11 Players Snubbed In Pro Bowl Voting
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- This just in: The Pro Bowl isn't perfect.
Here's a list of the 11 players we felt got a raw deal when Pro Bowl rosters were announced Tuesday night. Of course, between injuries and Super Bowl players sitting out the Jan. 29 game, some might still end up making the trip to Orlando.
DEMARYIUS THOMAS, WR, DENVER
Cincinnati's A.J. Green was voted into the Pro Bowl despite having 17 fewer catches, 52 fewer yards and one fewer touchdown than Thomas. Miami's Jarvis Landry also had more receptions and yards than Green. (If Landry had gotten in over Thomas, we would have been OK with that.)
ANDREW WHITWORTH, OT, CINCINNATI
Pro Football Focus, which evaluates offensive linemen on every snap, grades Whitworth as the best offensive tackle in the AFC this year.
MATT PARADIS, C, DENVER
Likewise, Pro Football Focus ranks Paradis as the AFC's best center. A practice squad player two years ago, he doesn't yet pack the name recognition to sway Pro Bowl voters.
JOEY BOSA, DE, SAN DIEGO
Houston's Jadeveon Clowney is a Pro Bowler despite registering a rather pedestrian five sacks. Meanwhile, despite only playing in 10 games after a lenthy training camp holdout, Bosa, the third overall pick in April's draft, has 7 1/2 sacks.
LEONARD WILLIAMS, DT, JETS
Tennessee defensive tackle Jurrell Casey, who has three sacks and 36 tackles, was voted in. Williams has seven sacks and 59 tackles.
ZACH BROWN, ILB, BUFFALO
Brown leads all AFC linebackers with 130 tackles. His four sacks aren't too shabby for an inside linebacker, either.
ERIC WEDDLE, S, BALTIMORE
Weddle's four interceptions tie him for the AFC lead among safeties. Pro Football Focus rates him as the best safety in the NFL this season.
DREW BREES, QB, NEW ORLEANS
Brees leads the NFL in passing yardage and TDs and is second in completion percentage, and the offense that he engineers is ranked first in the NFL. His QB rating is third in the NFC, just two-tenths of a point behind Dak Prescott's. Brees deserved a spot over Aaron Rodgers.
JIMMY GRAHAM, TE, SEATTLE
Graham and Washington's Jordan Reed have roughly the same number of receptions and each has five touchdowns. But Graham has 170 more yards.
OLIVIER VERNON, DE, GIANTS
Perhaps the most questionable selection in the Pro Bowl is Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett, who had just three sacks, nine hurries and 29 tackles. Vernon, meanwhile, has 8 1/2 sacks, 33 hurries (tops in the NFL) and 59 tackles.
DAMON HARRISON, DT, GIANTS
"Snacks" leads all defensive tackles with 80 tackles. It's no mystery why he was overlooked -- he has just 1 1/2 sacks. But evaluating defensive tackles on sacks is unfair since the primary responsibility for many is to stop the run -- of which Harrison has been a master.
