2009 ProBowl Snubs and the Yellow Dogs

Every year, the Pro Bowl gives the fans something to chew, the way that the BCS makes us chew the fat on which team is the best. At least, in the NFL, the only thing left for debate and not competition is a meaningless game for NFL players in Hawaii to enjoy the end of the season.

But I digress. Here are my picks for 2009 ProBowl snubs, and their Yellow Dog counterpart. A Yellow Dog is a player that earned a berth simply by name recognition, ballot stuffing by fans, or too much hype.

Snub:

Chad Pennington, QB, Miami Dolphins.  Pennington has been a model of efficiency in Miami, and the fact is when healthy, the Jets would win with Pennington. The Jets decided to turn the tables on Pennington for Brett Favre, and are now on the outside of the playoffs, with schadenfreude for Miami as the only possible consolation.

Yellow Dog:

Brett Favre, QB, New York Jets.  Favre started hot but couldn't win out West, and threw way too many picks. 

Conclusion: Ballot stuffing, hype, name-recognition. 

Favre has been to ProBowl numerous times, while Pennington deserves the distinction of being a ProBowl quarterback.

Snub: Phillip Rivers, QB, San Diego

.  I chose this because I've been harsh in criticism of Rivers' temperament, but I think Rivers has proven his resilience as the leader of the Chargers with fewer go-to targets (Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson). Rivers has also had to incorporate more of the offense than Cutler has had to do.

Yellow Dog: Jay Cutler, QB, Denver Broncos

.  I think Cutler has more go-to weapons in Denver (Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Tony Schleffler) and seems to get flustered once the Broncos lose momentum, or gain overconfidence.

Conclusion: Hype. 

Cutler benefited from Denver's hot start, while Rivers went overlooked because San Diego struggled.

Snub: Johnnie Lee Higgins, RS, Oakland Raiders

.  Okay, so Oakland is 4-11. One of the few bright spots however, has been the long-distance speed of Johnnie Lee Higgins. Higgins has 3 TDs (long of 93) and an average of 11.1 yards on punt-returns and 23.4 yards on kickoff returns.

Yellow Dog: Leon Washington, RS, New York Jets

.  Washington has no TDs on punt returns, with an average of 10.7 yards per return.  He has one TD on a 94-yard return and a 26.7 average.  The only reason Washington has to be in the ProBowl is that he was a productive backup to Thomas Jones, but that is not applicable to returns.

Conclusion: Ballot stuffing. 

Clearly, Higgins is the superior punt-returner, while the difference between Higgins and Washington on kick-returns is marginal, because Higgins has three overall TDs compared to one for Washington.  Either way, San Diego's Darren Sproles was statistically a better return specialist than Washington.  I honestly, do not understand the decision to include Washington in the ProBowl and the Writer's decision to name Washington as an All-Pro.

Snub: Fred Robbins, DT, New York Giants

.  The Giants had better balance defensively, against the run and pass. In addition, Fred Robbins and DT Barry Cofield returned from a defensive-line that helped the G-Men win the Super Bowl and top a tough division, while DE Michael Strahan retired, and an injury sidelined DE Osi Umenyiora; thus, credit must be given to the constants. Moreover, the Giants also had DE Mathias Kiwanuka produce eight sacks in a sturdy defense—part of the credit for that New York line should go to the tackles, which is why I chose Robbins.

Yellow Dog: Pat Williams, NT, Minnesota Vikings. 

Yes, the Vikings ranked first against the run, but performed poorly against the pass.  Pat Williams had only one sack, and three passes defensed in a division that features the lowly Lions, the erratic Bears and the transitional Packers. In addition, DT Kevin Williams and DE Jared Allen earned ProBowl berths and are more deserving than Pat Williams. 

Conclusion: Hype, Name-recognition. 

