The one member of the Green Bay Packers we felt was the team’s biggest Pro Bowl snub — no offense to Jordy Nelson — David Bakhtiari is indeed going to the Pro Bowl after all.
Bakhtiari was named the injury replacement for Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters, who is supposedly pulling out because of injury. Interesting that the Eagles’ season ended three weeks ago and Peters is just now discovering he’s injured…
But thus is the nature of the Pro Bowl. Half the guys who are elected end up not going.
You’ve heard us rant on the sham nature of this all-star game before though, so no need to get into that again.
Bakhtiari has been what now seems rare for the Green Bay Packers, this year. That is, someone who gets handed a huge contract and actually ups his level of play.
Bakhtiari anchored what was one of the best offensive lines in football. He made people forget that Lane Taylor and not Josh Sitton was playing next to him.
Bakhtiari was named second-team All Pro earlier this month, which again speaks to the sham nature of the Pro Bowl — that he’s an All Pro but not good enough to make the league’s all-star game on the first ballot. At any rate, that wrong has been corrected.
Unfortunately, Bakhtiari will be the only Packers offensive lineman in the game. Right guard T.J. Lang, who was elected to the game for the first time, will have to bow out because of the injury he suffered on Sunday.
Do not care about the pro bowl, but I do care about the Packers. It is my understanding that if a player is injured in the pro bowl that player will only receive his next years contract value. Nothing after that. For a player like Bakh that could have an impact on his future earnings if he suffers a career ending injury.
Never have seen how the NFL compensates the team if an injury occurs. What about bonus money’s paid out, and salary cap implications. This does not even address does the team get a extra draft choice? How do you value a player by a draft choice like Bakh. A 4th round pick or if he is in the top 5 left tackles should the team get a first? Does anyone know how a team would be made whole if their player receives a substantial injury in a worthless game?
I wish they would just stop the madness of playing (if you can call it that) a meaningless football game. If you want to honor the guys take them and their families someplace nice for a week, have a great time, play something like golf or ping pong for charity, pay them their bonuses, and keep them safe from injury. These guys have done enough in a 16+ game season.
The game is a sham and the injury factor is huge. Ending a career because of a sham game? This is just greed by the NFL. They have no excuse. They are rolling in money but willing to conduct a sham and risk careers just to bring in another nickel (speaking relatively, of course). They are worse than Scrooge McDuck.
The pro bowl is also a sham, hate to say it, because of fan voting. There is a lot of ignorance, even more of a name recognition warping truth factor, and tons of favoritism. More popular teams like the Packers and, especially, the Cowboys get tons of extra votes. As do teams, like the Packers and Cowboys, who play more nationally televised games.
Fan voting is a gimmick. Eliminate it.
Name the pro bowl and then DO NOT play it. Give those players and, like, 10 family members free vacations to Hawaii and an extra 100K so there is a palpable reward. NFL needs to understand that if they want to maintain the integrity and long term popularity of the league they can’t look at every little thing as a chance to pull in a few more dimes at the consequence of players and credibility.
Howard, i don’t know if you’ve seen the Pro Bowl lately. But there ain’t no lineman getting hurt.
I think you are just being sarcastic ;-). I can’t watch it because it is not a football game. Haven’t watched one in the last 10 to 15 years. I thought they were trying to provide extra incentive $ for the winning team. Still worry about hung over big guys or running backs falling down and taking out someone’s knee.
Picture 2 300 lbers Crouched down, facing each other, the ball is snapped, they stand up, and they start playing patty-cakes.
It’s slightly, only slightly more dangerous than that.
Congratulations to David Bahktiari. He deserves it. I am not sure he deserves it as much or more than Peters but he does deserve it.
That is one more pro bowler for the Packers. Up to 4. So… even with the Vikes? No.
Vikes had two new pro bowlers announced LB Anthony Barr — who I freely admit likely does no deserve it this year though snubbed his rookie year when eh did — and the incomparable Linval “Big Goon” Joseph. Very very deserving. Best NT in the game. 77 tackles from NT! Constantly double-teamed, weak DT next to him and still one of the league leaders in DL tackles. Most of these were on or behind the line of scrimmage (or a yard past). He was arguably the biggest snub on the Vikings until he no longer was.
So, here is what the tally WAS:
“So, final tally:
PACKERS
3 pro bowlers
1 deserved it
0 actual snubs
VIKINGS
4 pro bowlers
4 deserved it
3 snubs”
UPDATED tally:
PACKERS
4 pro bowlers
2 deserved (the undeserved were Clinton-Dix obviously and Rodgers — Ryan, Brees, and Prescott exceeded him and only 2 QBs should be named anyway, not three)
0 actual snubs
* Note: Bahktiari was not previously snubbed but does deserve to be in the pro bowl. There is a margin there where it is not wrong if a player is in the pro bowl and it is not wrong if they are not. Bahktiari was in that margin.
VIKINGS
6 pro bowlers (Cordarrelle Patterson, Harrison Smith, Everson Griffen, Xavier Rhodes, Linval Joseph, Anthony Barr)
5 deserved it
2 snubs
* NOTE: the undeserved is Barr, who had injures and focus issues this year. He was snubbed his rookie year though and should be back to form next year so it evens out. The remaining snubs were Terrence Newman and Danielle Hunter. Deserving but not actual snubs (like Bahktiari) would be Eric Kendricks, Sam Bradford, Joe Berger, and Kyle Rudolph.
I didn’t have time to read your novel.
But tell us the story about the vikings 6-0, and 5-0 seasons.
You know who isn’t going to the ProBowl?? Clay Matthews. LMFAOOOOOOO. I bet he was counting on getting that check to give to his baby mama. Lol
You mean his wife?
Wife AFTER he got her pregnant and AFTER his first born was born. She’s a married baby mama. By the way, anyone else in his famous family tree get their very much older married girlfriend pregnant and then marry her?
His wife then?…ok.
Did you have anything intelligent to say, or is that it?
Don’t force any thought’s, i don’t want you suffering a migraine or anything.
Bak is going but as I understood he was a replacement for someone else. Congrats anyway. He’s one hell of a player. I don’t think he should risk his troubled knee in the PB, but his choice. Clay Matthews had a noneventful season but then he’s always unhealthy. Overrated.