Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

Antoine Winfield was a bit perplexed early Tuesday morning when he answered his cell phone and heard the voice of teammate Jared Allen. Winfield's phone indicated the call was coming from Vikings coach Brad Childress.

"(Allen) was like, 'Yeah, 'Toine, I want to thank you for getting me into the Pro Bowl, but once we get there don't give nobody your room number,' " Winfield said. "I'm like, 'What?' Then he said, 'You made it.' I started yelling and running around the house."

Winfield's excitement was understandable. In his 10th season, the cornerback finally earned his first trip to the NFL's all-star game in Honolulu on Tuesday.

Winfield, 31, was still beaming hours later as he talked about his selection as a starting cornerback for the NFC opposite the Packers' Charles Woodson in the Feb. 8 game. Winfield, in fact, was set to rush home to watch the Pro Bowl selection show on the NFL Network after signing autographs at a jewelry store in St. Louis Park.

"This is one of the best days of my life," said Winfield, who plans to bring numerous family members and all of the Vikings' defensive backs to Hawaii. "I've been in this league a long time and finally to get in is an unbelievable feeling. I've worked so hard. … It's a relief. I'm just so overjoyed right now."

One of six Vikings named to the NFC team - one fewer than last season - Winfield is the only one who has never previously made the trip. Defensive tackle Kevin Williams, running back Adrian Peterson and guard Steve Hutchinson also will be starters; Allen, a defensive end, and nose tackle Pat Williams are reserves. This marks the first time the Vikings have had three defensive linemen earn berths in the Pro Bowl since Carl Eller, Alan Page and Gary Larsen were honored in 1970.

It's the second consecutive selection for Allen, a former standout at Idaho State. He currently is fifth in the league with 14 1/2 sacks.

There is little doubt Tuesday's announcement meant the most to Winfield. A first-round pick by Buffalo in 1999 and a starter since 2000, Winfield has heard on numerous occasions that he's deserving of going to the Pro Bowl.

But that had never happened _ in part because the 5-9, 180-pound Winfield is known more for his hard hits than his interceptions _ and Winfield had begun to keep his expectations in check and taking more of an "if it happens, it happens," approach. Winfield, who signed a six-year free-agent deal with the Vikings in 2004, knew he wouldn't earn any postseason accolades last season after he missed a career-high six games because of injury.

But Winfield has been healthy this year, starting all 14 games. He is tied for third on the Vikings with 80 tackles, including eight for a loss, and has a team-leading 14 pass breakups and five forced fumbles. He is tied for the team lead with two interceptions, certainly not an overwhelming figure for a cornerback.

"Antoine is very deserving as maybe the toughest pound-for-pound player in the NFL," Childress said. "He not only plays at a Pro Bowl level, his preparation and study are second to none. He's a great example to our young corners in how to maximize your skills and abilities."

There are two factors that might have helped Winfield's cause when it came to the Pro Bowl vote, which is split in thirds among fans, players and coaches.

The first was that he hired a Los Angeles-based publicist in October to get his name on the radar. "It was my agent's idea, Ashanti Webb," said Winfield, who has done a weekly spot on KFAN Radio for several years. "He was like, 'Man, we've got to get you out there. It's hard to get you on television in Minnesota. You don't have that many nationally televised games. So (we) to get you on ESPN and NFL Network.' To get my face out there and my voice out there."

Winfield, for instance, went on Jim Rome's national radio show Tuesday to talk about himself and the Vikings, who lead the NFC North and can clinch the division with a victory Sunday over Atlanta or a loss by Chicago on Monday against Green Bay.

Still, Winfield finished only 10th among NFC corners in the fan voting. That means his fellow players and coaches played major roles in his selection.

That might have been because one of Winfield's best games came on a Monday night when the rest of the NFL was watching. In the Vikings' 30-27 victory at New Orleans in Week 5, Winfield returned a blocked field goal 59 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter and forced a fumble by Saints quarterback Drew Brees while recording a sack in the second. Winfield recovered the ball and ran it to the New Orleans 5-yard line to set up a Vikings TD.

"I think that was the game right there," said Winfield, who scored a touchdown in Week 3 after forcing a fumble by Carolina's Jake Delhomme while getting a sack. "That game was seen probably all around the world. Everyone watches 'Monday Night Football.' To go out there and have the game that I did, I think that's what got me to where I am now."