NFL Players Most Likely to Get Snubbed for the 2016 Pro Bowl
The 2015 NFL regular season is going to be over before you know it. In just a month's time all we're going to be left with is the postseason race toward the Super Bowl.
Now, we love the NFL postseason, but if your favorite team doesn't make it to the playoffs, you might not exactly be watching with unbridled enthusiasm.
However, that doesn't mean you can't still see your favorite players on the field one last time. This is because we'll get the 2016 Pro Bowl a week prior to Super Bowl 50.
It's worth noting that the Pro Bowl selection process very much involves popularity and name recognition as much as it does production. If your favorite player is a popular one having a decent season, there's a good chance he's Pro Bowl-bound.
This shouldn't be surprising since fans share part of the vote, and it rarely creates real controversy. Most of the time, the fans, coaches and players get things right, but sometimes a more deserving player is kept off the Pro Bowl roster in favor of a more recognizable player.
We're talking, of course, about players getting snubbed.
With balloting for the 2016 Pro Bowl almost in the books (fans can still vote over at NFL.com until Tuesday, December 15), we thought it would be a good time to take a look at some of the most deserving NFL players who are likely to miss out on the Pro Bowl.
We'll be taking a look at why each player is deserving of the honor, and why each is likely to be snubbed. Do you have some other potential snubs in mind? Feel free to let us know in the comments section.
Weston Richburg, C, New York Giants
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Why He Deserves a Pro Bowl Nod
New York Giants Center Weston Richburg is in his second NFL season and has emerged as one of the NFL's best pass-blocking centers. Pro Football Focus currently rates him fifth overall and second in pass blocking among all centers.
The former second-round pick has allowed just eight quarterback pressures this season with zero hits or sacks on quarterback Eli Manning.
Richburg is also a fiery, tough competitor, who has battled through an ankle injury to play at an extremely high level. Though he did miss the first game of his college and pro careers this year, he wasn't at all happy about it.
"I wouldn't wish that on anybody," Richburg said after missing Week 12, per Jordan Raanan of NJ Advance Media. "Not being able to be there and help out, that was tough."
Why He'll Probably Get Snubbed
Being a Pro Bowl-caliber pass-blocker probably won't be enough to earn Richburg an actual spot in the Pro Bowl this season for a couple of reasons. Being on a struggling 5-7 Giants team is probably chief among them.
There is also the fact that only four center spots are allotted for the Pro Bowl, and Richburg isn't going to be the first player who springs to mind when voting. Repeat Pro Bowlers such as Mike Pouncey and Ryan Kalil will probably coast into the conversation.
Then voters are likely to look at centers on more successful teams—such as Nick Mangold of the 7-5 New York Jets, Mitch Morse of the 7-5 Kansas City Chiefs and Joe Berger of the 8-4 Minnesota Vikings. Richburg, though, is certainly deserving of recognition and may just sneak in as an alternate.
Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo Bills
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Why He Deserves a Pro Bowl Nod
Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor is in his first season as a pro starter, and to say that he has surprised in a positive way would be an understatement.
Taylor is completing 64.9 percent of his passes, has thrown 17 touchdowns to just four interceptions and holds an impressive passer rating of 104.3—fourth-highest among regular starters. His average of 8.0 yards per pass attempt is higher than the averages of Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Philip Rivers. He has also carried the ball 63 times for 318 yards and three touchdowns.
More importantly, Taylor has gone 6-4 as a starter.
Assuming Taylor finishes the season without missing any more games (he has missed two), he is on pace for a 3,484-total-yard season with 28 total touchdowns and just six interceptions.
Why He'll Probably Get Snubbed
The biggest reason why Taylor won't be named to the Pro Bowl is a lack of staggering yardage numbers. When Robert Griffin III made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2012, he had similar passing numbers (3,200 yards, 20 touchdowns, five interceptions), but he doubled Taylor's projected rushing yardage to finish over the 4,000-total-yard mark.
Guys such as Tom Brady, Carson Palmer, Andy Dalton and Cam Newton are virtual locks for the Pro Bowl, which leaves Taylor competing for one of two remaining spots.
Unfortunately, Taylor simply doesn't have the eye-popping statistics needed to beat out the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson.
In a way this is a shame, because Taylor has really been playing more efficiently than many of these guys. Due to his style of play, Taylor might not even make it in as an alternate this year.
