Eight New England Patriots players were named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster yesterday, tying the most ever for the franchise since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

Quarterback Tom Brady, receiver Randy Moss, left tackle Matt Light, left guard Logan Mankins, linebacker Mike Vrabel, cornerback Asante Samuel and nose tackle Vince Wilfork have all been selected as starters for the Feb. 10 exhibition; center Dan Koppen was chosen as a reserve.

Conspicuously absent from the list are defensive end Ty Warren and receiver Wes Welker.

Mankins, Vrabel, Samuel, Wilfork and Koppen are all first-time honorees. This is the fourth selection for Brady, second for Light and sixth for Moss.

As has been well-chronicled, Brady is having a season for the ages, and one that could end up as the most prolific in NFL history. He has 45 touchdowns against just six interceptions, with a completion percentage of 69.2. Brady has thrown for a career-high 4,235 yards.

Thanks in large part to Koppen, Mankins and Light, Brady has been sacked just 17 times. The last time the Patriots sent three linemen to a postseason exhibition was in 1966, when center Jon Morris, tackle Tom Neville and guard Len St. Jean were chosen to the AFL All-Star Team.

This is Moss’ first selection since 2003, and with two games to go, he is three touchdowns away from tying Jerry Rice’s single-season league record of 22. Moss has rewritten the New England record book at his position since arriving in a draft-day trade with Oakland.

Vrabel’s selection is a long time coming. He has been a standout on the New England defense for several seasons, but it finally took his 9½ sacks, 69 tackles and five forced fumbles to get a trip to Hawaii.

Samuel has earned himself another bargaining chip as he heads to free agency this offseason. He has followed his 10-interception breakout season last year with six more picks so far this season.

Wilfork is at the center of arguably one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, and his performance largely dictates the performance of the Pats’ defense each week.

Pro Bowl selections were made via a combination of fan, player and coaches’ voting. Other players could still get the chance to play is those named today bow out.

Warren has 45 tackles (29 solo) and two sacks. He has faced a number of double-teams, especially with Richard Seymour missing the first seven games of the season.

Welker has enjoyed a career year, with 96 catches for 1,004 yards and eight touchdowns. He also is New England’s top punt returner.

Last year, Light and Seymour were the Patriots’ representatives to the Pro Bowl.

Brady honored

Also yesterday, The Sporting News magazine announced that it selected Brady as its Sportsman of the Year.

The magazine called Brady the “perfect pick” for the award.

“Tom Brady has given us one of the greatest seasons in NFL history,” said Sporting News Sr. Vice President/Editorial Director, John Rawlings. “You can’t help but admire what he has accomplished – even if much of the NFL world has suddenly turned anti-Patriots.”

The release continued that “the Patriots wouldn’t be the Patriots — and the NFL wouldn’t be the NFL — without Tom Brady.”

Brady was chosen over Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning, Packers’ quarterback Brett Favre, Colorado Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday, former Florida star Joakim Noah and Arkansas running back Darren McFadden.

The Sportsman of the Year issue hits newsstands Dec. 24.

smanza@projo.com