First time Pro Bowl selection

**purplepoe** · 12-16-2008, 06:40 PM

Anyone remember when we'd routinely send 8 - 10 guys to the pro bowl every year?

We weren't 9-5 alot of those years IIRC.

And Bart Scott is not a pro bowler this year.

PP

**Jeremiah W** · 12-16-2008, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by purplepoe

Anyone remember when we'd routinely send 8 - 10 guys to the pro bowl every year?

We weren't 9-5 alot of those years IIRC.

And Bart Scott is not a pro bowler this year.

PP

Bart may not deserve to go over Farrior, but he did have a great year. There is too much focus on the individual numbers and not as much o the team numbers they were aquired on. D Quell Jackson is one hell of a linbacker and led the NFL in tackles, but his defense can not get off the feild. Neither he or Shaun rodgers should go to the probowl, because they could not tackle Laron McClain when the season was on the line. They may have tackled him, but it was too late.

**purplepoe** · 12-16-2008, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by Jeremiah W

Bart may not deserve to go over Farrior, but he did have a great year. There is too much focus on the individual numbers and not as much o the team numbers they were aquired on. D Quell Jackson is one hell of a linbacker and led the NFL in tackles, but his defense can not get off the feild. Neither he or Shaun rodgers should go to the probowl, because they could not tackle Laron McClain when the season was on the line. They may have tackled him, but it was too late.

The pro bowl is an individual award and a joke at that. If Jackson is a better LB on a overall worse D, that doesn't mean he shouldn't be voted in. Barry Sanders played on a lot of losing teams but made it every year because he was great.

Scott is having a good year but isn't deserving of a pro bowl invite.

I'd be just fine with no Ravens going to that cesspool of a game. Everyone knows the Pro Bowl is mostly a popularity contest and really just makes some guys ask for more money.

Someone on another board brought up the fact that they thought Jason Brown was deserving this season. And while he probably was, it's a blessing for the Ravens that he wasn't. Why? Because his agent will just use that as a bargining chip against the team during contract negotiations.

I really hope they just disband the game itself soon.

PP

**Gabrosin** · 12-16-2008, 07:34 PM

Disappointed that Ngata didn't make it but he'll probably wind up going if one of the others bows out due to injury. Also disappointed not to see Sam Koch on the list. Not surprised to see players like Pryce, Scott, Gaither, Mason, and Brown miss out... there were more talented players at those positions who deserved to make it and did.

Congrats to all those headed to Hawaii!

**Jeremiah W** · 12-16-2008, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by purplepoe

The pro bowl is an individual award and a joke at that. If Jackson is a better LB on a overall worse D, that doesn't mean he shouldn't be voted in. Barry Sanders played on a lot of losing teams but made it every year because he was great.

Scott is having a good year but isn't deserving of a pro bowl invite.

I'd be just fine with no Ravens going to that cesspool of a game. Everyone knows the Pro Bowl is mostly a popularity contest and really just makes some guys ask for more money.

Someone on another board brought up the fact that they thought Jason Brown was deserving this season. And while he probably was, it's a blessing for the Ravens that he wasn't. Why? Because his agent will just use that as a bargining chip against the team during contract negotiations.

I really hope they just disband the game itself soon.

PP

I agree it is just a popularity contest, and for fan purposes it only makes it harder to keep the guy you think got snubbed.

Then you had to go and compare my favorite Terp middle linebacker, slightly over EJ Henderson, D'Quell, to Barry Sanders? Barry Sanders? I really wanted the Ravens to draft the guy, but come on. If he was all that good he would have a lot less tackles, and a lot more tackles for loss, and a much better defense around him. Good middle linebackers lead good defenses in tackles, not the NFL.

Bart blows a lot of plays up in the backfeild, and in a lot of ways is what makes the run defense really work. You can get DTs to clog the line, and you can get that linebacker who will meet the running back at the point no matter where it is sideline to sideline, but it is not easy to find the guy who will get into the fullback's grill and bury him all day long before he gets to the line. Not many guys in the NFL will take that guy on and sacrifice the chance to make the tackle for the good of the team. In a contract year.

**purplepoe** · 12-16-2008, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by Jeremiah W

I agree it is just a popularity contest, and for fan purposes it only makes it harder to keep the guy you think got snubbed.

