San Francisco 49ers: Pro Bowls, All-Pros and Individual Awards Watch

The 2011 San Francisco 49ers have been a marvelous story.  The coaches are getting the most out of their players and the players are finally living up to their lofty draft status from years of high draft picks.

The question is not if the 49ers will send anybody to the Pro Bowl but how many they will send.  It is not if they will receive any postseason awards but how many they will receive.  

This slideshow is a weekly look at which 49ers will get the recognition they deserve in the Pro Bowl, the All-Pro Team and the individual awards.  

Aloha: Pro Bowl Process Refresher

Players are voted into the Pro Bowl by the coaches, the players themselves and the fans. Each group's ballots count for one-third of the votes.  Also, players can get in as alternates in one of two ways.  First, a player can replace an injured player at a specific position.  Also, since the Pro Bowl is now played a week before the Super Bowl, any player playing in the Super Bowl does not attend. So alternates are included through that process as well.  

The Pro Bowl head coaches are traditionally the head coaches of the teams that lost in the AFC and NFC championship games for the same season of the Pro Bowl in question. However, for the 2010 and 2011 Pro Bowls, a new rule was presented: The teams that lose in the divisional playoff game with the best regular-season record will have their coaching staffs lead their respective conference Pro Bowl team. If the losing teams of each conference had the same regular season record the coaches from the higher-seeded team will get the Pro Bowl honor.

Also, all voting results discussed are from the November 16th release by the NFL.

Pro Bowl: Patrick Willis

This is just about the easiest selection the 49ers will have.  Patrick Willis is the best inside linebacker in the NFC, and perhaps the NFL for that matter.  His tackling numbers may be down but his production is up in the passing game as someone who can neutralize an opposing teams' tight end.  He should start for the NFC in the Pro Bowl.

Currently Desmond Bishop is the leading vote-getter for the NFC at the inside linebacker position. The current fan voting is only one-third of the overall process so the coaches and players should help Willis get there.  It also helps that Bishop went out with a calf injury during the Thanksgiving day game and could miss at least Week 13, and possibly more.  

Pro Bowl: Navarro Bowman

The biggest threat to a Navarro Bowman Pro Bowl election would be Patrick Willis himself.  The fans outside of San Francisco certainly aren't familiar with him yet.  And do the coaches and players want to elect two middle linebackers from the same team?

Being third in the NFC in tackles and first on teams with a winning record certainly will only help his cause.  As Willis has become more and more of a threat to stop the pass, Bowman has concentrated his efforts more in the run game, and his numbers support that fact.

In his first year as a starter, Bowman will be making the trip to Hawaii.  

Pro Bowl: Justin Smith

Justin Smith is the other shoe-in on the defensive side of the team.  Many members of the media have him ranked as a top-10 player, not defensively, but overall.  The 49ers run a 3-4 defense and Justin Smith plays a defensive end, but the Pro Bowl runs a basic 4-3 and Smith will have to make it as a defensive tackle.

In the lead in the fan voting at that defensive tackle position is the notorious Ndamukong Suh.  Suh's Thanksgiving incident will no doubt leave a bad taste with voters everywhere outside of Detroit.  

I count on the players and coaches again to help Justin Smith get the start for the NFC team, but he is not the lock that Willis is.

Pro Bowl: Carlos Rogers

Charles Woodson is the leading vote-getter for the NFC right now and deservedly so.  But Carlos Rogers has put together a nice season for the 49ers and could make a bid for a reserve spot on the team.  His five interceptions and one returned for a touchdown make for a very nice resume.

Aside from the aforementioned Charles Woodson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel, Tramon Williams, Antoine Winfield, DeAngelo Hall and Aqib Talib could pose threats for Carlos Rogers.

Pro Bowl: Frank Gore

Frank Gore is currently fourth in the NFC in rushing yards behind LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte and Michael Turner.  He will face stiff competition from all those as well as the NFC's current leading vote getter, Adrian Peterson.

It's tough seeing Adrian Peterson not starting for the NFC.  He is a fan favorite so he won't be overtaken in the fan voting.  Plus he has much deserved respect from the players and coaches.  It is feasible to see McCoy start though.  He has as many rushing touchdowns and over 175 more rushing yards.

