Pro Bowl Snubs 2012: Matthew Stafford and Cam Newton Get Screwed By Voters

Matthew Stafford needs an explanation.

How in the world can the coaches and fans vote Eli Manning ahead of the Detroit Lions signal-caller?

Stafford, in his first full season, has completed 64 percent of his passes for 4,518 yards with 36 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He has engineered multiple, improbable fourth-quarter comebacks and has gotten the Lions to the postseason for the first time since 1999. In 2008, the year before the Lions drafted Stafford, Detroit was a historically awful 0-16.

The Lions were 2-14 and 6-10 in the two years that Stafford missed the majority of the season with injury, and they are now playoff bound with a healthy No. 9. There is no way they make it without him.

Speaking of snubs, Cam Newton has a gripe with the league as well.

His 3,893 passing yards, 20 TDs and 16 INTs are incredibly impressive for a veteran, let alone a rookie with one year of D-1 college experience. Toss in 674 yards and 14 TDs rushing—and you begin to realize just how special the 2011 season has been for the 22-year-old.

He has been everything the Panthers could have ever dreamed of and has taken Carolina from a 2-14 hopeless bunch to a 6-9 squad oozing with hope.

Eli Manning, the third QB to get the nod behind Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, has played well this season, but not on the level of Stafford and Newton.

His 4,587 passing yards, 26 TDs and 16 INTs are simply not on par with Stafford. Toss in six fumbles lost, and Manning has accounted for 22 turnovers in 15 games. That is not Pro Bowl-worthy. That Is lucky-to-still-be-in-the-playoff-hunt sort of numbers.

Sure, the G-Men have a better record than the Panthers, but Newton doesn’t have two receivers with the skills of Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks.

Manning had a good season, but not a great one. The accomplishments of Stafford and Newton trump Manning’s, and it’s a shame the two young guys are stuck behind.