Delanie Walker, TE, Tennessee Titans
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Why He Deserves a Pro Bowl Nod
Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker is playing like one of the league's best tight ends this season, and the fact that he's doing so with a rookie quarterback under center makes his performances all the more impressive.
Walker currently leads all NFL tight ends with 67 receptions and ranks fourth at the position in receiving yards with 800. He ranks third among tight ends with an average of 72.7 receiving yards per game.
Pro Football Focus rates Walker second overall among tight ends, behind only Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots. He is also rated fourth overall in run blocking, proving that Walker is more than just a weapon for Tennessee's passing game.
Why He'll Probably Get Snubbed
Popularity and a position on a winning team is part of it. It's no surprise Gronkowki and the Carolina Panthers' Greg Olsen lead the fan voting at tight end.
When told that he wasn't even ranked 10th in fan voting, Walker said the following, per Jason Wolf of the Tennessean:
"Is that surprising? No, it’s not. C’mon. No one looks at the stats. Fans don’t look at stats. It’s all about popularity and who’s a big name, who the NFL pumps. That’s who the fans look at, so it’s not surprising to me that I’m not even in the top 10.
And the players, they do the same thing, they vote on popularity. So I don’t think the players’ vote is going to really change where I’m at in that position. I’m just expecting not to even be in the Pro Bowl this year, just like last year.
"
To be fair, fans do pay attention to stats, which is why tight ends like Gary Barnidge (on pace for 1,089 yards and nine touchdowns) and Tyler Eifert (currently leading all players with 12 receiving touchdowns) are probably up there in fan voting.
The fact that Walker is an under-the-radar player on an underwhelming Titans team is the real reason why he'll probably be snubbed.
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K.J. Wright, OLB, Seattle Seahawks
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Why He Deserves a Pro Bowl Nod
Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker K.J. Wright is playing at an incredibly high level on a playoff-caliber defense at the right time of year.
The two-time NFC champion is coming off a 10-tackle performance against the Vikings and has racked up 89 tackles to go with a sack and three forced fumbles. As far as all-around linebackers go, Wright is among the best in the league this season.
Pro Football Focus rates Wright second overall among all 4-3 outside linebackers and second at the position in pass coverage. His 75 solo tackles also rank second at the position. If Wright were an inside linebacker, his numbers would probably be more than good enough to get him into the Pro Bowl conversation.
Why He'll Probably Get Snubbed
This one is pretty simple. Pro Bowl voting does not differentiate between 4-3 linebackers and 3-4 linebackers. Since most of your pass-rushing linebackers are of the 3-4 variety, they are often the ones who make it into the Pro Bowl.
Outside linebackers who produce big sack numbers—such as Khalil Mack, Von Miller, Justin Houston, Julius Peppers, Elvis Dumervil and Ryan Kerrigan (all with seven or more sacks so far this season)—are likely to pop into voters' minds more quickly than outside linebackers who do their best work in coverage or against the run.
It's also difficult to envision Wright beating out 4-3 outside linebackers such as Thomas Davis (5.0 sacks) and Jamie Collins (4.5 sacks). Unfortunately for most outside linebackers, it takes sacks or a very high profile to make the Pro Bowl.
Since Wright is one of the least heralded players on Seattle's defense, he really has neither.
Terron Armstead, OT, New Orleans Saints
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Why He Deserves a Pro Bowl Nod
New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead is now in his third pro season, and he is finally beginning to play at a top-tier level.
The former third-round draft selection is rated fourth overall among all offensive tackles by Pro Football Focus for the season and has been credited with allowing just three sacks and nine quarterback hurries.
When Armstead has been healthy (he has missed two games this season), quarterback Drew Brees has rarely had to worry about pressure coming from his left.
Armstead has also been a major asset in the run game. The only offensive tackle Pro Football Focus rated higher in run blocking this season is Dallas' Tyron Smith.
Why He'll Probably Get Snubbed
Armstead's biggest obstacle is the fact that he plays on a struggling 4-8 Saints teams. It certainly isn't Armstead's fault that the Saints' terrible defense has been costing the team games, but offensive tackles on losing teams rarely get recognition—unless their name happens to be Joe Thomas.
The presence of multiple Pro Bowlers such as Thomas (eight of them), Smith (two), Jason Peters (seven), Trent Williams (three) and Joe Staley (four) make it difficult for less recognizable names to crack the lineup.