The Vikings have a tradition of "The Purple People Eaters," and the distinction of having two tackles with the same last name. Meanwhile, Robbins went unnoticed because DE Justin Tuck had been more visible.  Plus, Robbins was once considered a flop in Minnesota before signing with the Giants after the 2003 season.

Snub: Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions

.  65 catches, 10 TDs and a long of 96 yards.  Clearly, Johnson has caught a good share of TDs and runs well.

Yellow Dog:

Steve Smith, WR, Carolina Panthers.  70 catches, six TDs, and a long of 65.  For an offense like Carolina's, Steve Smith isn't impressive. His only advantage over Johnson is 85 yards and five catches, but when you consider that Johnson had no stability from the quarterback and a lackluster offensive-line, then you should realize that Johnson performed more with less.

Conclusion: Hype, Name recognition. 

Carolina overall is a better team, while Detroit overall has been abysmal. Johnson however deserves recognition for what he's done in a bad situation, especially since, Steve Smith has more around him in Carolina, such as: Jake Delhomme, DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Jordan Gross, and Muhsin Muhammad.

Snub:

Ryan Clady, OT, Denver Broncos.  The rookie tackle in my opinion, is a greater reason for the success of the Denver offense than Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall, as part of an offensive-line that only allowed 11 sacks.

Yellow Dog: Joe Thomas, OT, Cleveland Browns

.  The Cleveland Browns offense was terrible, while Thomas likely benefited from the 2008 season.

Conclusion: Name recognition

.  Thomas does not belong in the ProBowl this year.  Clady performed highly as a rookie left-tackle in a pass-heavy offense.

Snub: Chris Myer, C, Houston Texans

.  The Texans have rotated between QB Matt Schaub and Sage Rosenfels, they produced a thousand yard runner in Steve Slaton and a ProBowl receiver in Andre Johnson, and productive receivers in Kevin Walter, Steve Slaton, Owen Daniels and others.  That tells me that the offensive line has been well synchronized; after the Houston line was undeservedly maligned for the woeful play of former QB David Carr; and featured 2 new starters (Duane Brown, Monty Briesel).  I would also credit LG Chester Pitts because Myer was added in the offseason (thus, Pitts has been a constant), but I do not believe that Pitts should replace Brian Waters, Kris Dielman or Alan Faneca.

Yellow Dog: Nick Mangold, C, New York Jets

.  The Jets offensive-line doesn't warrant two representatives.  Having two and RB Thomas Jones and QB Brett Favre and RB Leon Washington, would suggest that the Jets had an overpowering offense, which they did not.  Keep in mind that the Jets line also features former ProBowler Damien Woody, and top pick D'Brickashaw Ferguson.  There is nothing here for me to believe that Mangold deserves representation.

Conclusion: Ballot stuffing

.  The Jets are over-represented on offense.  Mangold is a good player but he doesn't belong in the ProBowl.

Snub: Marshawn Lynch, RB, Buffalo Bills

.  Lynch has carried a load for Buffalo.

Yellow Dog: Ronnie Brown, RB, Miami Dolphins

.  Brown has split time with Ricky Williams.

Conclusion: Hype

.  The Miami offense has been defined by the Wildcat, which is why credit has gone to Brown.  But, the success of the Wildcat has been a team effort, more than just Brown.

There's Always Next Year

.  These picks reflect good players in lousy units, so I will wait and see if they continue; or they showed brilliance but are the recipient of negative hype. Or, good players that are overshadowed by other players; or that raise questions about whether the statistically better player is truly earning those stats and not over-benefiting from the presence of others.  Or of course, they had limited playing-time, but made the most of it, and will likely become the future starter.