Then you had to go and compare my favorite Terp middle linebacker, slightly over EJ Henderson, D'Quell, to Barry Sanders? Barry Sanders? I really wanted the Ravens to draft the guy, but come on. If he was all that good he would have a lot less tackles, and a lot more tackles for loss, and a much better defense around him. Good middle linebackers lead good defenses in tackles, not the NFL.

Bart blows a lot of plays up in the backfeild, and in a lot of ways is what makes the run defense really work. You can get DTs to clog the line, and you can get that linebacker who will meet the running back at the point no matter where it is sideline to sideline, but it is not easy to find the guy who will get into the fullback's grill and bury him all day long before he gets to the line. Not many guys in the NFL will take that guy on and sacrifice the chance to make the tackle for the good of the team. In a contract year.

The point with Sanders was that a guy can be a hell of a player deserving to go to the pro bowl while playing on bad units.

I was in no way comparing them as players. I thought that was pretty clear.

Bart also misses assignments pretty regularly on guys out of the backfield and it's cost this team on numerous occasions. It doesn't mean he's a bad player but he's not elite by any stretch and certainly isn't a pro bowl type player.

Look, this team had some snubs (Ngata/Brown/Koch) but I'm not gonna pretend that our 4th best LB this year deserved to go to the pro bowl. And yes, I said 4th because Johnson is having a better year IMO.

PP

**ravenfever_com** · 12-16-2008, 09:28 PM

Ngata should have been in .. And Suggs only an alt ?? dayummmm

Freeking Cry Baby Rogers made it and Ngata gets a shaft ! Walt Coleman must be in charge of the votes!

**RavenDavey** · 12-17-2008, 08:23 AM

Watching the selection on ESPN, Trey Wingo and Trent Dilfer stated emphatically..."Ngata was snubbed!!" They were as dissappointed as all of us and they really talked highly of him.

**jonboy79** · 12-17-2008, 02:44 PM

To me the biggest snub is Sam Koch.

**UKRavenStockers** · 12-17-2008, 05:00 PM

I think I'm the first and only person to say this here (haven't fully checked so could be wrong), but whilst I'm pleased for LeRon McClain to make the Pro Bowl I think it's somewhat of a farce that he's made it as a fullback. Fair enough he is one in terms of his listed position, but he's played far far more as a tailback than a fullback. I realise you can't update these things as you go in terms of what position the players are playing with the voting process (a further reason why it shouldn't be voted on throughout the season), but he's not been a fullback this year. He's more of a fullback than Mike Alstott ever was, but he's still not played fullback this year. Further laziness from the NFL in regards to the Pro Bowl. They also really need to split 3-4 and 4-3 fronts, Chad Greenway has been outstanding for the Vikings this year and was fully deserving of his first pro bowl this season for the NFC.

**Ravens45** · 12-17-2008, 07:15 PM

Does anyone else think that the Pro Bowl selections should be announced at the end of the regular season, instead of announcing it with still 2 games left? Haloti getting the snub is absurd. Who knows? While he was selected as a 1st alternate, Ngata may get 3 sacks and 10 tackles in these last 2 games. That could have gotten him in.

I was not shocked in the least to see that Derrick Mason didn't get in. He could very, very well be the most under rated WR in the League- not just the AFC. What I was surprised about, was that he was selected as a 3rd alternate. A 3rd alternate? Are you serious? If anything, he should be a 1st alternate.

I also think that Sam Koch should have gotten it. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't each Conference send only 1 kicker and 1 punter to the Pro Bowl? But either way, Koch definately made a name for himself.

I'm glad that we sent 5 Pro Bowlers this season, but I think it should have been 8: Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Le'Ron McClain, Terrell Suggs, Brendan Ayanbadejo, Haloti Ngata, Sam Koch, and Jason Brown. Hopefully soon, we'll see Brown, Gaither, and/or Grubbs make it in seasons to come. Ngata and Kelly Gregg need to get their due someday, because now it's just getting to be ridiculous. I understand Gregg was on the IR almost all season, but if they couldn't do it to him, they did it to Ngata. Ridiculous.

**xmradiodave** · 12-17-2008, 07:49 PM

Well, 5 players=not too shabby. I am definitely pleased with the selections. It is a tough call. It is like trying to decide which of your children you love more.