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ALAMEDA – Fullback Marcel Reece has been to the Pro Bowl twice before, and he’s always been the only Raider in the game.
He’d like his third straight appearance to be with some friends. Veteran free safety Charles Woodson and rookie outside linebacker Khalil Mack are alternates for the annual NFL all-star game, to be played at the Super Bowl site in Glendale, Ariz. a week before the big game.
Players typically drop out in droves, so there’s a possibility that one or both could make it.
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It would be quite something for Woodson to earn a spot at age 38, but it would be well deserved after a remarkably strong season. Mack may not have the stats or name recognition so early in his career, but he’ll make a few of these exhibitions if he continues on his current career path.
Reece hopes both guys make it this time.
“Those two guys are Pro Bowlers to me,” Reece said. “‘C-Wood’ is the (Greatest of All Time). He’s kind of that DB that you talk about like the Jerry Rice’s and the Michael Irvin’s and the Deion Sanders’s. Charles Woodson is right there. The only difference is he’s still playing and he’s playing at a high level.
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"Khalil Mack is at the opposite end of the spectrum where he’s just starting his career, but he’s going to be one of those guys as well. The sky is the limit for him. So I definitely, definitely want those guys to be out there with me.”
Reece hasn’t matched his statistics of seasons passed, but he’s happy to be considered an all-star.
“It does mean something,” Reece said. “It just means to me, No. 1, that dreams do come true; and No. 2, just having the respect of my peers, the respect of the fans and the respect of my teammates. It means the world to me.”
