2012 Pro Bowl Voting: 4 Players Who Got Burned by the Fans

The Pro Bowl is more of a popularity contest than a compelling football game between the very best players in the AFC and NFC.

As a result, a number of the league's best players get overlooked by the fans during their portion of voting. The list of top fan vote-getters was released yesterday by the league, and one glance it's clear there are a few glaring omissions.

Here are four players who deserved more love from the fans when it comes to their Pro Bowl votes.

RB Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are heavily represented in the fan voting portion of Pro Bowl nominations, with six garnering the most votes at their respective positions.

However, all but one of those nominees play on the defensive side of the ball, and it's not running back Ray Rice.

Rice is leading the league in total yards from scrimmage and has the fifth-most rushing yards of any back this season. He's the focal point of the Ravens offenses and he's easily the best running back in his AFC North division.

Likely, Rice will garner the necessary votes from players and coaches to earn himself a spot in the Pro Bowl. The fact that the fans forgot about him, despite nominating so many of his fellow Ravens, is a major oversight.

DE Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants

The top NFC vote-getter at defensive end this year is the Minnesota Vikings' Jared Allen. Allen, who is a consistently voted to the Pro Bowl, is one of the more dominant defensive ends in the league, to be sure, and he's having a great season.

But the New York Giants' Jason Pierre-Paul is having a breakout second year performance, one worthy of the fans' votes when it comes to this year's Pro Bowl.

Pierre-Paul has 76 tackles, two forced fumbles and 13.5 sacks so far this year. He's emerged as the most dominant pass rusher on the Giants defense and he's clearly going to be an impact player in the league for years to come.

Allen has been to so many Pro Bowls as it is, it would have been nice to see the fans give a younger player the recognition he deserves for having such a stellar sophomore year.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

The Pro Bowl top vote getter at wide receiver for the NFC is the Detroit Lions' Calvin Johnson. He's a talented wideout—one of the best, if not the best in the conference.

However, the Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald has been the heart and soul of his team's offense throughout his career and deserved more of the fans' recognition than he received.

Fitzgerald has 1,100 receiving yards this season, and though his numbers have been held low thanks to inconsistent quarterback play, he's one of the conference's biggest playmakers. He's less flashy than many of his fellow receivers, which likely kept him under the fans' radar as far as Pro Bowl voting is concerned.

K David Akers, San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers kicker, David Akers, is the highest-scoring kicker in the league this season, with 38 made field goals and 143 points. 

That's the most in Niners history and he's just two made field goals away from tying Neil Rackers' single season record.

Akers has benefited from a San Francisco offense that struggles to score touchdowns in the red zone. He's also extremely accurate, missing just six field goals.

Despite his amazing season, he didn't garner the fans' votes; instead, they chose the Green Bay Packers' Mason Crosby, probably because his team is more popular than Akers'.

That's unfortunate, because if the Pro Bowl is about recognizing the most talented players at their positions, then Akers should have gotten the nod.