Yesterday, the rosters of the most meaningless football game ever to be played – even more meaningless than your nephew’s fourth-grade co-ed flag football game where they don’t even keep score. While the game is a bigger waste of the time than W’s first comment when he gets back, it’s still fun to talk about who should have been invited to Hawaii and who got invited who doesn’t deserve to go. And, how many guys on the roster will have some injury after the season that will keep them from going to the game. (Right now I’ll set the early line over/under at 13.)
Let’s start with the most obvious “guy who got in just because of the name on the back of my jersey.” Brett Favre. Really? Brett Favre deserves this honor? Why? Because he came to a new team that was awful last year and made them good but only good enough to choke away the playoffs at the end of the season? If that’s the case, Chad Pennington should be a Pro Bowler too. He’s got a even better case the Favre. Favre has 21 TDs to 17 interceptions. Not even good numbers. Decent but not good or Pro Bowl worthy. Philip Rivers should have been picked over him. But I’m glad he wasn’t because Rivers is a bigger douche than that guy who wears cut off T-shirts to the bars in the winter. (In fact, I’m sure Rivers does that and makes sure everyone in the bar knows who he is.) Peyton Manning had a better case. I would have picked Matt Cassel. His 18-11 TD-INTs are better than Favre’s. His 3270 yards are better and his 87.1 rating is better. Sure, those aren’t really Pro Bowl worthy either but he wasn’t expected to play, and when he did, he was suppose to suck, yet he is going to lead the Patriots to the playoffs. That’s Pro Bowl worthy. Oh, Jay Cutler and his diabetes shouldn’t be there either.
How does Ronnie Brown make the team? Because he’s the “wildcat”? If that’s the reason (and it has to be because he hasn’t been that good consistently) then the Pro Bowl is a joke (oh yeah, it is.) Brown didn’t even have a 1,000 yards and some games Cheech and Chong Williams was better than him. Steve Slaton was much better.
What about in the NFC? Eli “how is it possible to look more retarded than Peyton” Manning make it. He is 9th ranked QB in the NFC. Who know who’s a head of him? Jeff Garcia, Shaun Hill, Donavan McNabb, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan, in addition to Warner and Brees who deserved the Pro Bowl selection they got. But Eli? Wow. Just awful. Romo has played three less games than Eli and has more yards, TD, and a 12 point better QB rating. But how what about Matt Ryan? People are talking about him being the MVP of the league and he doesn’t get picked. Eli is awful. I’m positive this was a “he won the Super Bowl last year. Let’s for get about what he’s done this year. He deserves it for that even if Shaun Hill is playing better than him.”
DeAngelo Williams may have been the biggest snub. Clinton Portis had a great six or seven games to start the year, like the Redskins as a team. Then he has sucked ass, like the Redskins. Williams has been on an amazing tear the last seven games. He has 14 touchdowns. Portis has 7. Williams is averaging 0.9 yards more per carry and hasn’t fumbled all year.
Who cares about offensive linemen. It’s too hard for fans to really know the difference between a Pro Bowler and a good lineman. But Joe Thomas, I’m pretty sure, didn’t deserve to go. Last year he did. But not this year. I got a feeling Thomas is going to be one of those linemen who get picked to go every year even if he isn’t that good but people know his name so they’ll vote for him.
I also don’t really care about defense but how the hell do the two leaders in sacks not get to the Pro Bowl? DeMarcus Ware is going to break the sack record, being only 3.5 away from it and John Abrahams is second with 15.5 sacks on a surprisingly good Falcons defense. I’d say Jared Allen stays on but Julius Peppers and Justin Tuck should have been replaced with Ware and Abraham.
And finally, the fullbacks. Why the hell are fullbacks even picked? Shouldn’t they just be grouped with the running backs? Is anyone going to be upset if a fullback doesn’t play? Would anyone notice? Can anyone name a fullback?
So moral of the story – and let me be the 4,329,038,974 person to say this – the Pro Bowl sucks.
No QB on a 6-8 team should go to the pro bowl…especially a fag like Rivers. I totally agree on Ryan. He should be there. His numbers aren’t great, but he’s the reason that the Falcons are where they are today.
Using the same logic I just used on Ryan, Roethlisberger should be there, too. The Steelers have played the toughest schedule maybe ever and are probably going to get homefield in the playoffs. His numbers aren’t good and he’s looked awful at times, but he’s a winner. You could even make a small case for him being the MVP this year (I doubt that any other QB could drive 92 yards on the Ravens in the final 3 minutes of the game). I would have taken Ben and Kerry Collins over Favre and Cutler. It should be about rewarding players that have accomplished something more than fantasy points.
No player on the Browns offense should go to Hawaii. In fact, they should be forced to go to Siberia.
Wow… for once I agree with everything you have said in your post. Half the guys they named haven’t really done anything this year. I even agree with Graig on SOME of his comments. I don’t really agree that if your team sucks you shouldn’t go to the pro bowl if you are playing well. It’s not Rivers fault LT has a bad toe and his D sucks. I’d even take Ryan going to the Pro Bowl. Maybe even Rodgers. Maybe the NFL is trying to be like baseball and putting guys from every team on the roster in hopes to boost ratings. The Pro Bowl is the worst All Star game in the pros so make me person #4,329,038,975 to say the Pro Bowl sucks. If they want to boost ratings, have ALL the people play and tell them to play like they would in the Super Bowl and go out and kill each other. That’d be worth it.
Lorenzo O’Neal or Neal or whatever his name is. LT’s old fullback when he was sick (as in good).
Pittsburgh really has no competition in the AFC so they should breeze to the Super Bowl. I like the Giants vs the Steelers in a very boring Super Bowl. Steelers win because their D is better than the Patriots overrated D last year and they get to Eli.