Where's Weddle? Chargers Safety a Pro Bowl Snub

Not a lot has gone right the San Diego Chargers this season, but one guy that continues his solid play week after week is free safety Eric Weddle. There probably isn’t a safety in the entire league that is as consistently good in all phases of the game as Weddle.

Weddle not making the Pro Bowl just demonstrates how horrible the selection process for the Pro Bowl has become. The best players don’t make the team, and in some cases really bad players make the team over players like Weddle.

Only four safeties in the league have more solo tackles than Weddle and none of them have played free safety exclusively. Weddle also has three interceptions, 12 passes defensed and two forced fumbles. Not many safeties have that combination of statistics.

According to Pro Football Focus, teams have completed just 19 passes on Weddle on 31 attempts for just 136 yards and one touchdown. Weddle has allowed one reception longer than 20 yards, hasn’t committed a penalty all season and is Pro Football Focus’ top-graded safety.

It’s an absolute travesty that a guy like Weddle didn’t make the Pro Bowl, but what makes it worse is the quality of player that did make the Pro Bowl at the safety position. Eric Berry, Ed Reed and LaRon Landry have all been average safeties in 2012 and made it on their names alone.

It wouldn’t be nearly as bad if players like Jairus Byrd and Reshad Jones made the Pro Bowl over Weddle, but that’s not the case. The one guy that absolutely deserved to make the squad from the Chargers got snubbed for a couple of average players.

The Pro Bowl has been declining in quality for several years, but for some reason there is still prestige attached to being selected. It’s also nice for a fanbase to know that their team has a star player or two. 

Since Weddle was snubbed, the Chargers had no players make the Pro Bowl. The Chargers couldn’t even sneak in their consistently great punter Mike Scifres. The 2012 season will just have to be remembered as a completely lost season without any positives.

In time, people will now forget how good of a season Weddle had in 2012 if he is not selected as an All-Pro by the Associated Press. Weddle was selected as a first-team All-Pro in 2011 and should earn the honors again in 2012 if the voters get it right.