Seven Vikings going to Pro Bowl

Adrian Peterson's standout rookie season has brought him various accolades. On Tuesday, he earned the highest honor yet: An all-expenses paid vacation to Honolulu -- with a bit of football mixed in.

Peterson was one of seven Vikings named to the 43-man NFC roster for the Pro Bowl on Feb. 10. Only Dallas (11), New England (eight) and San Diego (eight) had more players selected. Green Bay, which leads the NFC North at 12-2, had only four players picked.

Joining Peterson in Hawaii will be Vikings fullback Tony Richardson; guard Steve Hutchinson; center Matt Birk; defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams; and safety Darren Sharper. Only Birk won't go as a starter.

The success of the four offensive players to make it has been intertwined, with Birk, Hutchinson and Richardson helping Peterson rush for 1,278 yards (third in the NFL) on 218 carries and 12 touchdowns.

"This is a great honor as a rookie and I'm proud to be selected," Peterson said in a statement issued by the Vikings on the players' day off. "More important than that is that some of the guys who made it possible for me to go are also going, like Hutch, Birk and Tony. This was one of my goals coming into the season and it feels good to accomplish that."

The Pro Bowl squads are voted on by fans, players and coaches with each side getting a one-third say. Peterson led all running backs in fan balloting with 753,294 votes; Richardson was No. 1 among NFC fullbacks with 204,168 votes.

Although the Vikings have no room to complain about the number of players selected, coach Brad Childress had been hoping middle linebacker E.J. Henderson would go. Henderson, who according to film review by the coaching staff leads the Vikings with 133 tackles and also has 3½ sacks, ended up as a second alternate. Seattle's Lofa Tatupu will start at the inside linebacker spot; San Francisco rookie Patrick Willis is the reserve.

"I do feel like that's a guy that is a worthy guy," Childress said of Henderson. "He's been all over the field for our football team this year, and you keep your head down and you keep toiling. He'll get rewarded before it is over. But he is playing good, good football right now, as well as those other guys."

Other Vikings picked as alternates for the NFC squad were kicker Ryan Longwell (first alternate), special-teams ace Heath Farwell (second) and left tackle Bryant McKinnie (second). That means they could end up in Hawaii if a player at their position withdraws from the game.

Pat Williams was an alternate last year but ended up on the NFC team when the Bears' Tommie Harris could not participate because of injury. Williams joined Kevin Williams, Birk and Hutchinson on last season's Pro Bowl roster.

Perhaps the biggest surprise among the Vikings to make it was Sharper, whose four interceptions are five fewer than he had in 2005 when he last made the Pro Bowl. He is tied with fellow safety Dwight Smith for the team lead in picks.