If you’re looking for cliff notes on the 2011 Pro Bowl rosters, here they are:
– Michael Vick will start opposite Tom Brady assuming both quarterbacks aren’t playing each other in the Super Bowl the following week.
– The Falcons have the most representatives at seven.
– The Patriots had six representatives, while the Eagles, Ravens, Packers and Cowboys had five apiece.
– Four rookies will be making the trip to Honolulu, including Lions’ behemoth Ndamukong Suh.
– Altogether, there were seven first-timers on the NFC squad and 14 for the AFC.
– The Bills, Bengals, Seahawks and Bucs were the only teams not represented. I think it’s telling that Seattle could win the NFC West and not have a single player go to the Pro Bowl.
To view complete rosters for both conferences, click here. If you’re looking to spice things up a little on your Wednesday morning, proceed below.
Top 5 Biggest Pro Bowl Snubs:
1. Tamba Hali, Chiefs, OLB
There’s an argument to be made that Hali deserves consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. So the fact that he was left off the Pro Bowl roster is saying something. He has 12 sacks this season and is a big reason why the Chiefs will be playing behind this week. The problem is that if you put Hali on the roster, whom are you going to take off? Cameron Wake leads the league in sacks and while Hali has one more QB-takedown than Harrison and Suggs, both of those players have more tackles. Harrison is more of a complete player than Hali and Suggs has 18 more tackles. Hali deserves to be on the roster but that doesn’t mean that Wake, Harrison and Suggs don’t.
2. Vernon Davis, TE, 49ers
How Tony Gonzalez made the NFC roster and not Davis is beyond me. Granted, Gonzo is currently helping his team make a Super Bowl run while Davis will be at home when the playoffs start next week but Gonzalez’s stats just don’t match up. He’s averaging 9.4 yards per catch this season while Davis is averaging 15.4. Davis also has one more touchdown reception and over 200 more yards. He doesn’t have as many receptions as Gonzalez (53 compared to 64), but he also had less to work with this year at the quarterback position. Gonzalez is still a playmaker at 34 years of age, but I’m willing to bet defenders would rather try to guard him than Davis in open space. And that’s not a dig at Gonzalez – it’s a compliment to Davis.
3. Tramon Williams, CB, Packers
If I were choosing one Green Bay cornerback to go to the Pro Bowl it wouldn’t be Charles Woodson – it would be Williams, who has easily been the Packers’ best pass defender this season. While he’s tied with a handful of players at six, only Asante Samuel has more interceptions than Williams this season. Nothing against Woodson, but I think Williams was left off because he doesn’t have the name recognition yet. But he will soon if he continues to play as well as he has this season.
4. Jonathan Babineaux, Falcons, DT
Much like the situation with Hali, this one is tricky because it’s not as if the players who made the roster instead of Babineaux don’t deserve to be on it. But there’s a case to be made that he should go ahead of Ratliff, who has five tackles and a half sack on Babineaux but zero forced fumbles (Babineaux has two) and stuffs (Babineaux has two). Babineaux also has an interception and a touchdown this season, which came on two separate plays. Anyone who watches Atlanta games knows that Babs is easily the most underrated interior linemen in the game. He lives in opponents’ backfields and can play the run just as well as he provides a solid pass-rush. It’s high time he gets more recognition and it’s unfortunate his name was left off the NFC roster.
5. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers
This one I get. Rodgers wasn’t going to make the roster ahead of Michael Vick, Drew Brees or Matt Ryan, even though he’s having a better year statically than all three. If the Packers were playing for a first round bye this week like Ryan and Brees will be, then he would have definitely made the NFC roster (assuming he compiled the same stats). But even though I understand why he didn’t make the roster, let’s take some time to appreciate what Rodgers has done this year. He’s thrown for 3,693 yards with 27 touchdowns and has compiled a 101.9 QB rating. This was all done without defenses having to worry about the Packers’ weak rushing attack and after he missed one and a half games with a concussion. He’s had a brilliant year.
Other snubs: Jacoby Ford (Raiders), Darren McFadden (Raiders), Derrick Johnson (Chiefs), Hakeem Nicks (Giants), Terrence Knighton (Jaguars), Donald Penn (Bucs), Malcolm Jenkins (Saints), Leon Washington (Seahawks)
