Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway has been named to the Pro Bowl as an alternate but will head to Honolulu later this month as a replacement for Chicago's Lance Briggs, who withdrew from the game due to an ankle injury.

According to team stats, Greenway recorded a career-best 174 tackles this past season, the fourth consecutive year in which he has led the Vikings in stops. Official NFL totals had Greenway with 154 tackles, ranking him third in the league behind Washington's London Fletcher (166) and Cleveland's D'Qwell Jackson (158). He will join defensive end Jared Allen as the Vikings' representatives at the game, which will be played in Honolulu on Jan. 29. "I'm excited to be going to the Pro Bowl, representing the Vikings and to be there with Jared," Greenway told Vikings.com. "I couldn't have done it without a lot of help and support from my teammates and coaches. Even though we didn't have the kind of season we wanted to as far as winning games, we have guys who are proud and want to get back to the top. I'm honored to be thought of as a Pro Bowler and will make the most of the opportunity." The original linebackers named to the NFC team were Briggs, teammate Brian Urlacher, Green Bay's Clay Matthews, Dallas' DeMarcus Ware and San Francisco's Patrick Willis. Urlacher, who sprained his MCL in the season finale at Mall of America Field, has also been forced to pull out of the game with Fletcher chosen as an alternate to replace him. Greenway will be making his first Pro Bowl appearance this month, though his selection will certainly draw scrutiny from those who follow the Vikings closely. Greenway was solid throughout the year but playing for a defense that was depleted in the secondary and allowed 28.1 points per game (second worst in the NFL), Greenway was low on impact plays. In addition to his tackles totla, he recorded only two sacks and one fumble recovery.