Pro Bowl Roster 2013: Analyzing Why Richard Sherman and Other Snubs Missed Team

By the time the Pro Bowl actually happens on Jan. 27, the players snubbed from the initial selections will be ultimately meaningless. Enough players will drop out of the game due to circumstance or injury that everyone who deserves a spot (and some who don't) will get their bonus check.

Instead, when taking a look at the initial rosters, it's far more important to look at why these particular players were snubbed. Is it the dreaded East Coast bias rearing its ugly head? Or do these voters simply look for the biggest names and blindly vote accordingly?

Oftentimes it's more complicated than that and here we'll try to look for more nuance than overwrought tropes. With that in mind, here is a look at why a few Pro Bowl snubs missed the team, starting with the biggest of all, Richard Sherman. 

Richard Sherman (CB, Seattle Seahawks)

Reason He Missed Pro Bowl Roster: Performance-Enhancing Drug Allegations

Based on his play on Sundays alone, Sherman is the player with by far the biggest gripe among "snubbed" players. There is nary a soul alive who should question the fact that Sherman has been among the best (if not the best) cornerback in the NFL this season.

The 24-year-old Seahawks star has 61 tackles, seven interceptions and three forced fumbles heading into the season's final week. He's been the best corner on a Seattle team that ranks fifth in the NFL in passing yards against and first against opposing WR1's, according to Football Outsiders. Alongside Brandon Browner, there probably isn't a better duo of cover corners in the game today.

One problem: A positive test for Adderall has hung over Sherman's season and his appeal lasted well past the voting period ended. While he may have won his appeal in the end, it had to weigh on the minds of many when casting their ballots. 

In today's day and age, it's presumed guilt before innocence in regards to performance-enhancing drugs. Too many times fans and pundits have been burned by giving players the benefit of the doubt. 

Obviously, we have to presume Sherman's innocence and allow him to play on Sundays without question. However, offseason voters were undoubtedly wary of Sherman's status (and his Ryan Braun-esque excuse) enough to avoid awarding him with a trip to Hawaii.

Alfred Morris (RB, Washington Redskins)

Reason He Missed Pro Bowl Roster: Robert Griffin III and Anti-Rookie Bias

If Morris wants to know the overarching reason he won't be making a trip to Hawaii, all he needs to do is look forward in the backfield. Fellow scintillating rookie Robert Griffin III was the only non-specialist rookie to make the Pro Bowl roster and deservedly so. He's been unbelievable all season behind center and is the latest in a group of guys who are redefining the quarterback position.

Griffin has also taken much of the spotlight away from Morris. Despite the Redskins running back being just 87 yards away from 1,500 on the season and scoring 10 touchdowns, Morris has taken a backseat to RGIII.

Morris can also blame the strong crop of players at his position in the NFC.

Obviously, one cannot argue with Adrian Peterson making the team over Morris. He's 208 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson's all-time rushing record (2,106 yards) and has propped the Vikings into playoff contention despite Christian Ponder's woes. It's also impossible to pound desks about Marshawn Lynch's inclusion either, as he's 10 yards away from 1,500 heading into Sunday's action.

However, the voters selecting Frank Gore over Morris comes with a wildly apparent "he can get it next year" narrative. Gore will be 30 years old next season and heading into the twilight of his career while Morris just turned 24 and will ostensibly have plenty of other opportunities.

It's not a representative decision about who has played better this season, but instead is more emotional. When you have human beings voting, this happens—especially to young guys. Morris wasn't the first and he won't be the last. 

Dez Bryant (WR, Dallas Cowboys)

Reason He Missed Pro Bowl Roster: Surged Too Late

At this point in the season, are there five receivers you'd take ahead of Bryant for the next half-decade? With a scintillating sprint to the finish, the third-year Cowboys wideout surged to stardom and is finally making good of his potential.

He has touchdowns in seven-straight games and three multi-touchdown performances in that period. Unfortunately, while that ascent has come at the perfect time for the Cowboys, Bryant's pre-Week 10 mediocrity put him behind the proverbial 8-ball.

Just for reference, here's a look at Bryant's first-half and second-half splits:

First Half: 42 REC, 503 YDS (12.0 YPC), 2 TDs

Second Half: 46 REC, 808 YDS (17.6 YPC), 10 TDs

Now keep in mind Bryant still has another game to go in his second half and the reasoning for his snub becomes apparent. At the season's midpoint, Bryant had seemingly plateaued in his development and was nowhere near worthy of a Pro Bowl.

