Leelanau Sports Guy at sportspig.com

Every year the Pro Bowl rosters come out, several deserving players are left out in the cold.  This year, a few Lions can say they should be going to Honolulu, but only one will actually make the trip.

Wide Receiver Calvin Johnson was named to his second Pro Bowl (surprise!) this year, after having a spectacular season.  Many point to Johnson as the best wideout in the league and he should get MVP consideration.

Sadly, Johnson is the only Lion who will represent the team in Honolulu.  Leading the snubs is quarterback Matthew Stafford.  Instead of Stafford, Giants quarterback Eli Manning will make the trip to Hawaii.

I’ll let the numbers talk for me here, although it should be noted that Stafford’s team has a better record and has clinched a playoff spot already.

Stafford (10-5)

385/604 (63.7%) 4,518 yards  36tds  14int  96.6 rating

Manning (8-7)

335/556 (60.3%) 4,587 yards  26tds  16int  90.3 rating

So Manning has thrown for 70 more yards than Stafford and that’s it.  Stafford has him by ten touchdowns, has completed a higher percentage of his passes, AND has a non-existent running game, yet Eli gets the bid.  Typical New-Yorkers-first if you ask me because Stafford clearly is the more deserving quarterback.

The real story here is that Manning can’t seem to win without starting running back Ahmad Bradshaw.  With Bradshaw, the G-men are 7-3 this year.  Without him, 1-3.  Stafford has proven he can win games with or without a running game (5-5 without Jahvid Best this season).

But the questions don’t end there.  What about the Lions defense that has been so dynamic this year?  They must have a Pro Bowler or two right?  Wrong.  The Lions defense that has forced 36 turnovers and scored seven touchdowns got snuffed from Honolulu altogether.

The biggest problem that I have is that the Cowboys’ Jay Ratliff made the squad instead of Ndamukong Suh.  Suh is clearly the better player, but undoubtedly will miss out due to his suspension.

Cliff Avril has also had a Pro Bowl season, recording 11.0 sacks, forcing six fumbles, and scoring two touchdowns.  Avril has turned into a dynamic force this year and is the Lions best

What do I have to do to get some Pro Bowl love?

pass rusher.  I would have more of a problem with this if the three guys selected weren’t so good.  Jason Babin of the Eagles has 18.0 sacks this year, Minnesota’s Jared Allen has 18.5 sacks as well as four forced fumbles, and the Giants’ Jason Pierre-Paul may be the Defensive Player of the Year with 81 tackles and 15.5 sacks.  Nonetheless, Avril has had a whopper of a year, and I am certain he was in the Pro Bowl conversation.

Chris Houston was also left off the NFC’s roster in 2011, which didn’t surprise me in the least.  Houston seems to be overlooked this year, and the Pro Bowl roster proves that.  Charles Woodson and Carlos Rodgers are the starting corners for the NFC team, and deservedly so.  Woodson makes it somewhat on reputation, but has been good again this year.  Rodgers has emerged as one of the league’s best corners and deserves a spot on the roster.  However, the third corner is Chicago’s Charles Tillman, and that one I have beef with.  Tillman has had a good career, but has slowed down this year and Houston is a more deserving player.  Tillman has just two interceptions this year to Houston’s five.

Pro Bowl?  Who cares.  The Lions will be playing in the Superbowl anyway.

Detroit Lions shorted for Pro Bowl
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The video will be played on ESPN on the hour, every hour until next Sunday. Every Detroit Lions player will have to answer a plethora of questions about it and head coach Jim Schwartz will have to answer even more. Sports analysts will debate the play until the cows come home and NFL fans will wring their collective hands and lament the fortunes of the dirtiest team in football. Whether in victory or defeat, the Detroit Lions sure have a way of getting into the spotlight, don’t they? Let’s just get it out-of-the-way. Yes, DeAndre Levy had a hand full of Joe Webb‘s facemask. It should have been penalized. The Vikings might have retained the ball and they might have won. It doesn’t take a giant leap to figure that out. The Lions and their fans might take solace in the fact that Levy actually knocked the ball out prior to grabbing the mask. It didn’t lead to the fumble. Regardless, the officials missed the call. The Lions will undoubtedly be focused on other things this week though. Their performance was a shining example of the inconsistency that has plagued them all year. The Lions are a frustrating team. On [...]

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