NFL Pro Bowl Rosters: Which Offensive Players Were Snubbed?

The 2011 Pro Bowl rosters have been released and as usual, the NFL has chosen politics over giving deserving players a spot in the game.

Despite having one of his worst seasons as a pro, Peyton Manning still found himself on the roster, while breakout players like Matt Cassel and Joe Flacco missed the cut.

In the NFC, Aaron Rodgers felt the sting of the snub despite having the third-highest quarterback rating in the NFL.

Here are some more disappointing choices who were left out of the Pro Bowl rosters.

Matt Cassel

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KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 26: Quarterback Matt Cassel #7 of the Kansas City Chiefs passes during the game against the Tennessee Titans on December 26, 2010 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Cassel led the Chiefs to a breakout season this year and a surprising AFC West division title. While many can point to the top-ranked rushing attack for the reason, Cassel certainly deserves much of the credit.

Cassel ranks fifth in the NFL in quarterback rating. Passing for 27 touchdowns to just five interceptions, Cassel contributed some of the most efficient play from the quarterback position this season. He also exceeded 3,000 passing yards for the first time as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cassel may not be the flashy pick, and he definitely isn't as talented as Peyton Manning; however, Manning had 12 more interceptions and a quarterback rating that was seven points lower than Cassel's.

Aaron Rodgers

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GREEN BAY, WI - DECEMBER 26: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers rolls out of the pocket against the New York Giants at Lambeau Field on December 26, 2010 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Perhaps the biggest snub of the 2011 rosters, Aaron Rodgers certainly deserved a spot on the NFC roster.

Rodgers ranks third in the NFL with a quarterback rating of 101.9. He passed for 27 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions this season. Moreover, Rodgers has thrown for 3,693 passing yards despite missing a game and having virtually no rushing attack for much of the season.

Both Matt Ryan and Drew Brees were given spots over Rodgers. While both quarterbacks have led their teams to successful seasons respectively, neither of them have demonstrated the level of play that Rodgers has, especially Ryan.

Ryan is just 15th in quarterback rating and has thrown fewer touchdown passes, passed for fewer yards, completed a lower percentage of passes and thrown just one less interception than Rodgers. While the case for Brees can be made, Rodgers belongs not only on the team, but possibly as the starter.

Chris Johnson

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NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 09: Chris Johnson #28 of the Tennessee Titans runs with the ball against the Indianapolis Colts during the NFL game at LP Field on December 9, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

This one is a tough case because the three running backs chosen in the AFC—Arian Foster, Maurice Jones-Drew and Jamaal Charles—are all well-deserving.

However, at the same time, it is hard to leave Chris Johnson out. Despite having one of the worst passing offenses in the league behind him, Chris Johnson managed to produce an impressive season once again.

Johnson has already rushed for over 1,300 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also contributed to the passing game, albeit to a lesser extent due to the weak play of Kerry Collins and Vince Young.

Either Jones-Drew or Johnson had to be snubbed. Johnson had more touchdowns and played a larger part of his team's offense, so Johnson should have gotten the nod over the also deserving Jones-Drew.

Mike Wallace

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PITTSBURGH - DECEMBER 23: Mike Wallace #17 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the game on December 23, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Ima

There is another log-jam at the wide receiver position in the AFC, but this time it was Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace that received the snub.

Wallace has become the best deep-threat wide receiver in the AFC averaging over 20 yards per catch this season. His 1,152 receiving yards place him sixth in the NFL, and his nine touchdowns also place him in the top 10 amongst wide receivers.

Wallace could have received the nod over Dwayne Bowe who has been extremely inconsistent this season. While it is difficult to shun Bowe with his 15 touchdowns, Bowe has disappeared in games and had major dropping problems earlier in the season.

LeSean McCoy

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 19: LeSean McCoy #25 of the Philadelphia Eagles rushes against the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium on December 19, 2010 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

At a quick glance, LeSean McCoy may not have the lofty stats of Stephen Jackson; however, with a closer look, one can see that McCoy is more deserving than NFC pick Stephen Jackson.

Jackson had 100 more rushing yards than McCoy, but that was also on 100 more carries. Jackson's yards per carry was downright awful this season at 3.7, while McCoy was among NFL leaders with 5.2 yards per carry.

McCoy had one more touchdown than Jackson and also played a much larger role in the receiving game. Additionally, McCoy caught 78 receptions for nearly 600 yards this season. Clearly, he deserved the spot over Jackson who was simply a workhorse this season.

Hakeem Nicks

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 19: Hakeem Nicks #88 of the New York Giants scores a touchdown in the second quarter as Dimitri Patterson #23 of the Philadelphia Eagles defends during their game on December 19, 2010 at The New Meadowlands Stadium in East

Roddy White and Calvin Johnson most definitely deserved the starting spots on the NFC roster. One can even argue that Greg Jennings should be starting over Johnson, although one can't go wrong with either.

The problem is the pick of DeSean Jackson over Hakeem Nicks.

Despite missing two games this season, Nicks has just four fewer receiving yards than Jackson. The real difference comes in receptions and touchdowns. Nicks has 32 more receptions and five more touchdowns than Jackson.

Jackson had a terrific season, but Nicks is the more impressive wide receiver this year.

Vernon Davis

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SAN FRANCISCO - DECEMBER 12: Vernon Davis #85 of the San Francisco 49ers runs for a tochdown after a catch against the Seattle Seahawks during an NFL game at Candlestick Park on December 12, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/G

The tight end position in the NFC faces the same bias that put Peyton Manning on the AFC roster. Tony Gonzalez had an impressive season, but he made the roster more based on his reputation rather than his actual output this season.

Vernon Davis had indisputably a better all-around season for San Francisco than Gonzalez did for the Falcons. Davis caught 53 passes for 818 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Gonzalez has caught 11 more passes this season, but he also has 215 fewer receiving yards and one less touchdown. Davis will have plenty of opportunities for future Pro Bowls, while Gonzalez likely only has a couple of years left playing at an elite level.