The only other name to mention is DeMarco Murray.  He hasn't started the entire season but is racking up rushing yards in a hurry.  I see Frank Gore making, but not starting at the running back position.

Pro Bowl: Vernon Davis

Vernon Davis is probably the best blocking tight end in football.  He also demands double teams in the passing game so his value in the passing game is still there.  Stats, however, are what get you Pro Bowl nominations.  

Jimmy Graham is the leading vote-getter in the NFC at the tight end position.  Jason Witten, Jermichael Finely, Kellen Winslow and Tony Gonzalez are all having better seasons statistically than Vernon Davis.

Davis' value to the 49ers both on the field and off cannot be overstated.  But he will not be going to Hawaii this year without a strong five games to finish the season or a whole lot of injuries.  

Pro Bowl: Mike Iupati

After last Thursday's debacle no members of the offensive line seem worthy of Pro Bowl nomination. Thankfully as the season continues and eventually moves to a close, the game in Baltimore will be considered more of an aberration than a barometer in which to measure the 49ers line.

It's tough for fans to vote for anyone else other than their hometown offensive lineman or the lineman from their favorite teams.  Naturally, the Packers lead in each of the three categories of tackle, guard, and center.  For me though, it was always best to judge tackles in terms of sacks allowed, and guards and centers in terms of rushing yards.

If that strategy holds true, the only lineman I see with a shot of making it is Mike Iupati.  He will have several other guards giving him tough competition, but he has a very realistic shot.  

Pro Bowl: Blake Costanzo

In a position harder to evaluate for the casual fan than any other, the special teams Pro Bowl leader is currently from, surprise, the Green Bay Packers.  The local product Jarrett Bush is the current leader among vote getters.

An internet search revealed no results for special team stats of individual players.  But I hear Blake Costanzo's name a lot.  He even drew two penalties on the same play a couple weeks back.  It also doesn't hurt that the most respected special teams coach in football is Brad Seely, the 49ers' special teams coach.

Pro Bowl: David Akers

David Akers leads the NFL in field goals made with 28 and is a perfect 6-6 beyond 50 yards away. With a team that struggles to score touchdowns, David Akers has been more than sensational for the 49ers.

Once again, nobody is surprised that a Green Bay packer is leading the position.  Akers has 10 more field goals than Mason Crosby but only eight more points.  Crosby has converted 22 more PATs to help close that gap.

Akers is still a more-deserving Pro Bowler than Crosby or any other kicker in the NFC.

Pro Bowl: Andy Lee

With a position like punter it would be no surprise if once again a Packer led the way.  Well, against, reasonable logic, Andy Lee actually leads in fan voting.  

Andy Lee's stellar season is a key reason they 49ers are having such a good year, as he is a key piece in the field position battle.

Andy Lee is only trailing the AFC's Shane Lechler in punting average by 0.7 yards.  He does overtake him, and everyone else, in net average.  

The Case for the All-Pros

It take a bit more to reach the status of All-Pro.  No one will bow out with a minor injury or a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, and their are no reserves.  You have to be the best.  Here, it takes elite status at their given position to receive this honor.

The 49ers have two starters who will be named to the All-Pro team, and potentially two more who are debatable.

Patrick Willis and Justin Smith have all but secured their spots on the All-Pro team.  Their dominant play has helped lead the best defense in football.

Two other spots that could come the 49ers way are David Akers and Andy Lee for kicker and punter. David Akers seems to be among the front-runners for the position and continued stellar play is needed.  The same goes with Andy Lee, who seems to be in constant competition with Shane Lechlar for the title of best punter in the NFL.

Individual Awards: Defensive Player of the Year

Their is no clear-cut front-runner here as several players and two 49ers are in the mix.  Patrick Willis and Justin Smith both have the ability and potential to be the 2011 season's Defensive Player of the Year.  Their play against the run and the pass have been vital for one of the league's most dominant defenses.

There are, however, many competitors.  Ed Reed and Darelle Revis lead the secondary contestants. DeMarcus Ware and Jared Allen are the best pass rushers and either, or both, could end the year with the single season sack record.

Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, Jason Pierre Paul and Charles Woodson all also deserve consideration.

Individual Awards: Comeback Player of the Year

To pick the winner of the Comeback Player of the Year Award it really depends on how you define the award.  Some just pick the most improved veteran, while others pick a player who was once a superstar, had a decline in production and came back to put up big numbers again.

Alex Smith is definitely in the running for this award but he hasn't really come back from anything. He is more in the most-improved side of the argument as he never had much productivity.  If you are going to stay true to the title of the award I think it has to go to Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers. He has been helped very much by the surprising rookie play of Cam Newton, but he has helped Newton out at the same time.

Matthew Stafford and Tony Romo are both viable options as well, but in my prediction I will stick with Steve Smith.  I will, however, root for the voters to lean towards the most-improved Alex Smith.

Individual Awards: Defensive Rookie of the Year

This was much more a possibility before November hit.  Aldon Smith was playing lights out as he collected six sacks in October.  A dominant final month of December could put him back in the race.

However, a rookie in Denver is making a lot of noise with 10.5 sacks.  Von Miller is definitely the front-runner for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award and I think his candidacy is only helped by Tim Tebow.  So many people are looking for ways to diminish Tebow's quarterback play as the reason for Denver's improvement that the easiest thing to point to is the defense and Von Miller.

Von Miller is the front-runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year and I think he will take it.  But I will hold out hope for Aldon Smith to make a late push.

Individual Awards: Coach of the Year

As much as Aaron Rodgers has wrapped up the MVP race, Jim Harbaugh has wrapped up Coach of the Year honors much more.  Taking a team that was projected to win six games to potentially winning 13 or 14 games is very impressive.  Doing it with a quarterback and a roster that was thought to be unwinnable with is even more impressive.  

Early competition came from Jim Schwartz, but he had higher expectations with worse results. Also, the growing reputation for Detroit's bad boy image doesn't help his case.  

Other names could include Jim's brother John Harbaugh but his team has struggled mightily on the road, Chan Gaily whose team has suffered a massive drop off, and the Denver Broncos' John Fox, who might be in the too-little, too-late category.

I do think the stiffest competition will come from Mike McCarthy and his bid to go 16-0.  But he will be hurt by Aaron Rodgers' assault on the record book and the fact that his team was a Super Bowl champion last year.

Individual Awards: Executive of the Year

At the beginning of the year it was clear to me that the 49ers were building for the future and disregarding 2011.  They were patient in free agency and picked up a lot of what other teams didn't want in Carlos Rogers and Braylon Edwards.  Their most aggressive free-agency move was a kicker, David Akers.  

Their first round selection Aldon Smith had raw physical tools but was thought to be a developmental pick because he was a 4-3 defensive end in college and would need time to transition.  6.5 sacks later he has been a vital piece to an improved pass rush.

Second-round pick Colin Kaepernick was clearly not ready to start in the NFL and needed time to develop.  He was, and still is, a pick for the future.

Third-round pick Chris Culliver was not ready to start in the NFL and was going to go through a position change as well, from safety to cornerback.  He has been very steady for the 49ers and has received a large amount of playing time as their nickel cornerback.

Fourth-round selection Kendal Hunter was though to be the heir to Frank Gore.  But he couldn't pass-protect, was too small and wasn't ready to be an every-down back.  He has been a nice change of pace for Frank Gore and has shown the ability to be an every-down back in the NFL.

And their last pick was a man name Bruce Miller.  Bruce was a two-time conference defensive player of the year as a defensive end.  Only Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh wanted him to play fullback.  It was a puzzling move but nonetheless one that needed some time to develop.  As soon as he was inserted into the starting lineup, the sacks have gone down and Frank Gore's numbers have gone up.

What Did I Miss?

So where did I go wrong?  Puzzled because I didn't pick Alex Smith for the Pro Bowl or more offensive lineman?  Do you think Carlos Rogers is an easy pick for an All-Pro corner?  Do you think it's ridiculous that I have so many 49ers winning individual awards?

Let me hear it.  And I will defend my picks.