Too many left tackles don't make it right
The Pro Bowl teams were announced Tuesday.
For the most part, these teams were pretty solid. I think this is one of the better years for getting it right.
But that doesn't mean there aren't things to quibble about. You know me. I always pick, pick and pick some more.
So here are five questions looking at this year's teams.
What position in either conference is the most wrong?
I have to go with the AFC safeties -- they are a joke.
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It's all about name recognition with the choices there. The starting safeties are Ed Reed and Brian Dawkins, neither of whom should be on the team. Reed has missed time with injuries, and didn't play that well when he was on the field. Dawkins has been solid, but by no means a Pro Bowl player. Both have been great players in their careers, just not this season.
When I picked my Pro Bowl teams last week, the starting safeties were Tyvon Branch of the Oakland Raiders and Antoine Bethea of the Colts. They both would have been better choices, but they don't have the name recognition of the other two.
I didn't even have Dawkins and Reed listed as a backup (New England's Brandon Meriweather) or just missing (Miami's Yeremiah Bell and Buffalo's Jairus Byrd) on my team. This is definitely a position that was voted on by reputation, rather than play.
Why don't they pick right tackles?
The AFC roster has all left tackles on it and that's just stupid. It leads to someone who played his entire season, or maybe career, at left tackle being forced to play on the right side in the Pro Bowl.
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Would it be too much to ask to vote for left and right tackles and left and right guards? They used to just pick safeties, but eventually split it up to free and strong safety, which is funny now since a lot of teams actually use their safeties interchangeably.
The AFC tackles named to the team were Denver's Ryan Clady, Miami's Jake Long and Joe Thomas of Cleveland -- all three are left tackles.
It isn't fair to good right tackles like Miami's Vernon Carey or David Stewart of Tennessee not to have a chance. It isn't the same position, ask any tackle that. It used to be all the edge rushers came from the right side of the defense, but that's not the case anymore.
Right tackles have more value now. The position shouldn't be slighted when it comes to Pro Bowl voting.
You have to feel for the right tackles who have no chance year in and year out.
Why not add one more receiver?
This is a passing league now. That means receivers put up big numbers. Why not make it five on each team, rather than four.
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| Surely Vincent Jackson -- 68 catches, 1,167 yards, nine TDs -- deserves some attention. (Getty Images) |
In the AFC, San Diego's Vincent Jackson is having a Pro Bowl season. And Randy Moss, despite what you might think of him, is averaging 15.2 yards per catch and has 13 touchdowns.
Neither of those two players made the team, but it would be hard to take off any of the four who are on the team.
In the NFC, Steve Smith of the New York Giants has 97 catches, tops in the conference, and seven touchdowns and he's not going to the Pro Bowl. Again, it's hard to argue against the four who are on the team.
So let's add a receiver to each team -- it's a passing league -- and let the Pro Bowl reflect that.
Who are some guys who got hosed?
In addition to Branch, these names come to mind:
• Washington linebacker London Fletcher, a snub that my CBS Sports.com partner Clark Judge details in a column, should be on the team. He's never made a Pro Bowl team, and he might have had his best season. Can you picture the locker room Wednesday when Orakpo goes in his first season and Fletcher still can't get there? I'd take him over Jonathan Vilma of the Saints.
• Houston quarterback Matt Schaub. He leads the NFL in passing yards with 4,467 and also has 27 touchdown passes with a passer rating of 99.1 His yards and passer rating are better than Tom Brady, who made the team.
• AFC guards Bobbie Williams of Cincinnati and Chris Kemoeatu of Pittsburgh. There is no way New England's Logan Mankins and or Alan Faneca of the Jets should be on the team before those two. Faneca might be having the worst season of any of the five on the New York starting offensive line.
• NFC center Jason Brown of the Rams. He should be on there before Andre Gurode of the Cowboys.
Did they get the rookies right?
I can't argue with Byrd being picked as a backup or Houston's Brian Cushing being selected at outside linebacker for the AFC. In the NFC, the only rookie is Washington outside linebacker Brian Orakpo, who has 11 sacks.
A case could also be made for Baltimore tackle Michael Oher. He's played well all season long.
Wait, he's been mostly a right tackle.
What was I thinking?
