Tim Jennings (189,791 votes) and Charles Tillman (137,031) are the top vote-getters at cornerback, while Henry Melton (155,377) leads all defensive tackles.

Brandon Marshall (263,700) is second behind the Giants’ Victor Cruz (352,611) at receiver and Major Wright (71,532) is second behind the Packers’ Charles Woodson (78,503) at strong safety.

Kick returner Devin Hester (67,585) and special teams standout Blake Costanzo (36,790) are third; inside linebacker Brian Urlacher (86,345) is fourth; and defensive end Julius Peppers (109,090) and outside linebacker Lance Briggs (99,901) are fifth.

Pro Bowl voting will continue online and on mobile phones via NFL.com/probowl through Monday, Dec. 17. The teams will be announced at 6 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, Dec. 26 on NFL Network’s “NFL Total Access.”

The Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013, a week before Super Bowl XLVII, and televised live on NBC at 6 p.m. (CT) from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.

The all-star squads are based on the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 43-man rosters that represent NFC and AFC. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes Dec. 20-21.

Tim Jennings (116,347 votes) and Charles Tillman (80,604) are the top vote-getters at cornerback, while Henry Melton (98,957) leads all defensive tackles.

Brandon Marshall (153,574) is second behind the Giants’ Victor Cruz (257,016) at receiver and Major Wright (46,976) is second behind the Packers’ Charles Woodson (53,531) at strong safety.

Kick returner Devin Hester (43,315) and special teams standout Blake Costanzo (25,209) are third; inside linebacker Brian Urlacher (55,465) and kicker Robbie Gould (24,344) are fourth; and defensive end Julius Peppers (70,082) and outside linebacker Lance Briggs (67,062) are fifth.

Pro Bowl voting will continue online and on mobile phones via NFL.com/probowl through Monday, Dec. 17. The teams will be announced at 6 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, Dec. 26 on NFL Network’s “NFL Total Access.”

The Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013, a week before Super Bowl XLVII, and televised live on NBC at 6 p.m. (CT) from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.

The all-star squads are based on the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 43-man rosters that represent NFC and AFC. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes Dec. 20-21.

A year after being voted to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career, Tillman was named NFC defensive player of the month for October after winning two weekly awards and was praised by President Barack Obama during a nationally-televised interview the night before the election.

“Charles Tillman has been an integral part of our defense since he’s gotten here in 2003,” Briggs said. “He’s getting a lot of attention now. He should have been getting it for the past 10 years. He’s played at a high level. He’s an elite player and has always played at a high level. Now in Year 10 he’s taken it up to another level. He’s a defensive player of the year type player.”

In October, Tillman returned interceptions for touchdowns in back-to-back road wins in Dallas and Jacksonville, setting the Bears’ all-time record with eight defensive TDs. He also held Lions Pro Bowl receiver Calvin Johnson to three receptions for a season-low 34 yards.

Tillman then forced a career-high four fumbles in last Sunday’s 51-20 rout of the Titans, increasing his season total to seven and giving him 36 forced fumbles in his career, the most among NFL defensive backs since he entered the league in 2003.

Urlacher doesn’t know why Tillman didn’t receive the credit he deserves until the past two seasons.

“Peanut should be getting a ton of recognition,” Urlacher said. “He’s played great the last four or five years. Look at his stats. He’s caused [36] fumbles, has [32] picks. It didn’t happen in the last two years. He’s played 10 years. He’s had those picks and all those big plays his whole career. It’s not just the one year he’s done it. I’m glad he’s getting it now because he deserves it.”

“It’s family first,” Smith said. “If there’s something you feel like you need to do for your family, always do that. How we look at it is like an injury. If a player can’t go, it’s next guy up and we’ll keep going.”

Tillman first mentioned the possibility of missing the game during a radio interview Tuesday night on WSCR-AM 670. He declined to discuss the situation in detail Wednesday, saying only that he would play in the game if his wife Jackie gave birth Sunday morning.

In 2008, their three-month-old daughter Tiana was diagnosed with dilated cardiomypathy and needed a heart transplant to survive. She eventually received one and remains healthy.

“At the end of the day, [family] is all you have,” Tillman said. “This game is important to me. But after what we went through with my middle child, Tiana, to me football is second. It’ll always be second or third in my life. That was a great lesson learned. When I’m done playing football, my family will always be there for me.”

Tillman has been selected the NFC defensive player of the month for October after Jennings won the award in September. The two are the first cornerbacks from the same team to claim the award in back-to-back months.

“It’s special to see that, and they are playing at such a high level,” said defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. “They’re great players, and they’re doing a great job.”

Tillman was honored after returning interceptions for touchdowns in back-to-back games and holding Lions Pro Bowl receiver Calvin Johnson to three receptions for a season-low 34 yards. Jennings leads the NFL with a career-high six interceptions, one of which he brought back 25 yards for his first pro touchdown.

