Collins, Green Bay; and Antrel Rolle, New York Giants, Eric Weddle, San Diego, Malcolm Jenkins, New Orleans, Quintin Mikell, Philadelphia, Chris Harris, Chicago, Michael Huff, Oakland, Michael Griffin, Tennessee, and Darren Sharper, New Orleans (tie).

Punter: Mat McBriar, Dallas.

The record-setting New England Patriots quarterback is the leading vote-getter for The Associated Press 2010 NFL All-Pro Team, the seventh consecutive year that at least one player received every vote. Three years ago, when Brady set the league record for touchdown passes, he missed being a unanimous selection by a half-vote, sharing a ballot with Brett Favre.

As usual, Brady prefers to deflect praise to the rest of the Patriots, who went 14-2 this season before losing to the New York Jets in the playoffs.

"I've been here for a while, so I've seen our offense evolve," Brady said. "We do some different things now than we've done in the past. Ultimately we're still trying to do the same thing, which is be productive and win games."

Brady won those 14 games as the league's leading passer, and he went an NFL-record 335 attempts without an interception. Overall, he threw 36 touchdown passes and just four interceptions.

Brady is one of three New England players selected to the All-Pro Team by a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. He's joined by guard Logan Mankins and inside linebacker Jerod Mayo.

A player has made the team unanimously since 2004, including one of this year's All-Pros, Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed. The Ravens also have defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and kicker Billy Cundiff on the team.

One rookie -- Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh -- is an AP All-Pro.

"It's a great honor, and it's an award I've had my eye on, along with being in the Pro Bowl," Suh said. "Those are two of the highest accomplishments you can have other than winning a Super Bowl and being MVP. To be the only rookie speaks volumes about the help I got from my teammates -- especially on the defensive line -- and my coaches."

Suh's work, including 10 sacks that ranked him tops at his position, so impressed longtime defensive coach Gunther Cunningham that the Lions coordinator said, "I've never seen anything like this, and a lot of people want to compare him. There's no comparison."

It's also difficult to compare the Oakland Raiders' Shane Lechler to other punters. Lechler has the most All-Pro selections of anyone on the 2010 team, six.

The AFC is the dominant conference with 18 of the 27 spots: nine on offense, seven on defense, two special-teamers.

Joining Brady in the backfield is one of the season's biggest surprises, Houston Texans running back Arian Foster. He went from a nonentity with the Texans to the league's leading rusher with 1,616 yards and 16 TDs. The other tailback is the Kansas City Chiefs' Jamaal Charles, like Foster a first-time choice.

Foster's guide through holes in the line, Vonta Leach, is the All-Pro fullback, also for the first time.

The wide receivers are the Atlanta Falcons' Roddy White and the Indianapolis Colts' Reggie Wayne, both newcomers to the team. White led the league with 115 catches.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten makes it for the second time.

Up front are Mankins and the New Orleans Saints Jahri Evans at guard, the Miami Dolphins' Jake Long and Cleveland Browns' Joe Thomas at tackle, and center Nick Mangold of the New York Jets. Evans, Thomas and Mangold are repeaters from last season. Long and Mankins are first-timers.

Cundiff and Lechler are joined on special teams by Chicago Bears kick returner Devin Hester, who also was an All-Pro in 2006 and 2007. This season, Hester's 17.1-yard punt return average set a record, and he passed Brian Mitchell for career kick-return touchdowns with 14.

Along with Reed, making his fifth All-Pro squad, Ngata, Suh and Mayo on defense are ends Julius Peppers and John Abraham; outside linebackers Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers and James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers; inside linebacker Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers; cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha of the Raiders and Darrelle Revis of the Jets; and safety Troy Polamalu of the Steelers.

Defensive repeaters from 2009 are Willis and Revis.

Polamalu, Peppers and Willis make it for the third time, Abraham, Harrison and Asomugha for the second.

In all, 10 AFC teams and eight from the NFC are represented. Chicago and Atlanta are the only two NFC clubs with two players.

Results of The Associated Press 2010 NFL All-Pro balloting selected by a national panel of media members (first-team players in bold):

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