The Associated Press

ASHBURN

Randy Thomas stared in puzzled silence at the numbers for the longest time, then finally started laughing. If the Pro Bowl voting were to end right now, the veteran right guard would be on his way to Hawaii - along with 19 of his Washington Redskins teammates.

"You've got to be kidding me," Thomas said. "Wow."

So far, it's the Redskins in a burgundy state landslide. Fans have responded in droves to an aggressive get-out-the-vote campaign conducted by one of the most market-savvy teams in the NFL, putting virtually everyone in the lineup - even those who haven't played much or have played well below Pro Bowl caliber - ahead of the pack in the NFC.

"It's a surprise," said Khary Campbell - that's right, Khary Campbell - who has a lead of more than 2-to-1 over his nearest competitor in voting for special teams specialist. "But I'm happy to see our fans showing the overwhelming support they do have for us."

The Redskins' campaign has been so effective the NFL felt the need to raise the issue in an e-mail sent last week to the digital media departments of all 32 teams .

"As it stands right now, the Redskins are leading the NFC ballots in 16 of 19 positions," said the e-mail, a copy of which was provided to The Associated Press. "It's no surprise, given that they have been promoting this all season long. ... This would be a great weekend to promote Pro Bowl voting to your fans. Let me know if you need any ideas or support from the league (or the Redskins) in this important initiative."

Right now, eight of the 11 NFC starters on both offense and defense would be Redskins, plus all four special teams players. Shawn Springs, who has missed six games with injuries, is the leading vote-getter at cornerback. Mike Sellers has one-third of the votes for fullback, giving him a huge margin over his nearest competitor, Madison Hedgecock of the New York Giants . The Giants are 9-1, but their only vote leader is defensive end Justin Tuck.

That's not to say all 20 Redskins are shoo-ins. Fan voting on NFL.com continues through Dec. 9, and it counts for only one-third of the total. Then the coaches and players are polled separately, each counting for one-third.

But some of the leads are so large they could be tough to surmount under the complex formula the NFL uses for apportioning votes. The situation is somewhat reminiscent of last season, when the ever-popular Dallas Cowboys sent 13 players to Hawaii.

At least those Cowboys were a 13-3 team. The Redskins' decent-but-not-spectacular record of 6-4 makes the overload of Pro Bowl love almost embarrassing, especially for a candid veteran such as Thomas, who frankly admitted he didn't think he was playing at an all-star level.

"I guess I'm critical of myself," Thomas said, "but I can always play better than what I'm been doing."

The showering of votes represents another coup for Redskins owner Dan Snyder, whose marketing ploys have been far more successful than his Football moves. In the spirit of the national presidential campaign, the team launched "Vote the Redskins Ticket" in October, featuring Hall of Fame legends Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff. They were the first two faces greeting anyone who visited the team's Web site, and they graced the cover of the program at a recent home game.

"We encouraged our fans to vote for the Pro Bowl, and they responded in record numbers," team spokesman Zack Bolno said.

Notes Running back Clinton Portis, who surprised himself by playing last week on a sprained knee, sat out practice Wednesday but expects to be ready for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks . "Sore. It's better than it was last week," Portis said. "I'm playing this week, if that's what you all want to know. No ifs, ands, buts about it, I'll be playing." Portis rushed for 68 yards on 15 carries in the 14-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys despite not practicing at all last week. ... WR Antwaan Randle El (ankle), guard Pete Kendall (knee), tackle Chris Samuels (knee) and linebacker Marcus Washington (ankle) did not practice. All but Washington are expected to play Sunday. ... Shawn Springs, who has missed four straight games with a calf injury, returned to practice.

16 of 19 As of last week, the Redskins were leading in 16 of 19 NFL positions for the Pro Bowl.