HONOLULU — NFL great Jerry Rice is already bucking conventional fantasy football wisdom in a new Pro Bowl format inspired by the popular hobby.
Rice picked New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees and St. Louis defensive end Robert Quinn to anchor his Pro Bowl team on Tuesday, opting for a passer over a runner.
Rice made the selections in Hawaii after winning a coin toss against Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders. Rice called tails.
The decision prompted Sanders to select Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles and Houston defensive end J.J. Watt for Sunday’s game.
“Don’t think we forget Jerry picked them first,” Watt said when asked whether the new schoolyard-style format would leave players with bruised egos.
The toss and selections started a new process for the NFL in selecting this year’s Pro Bowl teams. Rice and Sanders are serving as captains and general managers in charge of divvying up the NFL stars.
“I’m so pumped — I’m ready to run some routes,” Rice said at a news conference after winning the toss, picking his players and embracing them as active player captains.
“That’s exactly how I thought it was going to go,” Sanders said.
The toss gave Sanders and Rice another chance for good-natured trash talk in a game that’s become as much about showcasing their personalities as celebrating the accomplishments of the NFL’s best.
Rice and Sanders split up interior lineman, punters, fullbacks and special teamers during the first part of the draft, with the 22 picks announced on a tape-delayed show. Rice and Sanders went position by position, skipping the usual fantasy strategy of prioritizing positions — an element that will be in play Wednesday when the rest of the 60 players are divvied up.
Sanders picked Ndamukong Suh with his first defensive tackle selection, and then opted for Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe. Rice grabbed Jason Hatcher and Marcell Dareus, and was assigned Kyle Williams.
Among guards, Rice picked two of Brees’ New Orleans teammates, Jahri Evans and Ben Grubbs, along with Evan Mathis. Sanders picked Marshal Yanda and Logan Mankins and was assigned Kyle Long.
Centers Mike Pouncey and Alex Mack went to Sanders, while Ryan Kalil and Nick Mangold went to Rice. Rice picked Mike Tolbert at fullback while Sanders got Marcel Reece.
Sanders said Reece will not get the ball. “He’s blocking for that man over there,” Sanders said, pointing toward Charles.
Punter Johnny Hekker and special teamer Justin Bethel ended up on team Rice, while Sanders picked punter Brandon Fields and special teamer Matthew Slater.
The Pro Bowl coaches, Chuck Pagano of Indianapolis for Team Sanders and Ron Rivera of Carolina for Team Rice, selected long snappers as a need position. Pagano went with Carolina’s J.J. Jansen and Rivera responded in kind, going with Matt Overton of the Colts.
The second part of the draft will air live on the NFL Network.
NFL officials are hoping the new format is a recipe for a more competitive game on the field and higher ratings as the bulk of league fans look toward the Super Bowl on Feb. 2.
Brees said players know how to balance the demands of playing hard and avoiding injury.
“What it comes down to is just pride — pride in your effort and your performance,” Brees said.
Gonzalez named to 14th Pro Bowl team
ATLANTA — Tony Gonzalez has one more game to play after all.
Gonzalez, the Falcons’ tight end who is retiring, was named to his 14th Pro Bowl on Tuesday as a replacement for San Francisco’s Vernon Davis. The game is Sunday in Honolulu.
It is the fourth Pro Bowl selection for Gonzalez in five seasons with Atlanta. He had 79 receptions for 803 yards and eight touchdowns in 2013, adding to the best career totals for any tight end in NFL history.
The Falcons had a disappointing 4-12 finish after the 37-year-old Gonzalez postponed his retirement for one year. He trails only Jerry Rice in career catches and ranks fifth in yards receiving and sixth in touchdown catches.
He finished his career with catches in 210 consecutive games, second all-time behind Rice’s 274.
By wire sources