A.J. Green and Geno Atkins Selected to Start for AFC in Pro Bowl

It was announced Wednesday evening that not only will A.J. Green and Geno Atkins be participating in the 2013 Pro Bowl, they'll be starting in it. Both players played college ball at Georgia, and Green spoke about having another Dawg with him in Hawaii.

"It’s great to have a fellow teammate and another Georgia Bulldog out there, somebody I can hang out with," he said. "It’s good to have him there."

Both Green and Atkins attended the Pro Bowl after last season, but both were in different roles. Atkins was a first alternate and Green was the third AFC receiver.

Regardless of Green's performance on the field, he was prepared to miss the Pro Bowl if he needed to. 

"I told a lot of people there was going to be a boycott if he didn’t make it this year because he’s playing out of his mind," Green said when asked about Atkins' selection to the Pro Bowl. 

Atkins leads the Bengals with 12.5 sacks on the year. Teammates have nothing but nice things to say about Atkins and the recognition he's receiving. 

"The real story is people turning on the film and see play-in and play-out how he disrupts plays," Bengals OT Andrew Whitworth said. "Sometimes people just look at sacks and say he's disruptive. The truth is far he's more disruptive than just 12 sacks. As good as it is that doesn't even tell the story."

Green's story is just as compelling. Last year he became the first rookie wide receiver to make the Pro Bowl in eight years. This year, he's been just as impressive, leading the NFL in touchdown receptions for much of the season and completing a nine-game streak with at least one.

He currently leads the AFC with 11 touchdown receptions and, with 95 receptions, is only five catches away from being the third receiver in Bengals history to have 100 catches in a season. 

Atkins and Green are preparing to take on the Ravens at home to end the regular season on Sunday. The Ravens beat the Bengals 44-13 in Week 1. The Georgia boys will be looking to lead their respective sides of the ball to a victory over the Ravens as the Bengals seek to end their season at 10-6 despite starting 3-5.