Bears receiver Brandon Marshall and cornerback Charles Tillman added another prestigious honor over the weekend when they were named first-team All-NFL by the Associated Press.
Marshall and Tillman had previously been selected first-team All-NFL by Pro Football Weekly as well as Sports Illustrated's Peter King for their excellent performances during the 2012 season.
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| Brandon Marshall and Charles Tillman battle during a training camp practice. |
The 6-4, 230-pounder tied for second in the NFL in receptions and ranked third in receiving yards. Marshall's seven 100-yard games tied for the most in Bears history, and he became the fifth NFL receiver to record a 1,000-yard season with three different teams.
Marshall caught a career-high 11 TD passes, tied for the sixth most in Bears history and the most since Curtis Conway had 12 in 1995. Marshall also became the first Bears receiver to be voted to the Pro Bowl since Marty Booker in 2002 and just the second since Dick Gordon in 1971.
Tillman became the first cornerback in Bears history to be voted to back-to-back Pro Bowls. He tied for the NFL lead with three interception return touchdowns and led the league with a career-high 10 forced fumbles, tied for the most since the league starting tracking the stat in 1991.
Tillman has now forced 39 fumbles in his career, the most by any player since he entered the NFL in 2003 with the Bears as a second-round draft pick out of Louisiana-Lafayette.
With his three interception return TDs, Tillman set the Bears career record for defensive touchdowns with nine, ahead of former safety Mike Brown (7) and linebacker Lance Briggs (6).
Second that: Bears cornerback Tim Jennings and defensive end Julius Peppers were selected second-team All-NFL by the Associated Press..
Jennings led the NFL with a career-high nine interceptions, returning one 25 yards for his first pro touchdown to spark a 23-22 comeback win over the Panthers. He became the first Bears player to have three multi-interception games in one season.
Peppers led the Bears with 11.5 sacks, becoming the team's first player to reach double figures in back-to-back seasons since Rosevelt Colvin in 2001-02.
Out and about: Marshall and Tillman are both making public appearances at 6 p.m. Monday.
Marshall will sign autographs starting at $79 at Zeigler Chevrolet in Schaumburg (1230 East Golf Road) to benefit his foundation, which is devoted to raising awareness for Borderline Personality Disorder as well as helping others gain access to the resources that they need to recover.
Tillman will sign 2013 calendars for $20 at Bannerman's Sports Grill in Bartlett (858 South Illinois Route 59) to benefit his Cornerstone Foundation, which focuses on improving the lives of critically and chronically ill children throughout the Chicago area by providing support and live-changing experiences.
Military man: Tillman has been chosen as one of two finalists for the Salute to Service Award in conjunction with the NFL and the USAA, the league's official military appreciation sponsor.
Tillman and Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik were selected for their exceptional efforts to honor and support members of the military community.
In October, Tillman returned home to Fort Hood, Texas, to provide patients at the Darnall Army Medical Center with access to notebook computers, DVD players, digital cameras and MP3 players to help pass the time during recovery as part of his foundation's Charles' Locker program.
Tillman also regularly conducts youth football camps on military bases, including the Army's Fort Hood and the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms in California.
The Salute to Service Award will be presented to one of the finalists at the "2nd Annual NFL Honors," a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on Saturday, Feb. 2 on CBS.