While the 6-2, 198-pound Tillman generally matches up against bigger receivers like Johnson, the 5-8, 185-pound Jennings shadows smaller, quick receivers such as the Panthers’ Steve Smith.

“He has his style; I have my style,” Tillman said. “I think it’s what makes our defense a little bit better than some, especially in years past the way we’re able to match up against different receivers. I definitely think that’s a bonus for us.”

Asked if he and Jennings should be recognized as the best cornerback tandem in the NFL, Tillman said: “I don’t know. We’re only halfway through the season, and I definitely think there’s some room for improvement with myself and Tim.

“The sky’s the limit. I definitely think we can, but you don’t get any awards halfway through the season for being the best cornerback tandem. I definitely think there’s potential for that. We’ve just got to keep doing what we’ve been doing; making plays, covering receivers, creating turnovers, getting our offense some good field position and scoring.”

Had they worked out, cornerback Charles Tillman (shin) and tight end Kyle Adams (shoulder) would not have practiced and tackle J’Marcus Webb (thumb) would have been limited.

Brian Urlacher also would have been held out as a precautionary measure as he works his way back following arthroscopic knee surgery.

The star middle linebacker started Sunday’s season opener against the Colts after missing more than a month of training camp and all four preseason games. Urlacher sat out most of the second half after the Bears had built a 20-point lead.

“I’m pleased with the way he played his first time out,” coach Lovie Smith said Monday. “You have to look at it like that. It was his first action when they’re cutting you live and having to take on blocks. I think he did a decent job with it.”

Tillman injured his lower leg while blocking during a Colts punt early in Sunday’s game. He returned for a couple defensive series before being replaced by Kelvin Hayden, an eight-year veteran who signed with the Bears in April.

“Of course we want Charles out on the football field as much as possible,” Smith said. “We felt coming in that we had three starting corner types, saying Kelvin is one.

“Kelvin came in, did a good job, had a big hit, and made a couple big plays, so it was good to get him into the mix. We’ll need all three corners during the course of the year. But we need to get [Tillman] back out there.”

Smith said that he expects Tillman to play Thursday night in Green Bay, but the Bears coach conceded that his “glass is half-full always.”

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner, who was selected by Washington with the second overall pick in the draft, completed 4 of 6 passes for 70 yards with one touchdown and a 145.8 passer rating in the Redskins’ 7-6 preseason-opening win over the Buffalo Bills.

“I’ve been impressed with him for a long time,” Smith said. “His college coach [at Baylor] is an old high school friend of mine, so I’ve followed them and him quite a bit.

“He can do everything you want a quarterback to do. He had over a 145 quarterback rating in the 14 plays he played last week. He’ll be a good challenge for us. It seems like most of the quarterbacks these days are athletic, and they can beat you moving around, buying time to complete passes, and he can do that.”

On Griffin’s third and final series against the Bills, he capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon.

Before starring at Baylor, Griffin attended Copperas Cove High School in Texas, the same school that produced Bears cornerback Charles Tillman. During the NFL Combine in February, Griffin said that he was inspired by Tillman’s success.

“I met Charles for the first time when I was a seventh-grader and he was in the league,” Griffin said at the time. “To watch him play the way he has and be a Pro Bowl player, it’s an inspiration. We’ve both got long hair, both went to Copperas Cove High School and hopefully we’ll both have great NFL careers.”

“He’s competing against one of the best corners in the NFL in Charles ‘Peanut’ Tillman, and Peanut is making him work,” Drake said. “It’s only going to make him better as time goes on. I’m very excited about what Peanut’s doing to get Brandon ready.

“Brandon welcomes that challenge and understands and knows that it’s only going to get him better. The thing that I don’t want him to do is get frustrated because Peanut’s going to win some of those battles. I expect [Marshall] to win every battle, but at the same time I have a lot of respect for [Tillman].”

Drake also has a lot of respect for receiver Earl Bennett, who is often overshadowed by Marshall and Devin Hester despite consistently making plays, especially in key third-down situations.

“He’s underappreciated by a lot of people because he’s very consistent,” Drake said. “He does what everybody wants him to do, but I don’t think he will get overlooked in this offense. He’s an integral part, a big part because he does all the subtle things, all the little things. He does all those things right.

“The quarterback has a great rapport with him. He knows where he’s going to be, and the thing about it is Earl’s going to make the play.”

Rookie receiver Alshon Jeffery, a 6-3, 216-pounder, has also made plays early in training camp. Drake especially likes the second-round pick’s size, hands and ability to get in and out of breaks.

“As he learns to use his body and body up people and do those things, he’s only going to get better,” Drake said. “But I do like his ability to catch the football and his ability to run routes. He’s gotten so much better and you still seethe improvement that he’s made since Day 1.”