NFL NOTES : Just for Fun, One More All-Pro Team

With only one week left in the regular season, it’s NFL awards time. The players cast their votes for the Pro Bowl this week. But with assistance from players, coaches, scouts and the all-important stat sheets, here is one stab at an all-pro team.

Defensive line: Viking tackle Keith Millard (18 sacks) and end Chris Doleman (17) should be on everybody’s ballot. Eagle end Reggie White and Cleveland’s Michael Dean Perry round out the front four. Apologies to Clyde Simmons and Jerome Brown of the Eagles, Lee Williams and Leslie O’Neal of the Chargers and Howie Long of the Raiders.

Linebacker: Green Bay’s Tim Harris and his league-leading 18.5 sacks, the Rams’ Kevin Greene and his 15.5 sacks, the Saints’ Pat Swilling and his 15.5 sacks, and the Giants’ Carl Banks (six forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries) are the choices here. Apologies to Denver’s Karl Mecklenburg, the one and only Lawrence Taylor of the Giants, Charles Haley of the 49ers, Chicago’s Mike Singletary and the Colts’ Duane Bickett.

Defensive secondary: Safties Dennis Smith and Steve Atwater have led Denver’s defensive turnaround. The Eagles’ Eric Allen and Kansas City’s Deron Cherry are the cornerbacks. Apologies to Ronnie Lott (49ers) and the league’s best-kept secret, Cardinals safety Tim McDonald.

Offensive line: The guards are Tom Newberry of the Rams and Bruce Matthews of the Oilers. The tackles are Gary Zimmerman of the Vikings and Jim Lachey of the Redskins. Apologies to Giants tackle Doug Riesenberg (only one penalty, none for holding all season) and Colts tackle Chris Hinton.

Tight end: Philadelphia’s Keith Jackson edges out Cincinnati’s Rodney Holman.

Wide receivers: San Francisco’s Jerry Rice, Green Bay’s Sterling Sharpe, Buffalo’s Andre Reed, and the Redskins’ Art Monk. Apologies to Washington’s Ricky Sanders and Gary Clark, Tampa Bay’s Mark Carrier, the Rams’ Henry Ellard and San Diego’s Anthony Miller.

Running backs: The Chiefs’ Christian Okoye and Lions’ Barry Sanders, the leading rushers. Apologies to the Bears’ Neal Anderson, Saints’ Dalton Hilliard and Bills’ Thurman Thomas, the best all-purpose backs in the league.

Quarterback: Joe Montana, of course. Apologies to the Bengals’ Boomer Esiason, whose 25 touchdown passes and eight interceptions on the heels of last year’s performance have moved him past every quarterback in the league, except Montana.

Special teams: Punter Rich Camarillo of Phoenix has only five touchbacks while planting 21 inside the 20-yard line, with a net of 37.6 yards. Detroit’s Eddie Murray is 19 of 20 on field goals and perfect from beyond 40 yards. Nobody returns punts and kicks better than Atlanta’s Deion Sanders.

Offensive rookie: Barry Sanders, unarguably.

Defensive rookie: Kansas City linebacker Derrick Thomas over Atwater.

Offensive player of the year: Montana, unarguably.

Defensive player of the year: Millard, whose 18 sacks from the tackle position are extraordinary.

Playoff simplification: The Bengals can make the playoffs if they beat Minnesota on Christmas night and either Houston loses to Cleveland or Pittsburgh beats Tampa Bay. Although Sam Wyche may not have known it at the time, running up the score on Houston (a 61-7 trouncing) might be the deciding factor in Cincinnati’s getting in. AFC spokesman Pete Abitante, up until 3 a.m. with a calculator, reports that the Bengals (in case of a multiple-team tie) are in much better shape now at +62 than they were before the Houston game at +8 in the all-important point differential catagory.

With a victory at New Orleans Sunday, the Colts would become the AFC East Division’s only winning team over each of the past three seasons. . . . A victory in their final game Sunday at Atlanta would give the Lions their first five-game winning streak since the last five games of 1970. . . . Packer Coach Lindy Infante says he’d be willing to help the Bengals and Wyche get ready for the Vikings. The Packers can win the NFC Central only if they beat Dallas, and the Bengals beat the Vikings. “If they want to call us up, anything we’ve got, they’re welcome to,” Infante said. “But I doubt I would initiate any phone call. I’m sure Sam and his staff, the way they played (against Houston), don’t need any help from us. . . . We might just confuse them.”

When Dan Hampton went out of the lineup, the Bears were 4-0 and looking like Super Bowl contenders. Chicago has lost nine of its last 11.

“People forget what made our defense great. It was the pass rush,” Hampton said. “We have to get wild-eyed and crazy and get ready to go after the quarterback again.”

Five operations on each knee during his 11 years, and fears that he may be like Jim Otto (who can barely walk) won’t hold back Hampton.

“I’m going to play next year and I’m going to play damn well,” he said.