John Abraham, DE, Atlanta Falcons; DeAngelo Williams, RB, Carolina Panthers; Kirk Morrison, LB, Oakland Raiders; Eric Weddle, FS, San Diego Chargers; Channing Crowder, LB, Miami Dolphins; Karlos Dansby, LB, Arizona Cardinals; Barrett Ruud, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Chad Greenway, LB, Minnesota Vikings; Paul Posluszny, LB, Buffalo Bills; Trent Edwards, QB, Buffalo Bills; Langston Walker, RT, Buffalo Bills; Thomas Davis, LB, Carolina Panthers; Gibril Wilson, SS, Oakland Raiders; LaMarr Woodley, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers; Shaun Ellis, DE, New York Jets; Jake Long, OT, Miami Dolphins; Dustin Keller, TE, New York Jets; John Carlson, TE, Seattle Seahawks; Justin Smith, DE, San Francisco 49ers; Kevin Boss, TE, New York Giants; Barry Cofield, NT, New York Giants; Antonio Pierce, LB, New York Giants; James Butler, SS, New York Giants; Greg Jennings, WR, Green Bay Packers; Antonio Bryant, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Vincent Jackson, WR, San Diego Chargers; Greg Olsen, TE, Chicago Bears; Visanthe Shiancoe, TE, Minnesota Vikings; Dallas Clark, TE, Indianapolis Colts; Anthony Fasano, TE, Miami Dolphins; Zach Miller, TE, Oakland Raiders; Steve Breaston, WR, Arizona Cardinals; Jonathan Vilma, LB, New Orleans Saints; Stewart Bradley, LB, Philadelphia Eagles; Bradie James, LB, Dallas Cowboys; Erik Coleman, S, Atlanta Falcons; Parys Haralson, LB, San Francisco 49ers; AJ Hawk, LB, Green Bay Packers; Rocky McIntosh, LB, Washington Redskins; Takeo Spikes, LB, San Francisco 49ers; Ernie Sims, LB, Detroit Lions; Julian Peterson, LB, Seattle Seahawks; Shaun Phillips, LB, San Diego Chargers; Stephen Cooper, LB, San Diego Chargers; Calvin Pace, LB, New York Jets; Lawrence Timmons, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers; Freddie Keiaho, LB, Indianpolis Colts; Jerod Mayo, LB, New England Patriots; Trent Cole, DE, Philadelphia Eagles; Aaron Kampmann, DE, Green Bay Packers; Richard Seymour, DE, New England Patriots; Jacob Ford, DE, Tennessee Titans; Charles Johnson, DE, Carolina Panthers; Darren Howard, DE, Philadelphia Eagles; Rocky Bernard, DT, Seattle Seahawks; Tony Brown, DT, Tennessee Titans; Michael Griffin, S, Tennesse Titans; Josh Wilson, CB, Seattle Seahawks; Gerald Sensenbaugh, S, Jacksonville Jaguars; Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Arizona Cardinals; Aqib Talib, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Trevor Scott, DE, Oakland Raiders; Jay Richardson, DE, Oakland Raiders; Oshiomogho Atogwe, S, St. Louis Rams; Dwight Lowery, CB, New York Jets; Brandon Meriweather, S, New England Patriots; Yeremiah Bell, S, Miami Dolphins; Brandon McDonald, CB, Cleveland Browns; Tramon Williams, CB, Green Bay Packers; Kevin Payne, SS, Chicago Bears; Melvin Bullitt, S, Indianapolis Colts; Antoine Bethea, S, Indianpolis Colts; Chris Horton, S, Washington Redskins; Chris Gamble, CB, Carolina Panthers.

Final Conclusions: Jets fans over-represented their offense, and under-represented their defense.  Go figure.  Houston remains under-rated and would be in the postseason if they had QB stability and a tougher Front 7 (the OLBs and Anthony Weaver aren't cutting it), and the specter of Al Davis and the "Coach to Be Named Later" still keeps Oakland's talent in the dark.  Denver received too much hype (thanks to the presence of Mike Shanahan) while San Diego has had to regroup.  DeAngelo Williams in Carolina is likely a future ProBowler but the presence of Jonathan Stewart makes it hard to justify, because Williams has been able to split-time and thus be tackled less.