Pro Bowl 2012: Philip Rivers and the 8 Most Surprising NFL Pro Bowlers

Every season there are a certain number of Pro Bowlers that get voted in or selected as All-Stars, but their on-field performance shows that maybe they don't deserve it.

Sometimes these guys are voted in mostly because of what they've done in the past rather than their present day accomplishments. 

Other times there is a more deserving player who plays in a smaller market that just doesn't get enough recognition.

Whatever the reason, here are the seven most shocking picks to the 2012 NFL Pro Bowl. 

Antonio Gates

Antonio Gates has 672 yards and six touchdowns this season. That's fairly average for a player of Antonio's caliber, who's had five seasons with 900 yards or more. He's also missed three games.

It seems like Gates got into the Pro Bowl mostly because of his name and what he's done in the past rather than his accomplishments this year. He's essentially missed almost a quarter of the season and played good, not great, football. 

Why is it wrong to have two Patriots tight ends go to the Pro Bowl? Aaron Hernandez has to share time with Rob Gronkowski, and he has just as many touchdowns and 100 more yards than Gates. 

Philip Rivers

Since when did the NFL's league leader in interceptions with 19 deserve a Pro Bowl spot?

At first, one looks at Philip Rivers' selection and they are extremely surprised. How can a guy who has been an interception machine deserve a spot on this roster? But once they look at the other AFC quarterback options, it becomes clear why Rivers was taken.

That being said, it was startling when Rivers was selected. Despite his high number of interceptions, Rivers has thrown 4,314 passing yards, and he has really kept his interception totals down recently with only two in the last five weeks.

Andy Dalton could've also been a fair selection at the AFC quarterback position because of how he's led the Cincinnati Bengals to contend for a playoff spot in the last week of the season as a rookie. 

B.J. Raji

B.J. Raji really hasn't done much at all this season. It seems like people remember him for his famous touchdown dance from last year in the NFC Championship, and that's why they voted him in.

This isn't Dancing with the Stars, though. Raji only has three sacks and 21 tackles this year. That's definitely not a Pro Bowl caliber performance. 

D'Brickashaw Ferguson

In Mike Lombardi's Pro Bowl roster analysis, he states that D'Brickashaw Ferguson's performance against the best pass-rushers he's faced is enough to make him a surprising pick. 

Although he had a solid season at offensive line, Andrew Whitworth of Cincinnati, according to Lombardi, would have been a better call. 

Dwight Freeney

If an Indianapolis Colt had to be selected to the Pro Bowl, it shouldn't have been Dwight Freeney, who only has 18 tackles this season. It should've been his teammate Robert Mathis.

Mathis has one more sack, with nine, and more than twice as many tackles as Freeney on an atrocious Colts team. 

Derrick Johnson

The big question for Cleveland fans is, "Where's D'Qwell?"

D'Qwell Jackson was snubbed in favor of Derrick Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs. Although Johnson is having a formidable season with 126 tackles and two interceptions, Jackson is having the best season of his career with 145 tackles and four interceptions. 

With so many players opting not to play in the Pro Bowl, Jackson will probably get a spot as a replacement. That being said, it would've been nice to see him get the nod right off the bat. 

Champ Bailey

Champ Bailey is one of those players that probably got into the Pro Bowl because of "rank" rather than "merit."

There are guys like Kyle Arrington of New England and Lardarius Webb of Baltimore who have put stellar performances this season. Arrington has seven interceptions for the Patriots.

Webb, on the other hand, is turning into one of the more potent Ravens defenders. He has five interceptions and is part of one of the league's best ranked defenses.

Adrian Wilson

Adrian Wilson has had a successful career manning the safety position for the Arizona Cardinals. There is no doubt about that. His 62 tackles and one interception, along with the Cardinals mediocre record do not match up to what Roman Harper has meant to the Saints.

Harper has 92 tackles and eight sacks this year. Not only does he stop the run, but he stops the pass, and he's been a major contributor for the Saints defense because of those numbers.

If the Saints are going to beat the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs, they're going to have to put pressure on Aaron Rodgers. Harper is going to be the guy that does it.