Once you get past the defensive tackles who have dominated the Pro Bowl voting in recent years, voters are probably going to lean toward DTs on potential playoff teams, such as Jason Veldheer of the Arizona Cardinals or Marcus Gilbert of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It wouldn't (or at least shouldn't) be surprising, though, to see Armstead get in as an alternate.
Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders
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Why He Deserves a Pro Bowl Nod
Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr might only be in his second season, but he is already playing at a top-caliber level.
The Fresno State product is currently ranked ninth in the NFL with 3,178 passing yards, fourth in the league with 26 touchdowns and seventh among starting quarterbacks with a passer rating of 97.7. He has also managed to take just 16 sacks on the season.
His nine interceptions are fewer than the number thrown by guys such as Cam Newton (10), Drew Brees (11) and Eli Manning (10)—and it's the same number potential MVP candidate Carson Palmer has thrown.
In terms of passing alone, Pro Football Focus rates Carr fourth overall among all quarterbacks.
Why He'll Probably Get Snubbed
Carr faces the same problem Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor does. There are just too many big-name quarterbacks playing well this year to have a strong shot at cracking the Pro Bowl lineup.
If Carr played on a legitimate contender, then he might be gaining a lot more attention than he is, which would probably help his case for the Pro Bowl. However, the Raiders are sitting at 5-7 and have lost four of their last five games.
Most of the Raiders' losses haven't been because of poor play on Carr's part, which is why it's a shame he's such a dark horse for the honor.
The good news is that Carr should have a very good chance to still get into the game as an alternate, and he should have the chance to attend multiple Pro Bowls in the near future.
Wesley Woodyard, ILB, Tennessee Titans
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Why He Deserves a Pro Bowl Nod
Tennessee Titans inside linebacker Wesley Woodyard is in his eighth NFL season, though he has never been a household name. However, that could soon change if he continues to play like he has this year under Dick LeBeau.
Woodyard has already amassed 69 total tackles to go with a forced fumble, and he leads all NFL inside linebackers in sacks with 5.0.
Pro Football Focus rates him third overall among all inside linebackers and sixth overall among all non-pass-rushing linebackers in the league.
Beyond pure statistics, Woodyard has also emerged as a leader on the vastly underrated Titans defense (ranked eighth with 336.1 yards allowed per game).
"I can’t say enough about him and what he does for our team," interim coach Mike Mularkey said of Woodyard, via the team's official website. "He’s a pro, he comes out to practice. He’s in every special teams meeting whether he’s on them or not. And he’s productive on defense. He’s a good guy for our young players to follow."
Why He'll Probably Get Snubbed
Playing for the lowly 3-9 Titans is part of Woodyard's problem. The other is that there are only four inside linebacker slots on the Pro Bowl roster. You can pretty much bank on multi-time Pro Bowlers such as Luke Kuechly, Derrick Johnson and Clay Matthews to be at the forefront of voters' minds.
Toss in inside linebackers playing for potential playoff teams—like Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan of the Denver Broncos or D'Qwell "gaudy numbers" Jackson of the Indianapolis Colts—and it's easy to see why Woodyard isn't likely to be anyone's first, second or fourth choice for the Pro Bowl.
Allen Robinson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
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Why He Deserves a Pro Bowl Nod
Now in his second pro season, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Robinson has established himself as a true fantasy superstar and one of the league's biggest deep threats. The former second-round pick currently ranks fifth in the NFL with 1,080 receiving yards.
His 16.6 yards-per-reception average is higher than any of the players above him on the receiving yardage list, and Robinson also has 11 touchdown receptions this season—second-most in the NFL.
Pro Football Focus rates Robinson fifth overall among wide receivers for the season.
Why He'll Probably Get Snubbed
Robinson is probably the player most likely to earn a Pro Bowl nod from this entire list. However, there are two big reasons why he still might get snubbed.
The first reason is that Robinson plays in Jacksonville, which is pretty much a sports-media black hole.
The other reason is that there have been so many good wide receivers this year. Can you really keep out Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald or Odell Beckham Jr.? What about A.J. Green and Calvin Johnson?
With eight receiver spots available, Robinson is likely to find himself vying with the likes of Brandon Marshall, Demaryius Thomas and Jeremy Maclin for one of the last spots. All three of these guys are playing on potential playoff teams and in bigger markets.
Robinson will probably be named as an alternate and could easily make his way into the game once injuries, withdrawals and Super Bowl participants are factored in. However, it would be a shame to see him excluded from the initial selections because Robinson has definitely earned the honor.
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