It's likely that early votes and preconceived notions took Bryant out of the running, while making Victor Cruz an attractive option. When looking at Cruz's splits, you'll notice a very interesting contrast to Bryant's:

First Half: 52 REC, 650 YDS (12.5 YPC), 7 TDs

Second Half: 30 REC, 390 YDS (13.0 YPC), 2 TDs

When considering Pro Bowl ballots opened in late October when Cruz was at his peak and Bryant was languishing in the middle tier, it's pretty obvious why the Giants star will be salsaing his way to Hawaii over his division rival.

AFC Offense

Position	Player	Team
QB	Peyton Manning*	Denver Broncos
QB	Tom Brady	New England Patriots
QB	Matt Schaub	Houston Texans
RB	Arian Foster*	Houston Texans
RB	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs
RB	Ray Rice	Baltimore Ravens
FB	Vonta Leach*	Baltimore Ravens
WR	A.J. Green*	Cincinnati Bengals
WR	Andre Johnson*	Houston Texans
WR	Reggie Wayne	Indianapolis Colts
WR	Wes Welker	New England Patriots
TE	Rob Gronkowski*	New England Patriots
TE	Heath Miller	Pittsburgh Steelers
T	Joe Thomas*	Cleveland Browns
T	Duane Brown*	Houston Texans
T	Ryan Clady	Denver Broncos
G	Logan Mankins*	New England Patriots
G	Marshal Yanda*	Baltimore Ravens
G	Wade Smith	Houston Texans
C	Maurkice Pouncey*	Pittsburgh Steelers
C	Chris Myers	Houston Texans
P	Dustin Colquitt	Kansas City Chiefs
PK	Phil Dawson	Cleveland Browns
KR	Jacoby Jones	Baltimore Ravens
ST	Matthew Slater	New England Patriots

*Denotes starter

 

AFC Defense

Position	Player	Team
DL	J.J. Watt*	Houston Texans
DL	Cameron Wake*	Miami Dolphins
DL	Geno Atkins*	Cincinnati Bengals
DL	Vince Wilfork*	New England Patriots
DL	Elvis Dumervil	Denver Broncos
DL	Haloti Ngata	Baltimore Ravens
LB	Von Miller*	Denver Broncos
LB	Tamba Hali*	Kansas City Chiefs
LB	Jerod Mayo*	New England Patriots
LB	Robert Mathis	Indianapolis Colts
LB	Derrick Johnson	Kansas City Chiefs
CB	Champ Bailey*	Denver Broncos
CB	Johnathan Joseph*	Houston Texans
CB	Antonio Cromartie	New York Jets
S	Ed Reed*	Baltimore Ravens
S	Eric Berry*	Kansas City Chiefs
S	LaRon Landry	New York Jets

*Denotes starter

 

NFC Offense

Position	Player	Team
QB	Aaron Rodgers*	Green Bay Packers
QB	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons
QB	Robert Griffin III	Washington Redskins
RB	Adrian Peterson*	Minnesota Vikings
RB	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks
RB	Frank Gore	San Francisco 49ers
FB	Jerome Felton*	Minnesota Vikings
WR	Calvin Johnson*	Detroit Lions
WR	Brandon Marshall*	Chicago Bears
WR	Julio Jones	Atlanta Falcons
WR	Victor Cruz	New York Giants
TE	Tony Gonzalez*	Atlanta Falcons
TE	Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys
T	Russell Okung*	Seattle Seahawks
T	Joe Staley*	San Francisco 49ers
T	Trent Williams	Washington Redskins
G	Mike Iupati*	San Francisco 49ers
G	Jahri Evans*	New Orleans Saints
G	Chris Snee	New York Giants
C	Max Unger*	Seattle Seahawks
C	Jeff Saturday	Green Bay Packers
P	Thomas Morstead	New Orleans Saints
PK	Blair Walsh	Minnesota Vikings
KR	Leon Washington	Seattle Seahawks
ST	Lorenzo Alexander	Washington Redskins

*Denotes starter

 

NFC Defense

Position	Player	Team
DL	Jason Pierre-Paul*	New York Giants
DL	Julius Peppers*	Chicago Bears
DL	Justin Smith*	San Francisco 49ers
DL	Henry Melton*	Chicago Bears
DL	Jared Allen	Minnesota Vikings
DL	Gerald McCoy	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
LB	Aldon Smith*	San Francisco 49ers
LB	DeMarcus Ware*	Dallas Cowboys
LB	Patrick Willis*	San Francisco 49ers
LB	Clay Matthews	Green Bay Packers
LB	NaVorro Bowman	San Francisco 49ers
CB	Charles Tillman*	Chicago Bears
CB	Tim Jennings*	Chicago Bears
CB	Patrick Peterson	Arizona Cardinals
S	Dashon Goldson*	San Francisco 49ers
S	Donte Whitner*	San Francisco 49ers
S	Earl Thomas	Seattle Seahawks

*Denotes starter

 

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