(Best E Casino) - A selection of the NFL's top talent will take the field at Aloha Stadium on Sunday night, as the AFC and NFC square off in the 2008 Pro Bowl from Honolulu.

The Super Bowl Champion New York Giants will be represented by just one player, defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who was selected as a reserve on the NFC team. Umenyiora had a hand in the Giants' 17-14 upset of New England in Super Bowl XLII, recording four tackles and recovering a Tom Brady fumble just before halftime.

The AFC Champion Patriots will be better represented in the contest, although the team's highest-profile players - Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss - both begged off due to injury.

The AFC offense will include three Pats offensive linemen - tackle Matt Light, guard Logan Mankins, and center Dan Koppen, while nose tackle Vince Wilfork, linebacker Mike Vrabel, and cornerback Asante Samuel are the New England defenders taking part in the exhibition.

San Diego head coach Norv Turner and Green Bay head man Mike McCarthy will guide the AFC and NFC squads, respectively, after watching their teams fall in the championship round of the postseason.

SERIES HISTORY

The AFC leads the all-time Pro Bowl series, which dates back to the 1970 season, 19-18. Since the 1979 campaign, when the game was first played in Honolulu, the AFC holds a slim 15-13 advantage.

From 1961-69, prior to the AFL-NFL merger, the leagues held separate All-Star games after the season. From 1951-60, the NFL played its own Pro Bowl following the year, and from 1938-42, the NFL champion competed against an assembled group of league all-stars.

The AFC was a 31-28 winner in last year's contest, with Nate Kaeding's 21-yard field goal as time expired providing the final advantage. In the previous season, the NFC was a 23-17 winner. The NFC is just 3-8 in its last 11 Pro Bowl appearances, which, coincidentally is identical to the conference's record in the last 11 Super Bowls. Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer was player of the game last season after completing 8-of-17 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns.

Turner and McCarthy met for the first time as head coaches in Week 3 of the 2007 season, when Green Bay scored a 31-24 win at Lambeau Field. The two are bound by another connection, as Turner was named offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers in 2006 after McCarthy, who previously held the job, took the helm of the Packers.

NFC OFFENSE VS. AFC DEFENSE

With would-be starter Brett Favre unavailable for the Pro Bowl due to injury, NFC quarterbacking duties will fall to the Cowboys' Tony Romo (4211 passing yards, 36 TD, 19 INT), Seahawks' Matt Hasselbeck (3966 passing yards, 28 TD, 12 INT), and Buccaneers' Jeff Garcia (2440 passing yards, 13 TD, 4 INT). All three players have Pro Bowl experience, and Romo threw for a conference-best 156 yards on 11-of-19 passing with a touchdown and an interception in last year's game. When Romo is in the contest, he will look to his two favorite regular season targets - Dallas tight end Jason Witten (96 receptions, 7 TD) and wide receiver Terrell Owens (81 receptions, 15 TD) - along with Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald (100 receptions, 10 TD), another Pro Bowl starter. A star-studded cast of running backs is headlined by dazzling Vikings rookie Adrian Peterson (1341 rushing yards, 19 receptions, 13 TD) along with second- time Pro Bowler Brian Westbrook (1333 rushing yards, 90 receptions, 12 TD) of the Eagles. Peterson will run behind two Vikings teammates, guard Steve Hutchinson and fullback Tony Richardson (13 rushing yards, 11 receptions), among others.

A pair of Broncos veterans - cornerback Champ Bailey (84 tackles, 3 INT) and safety John Lynch (59 tackles, 1 sack) - highlight an AFC defense that is otherwise short on Pro Bowl experience. Bailey will be making his eighth consecutive trip to Honolulu, while Lynch, who is subbing for injured Colt Bob Sanders, will be playing in his ninth Pro Bowl. Other notables on the AFC defense include Chiefs end Jared Allen (64 tackles, 15.5 sacks), who led the league in sacks during the regular season; Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie (44 tackles, 10 INT), who paced the NFL in interceptions; and Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (40 tackles, 6 sacks), arguably the top interior lineman in the league during the 2007 season. Allen, Cromartie, and Haynesworth will all be making their initial Pro Bowl appearances.

AFC OFFENSE VS. NFC DEFENSE

With Brady unavailable, the starting quarterback for the AFC will be the Colts' Peyton Manning (4040 passing yards, 31 TD, 14 INT), who will suit up for a Pro Bowl for the eighth time in his 10-year NFL career. Manning already owns career Pro Bowl records for passing yards (1198), touchdown passes (12), completions (84) and attempts (146). Relieving Manning will be the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger (3154 passing yards, 32 TD, 11 INT) and Browns' Derek Anderson (3787 passing yards, 29 TD, 19 INT), both of whom will be making their first Pro Bowl appearances. Manning will be joined in the backfield by both teammate Joseph Addai (1072 rushing yards, 41 receptions, 15 TD) and Jaguars running back Fred Taylor (1202 rushing yards, 5 TD), who will be playing in the first Pro Bowl of his 10-year-career. The Colts' Reggie Wayne (104 receptions, 10 TD), Browns' Braylon Edwards (80 receptions, 16 TD), and Bengals' Chad Johnson (93 receptions, 8 TD) will be among the conference's wideouts, and Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez (99 receptions, 5 TD) will try to make his eighth Pro Bowl appearance one to remember. Gonzalez is third all- time with 29 Pro Bowl receptions and 413 receiving yards.

The NFC defense is notable more for who won't be in attendance than who will. Late Redskins safety Sean Taylor was honored with a Pro Bowl citation despite his tragic death from a gunshot wound on Nov. 27th. Taylor will be replaced by the Cowboys' Roy Williams (92 tackles, 2 INT), who will be making his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl appearance, in the starting lineup. Other Dallas players on the NFC squad include linebackers Demarcus Ware (84 tackles, 14 sacks) and Greg Ellis (31 receptions, 12.5 sacks), cornerback Terence Newman (50 tackle, 4 INT), and safety Ken Hamlin (62 tackles, 5 INT). Four Seahawks were named NFC starters, and three of those - linebackers Julian Peterson (74 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 2 INT) and Lofa Tatupu (109 tackles, 4 INT, 1 sack) along with cornerback Marcus Trufant (85 tackles, 7 INT) - will be on the field Sunday. Defensive end Patrick Kerney, the NFC leader in sacks with 14.5, will not play due to injury.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Cowboys rookie Nick Folk (26-31 FG) will perform kicking duties for the NFC, with 49ers punter Andy Lee (47.3 avg.) doing the punting. Lee led the NFC in punting average during the regular season. The Bears' Devin Hester (15.5 punt return avg., 4 TD, 21.7 kickoff return avg., 2 TD) makes his second straight trip to Honolulu as the NFC's return specialist, and will be looking for the conference's first kick return for a touchdown since the Eagles' Wally Henry took a kickoff return the distance in 1980.

The Titans' Rob Bironas (35-39 FG), who set an NFL record with eight field goals against the Texans back on Week 7, will handle kicking chores for the AFC. The Raiders' Shane Lechler (49.1 avg.), who will be making his third Pro Bowl appearance, will do the punting. In the return game, the electrifying Joshua Cribbs (30.7 kickoff return avg., 2 TD, 13.5 punt return avg., 1 TD) of the Browns will seek to break a big one.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The AFC has ruled this series of late, for whatever reason, but perhaps the Giants' unlikely win in Super Bowl XLII has signaled a shift in power between the conferences. Look for a game that traditionally never includes a wealth of defense to result in an NFC victory this time around.

Best E Casino Predicted Outcome: NFC 37, AFC 31